"A Big Adventure For Very Small Creatures"
Title: Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures
Author/Artist: Jason Pamment
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Category: Family
Review by Brayden (they/them)
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After the huge success of his debut original graphic novel ‘Treasure In The Lake‘, local creator Jason Pamment has managed to not only meet, but also surpass everyone’s expectations with yet another amazing all-ages adventure! This time around we follow Ember, a VERY small boy who just wants to go to school like all the other children in the city. Until all of a sudden, he finds himself at the beach, meeting a turtle who can take him to an island for those like him!
This is a wonderful fantasy adventure, about finding your place in the wide world around you and being true to yourself as you are challenged by all sorts of twists and turns. Not only that, but Jason manages to once again perfectly sneak in some great fun facts, to encourage readers to always be open to learning about nature and the wonders found in within it.
The cast of adorable characters are great to get to know, each coming from diverse walks of life and distinct in their creatures personalities. Again, Jason uses these little critters to sneak in some learning about each species in real life, while also managing to have a fantastical big, round, silent rock with a smiley face be a compelling character.
His art is easy to get swept away into, with excellent landscapes and a colour palette that blends the magical with the natural world in a way that immerses you within the island. Coming off the back of his last graphic novel’s gorgeous Australian setting, we get a quirkier and brand new playground to explore, and it show us just what can come from Jason Pamment’s blend of the realistic world meeting a more imaginative space.
I really enjoyed ‘Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures‘ and whole-heartedly recommend it to any reader, no matter how big or how small!
Plus, after yet another amazingly successful book launch here at Greenlight Comics in Adelaide, South Australia, we are super excited to see what Jason has in store for his readers with his next project.