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Product Description
A fantastical adventure through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create. From two masters of the graphic novel -- Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come three magical tales – The story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed. The story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go. The story of a women who receives an e-mail from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family – and gives it to him. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life. Gene Luen Yang is the author of American Born Chinese, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Eisner Award and a finalist for the National Book Award. He teaches high school in San Francisco, California.
Derek Kirk Kim is the author of Same Difference and Other Stories, the winner of the trifecta of comics awards—the Eisner, the Ignatz, and the Harvey. He lives in Portland, Oregon. A Texas Library Association Young Adult Round Table Recommended Graphic Novel
From two masters of the graphic novel, Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, come fantastical adventures through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create: the story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed; the story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go; and the story of a woman who receives an email from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Kim and Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life. "This collaboration between multiple-award winners Yang and Kim is an eagerly awaited event that actually pays off. Yang writes and Kim illustrates in a medley of different styles united by meticulous detail, almost throwaway beauty and riveting storytelling. All three stories deal with levels of fantasy and how humans use it to escape or transcend everyday tedium and suffering. In 'Duncan's Kingdom,' a fairy tale about a brave youth, beautiful princess and dastardly frog king is played out; the fantasy is so note perfect that the truth of the situation comes as a shock. In 'The Eternal Smile,' Gran'pa Greenbax is an avaricious frog whose moneymaking schemes are first boosted then dashed by the appearance of a mysterious, peaceful smile in the sky. Riffing off classic Disney comic books and evangelical clichés, it's a sharp satire far more complex than it first appears. In 'Urgent Request,' Janet, a schlumpy drone at a tech company, answers a Nigerian scam e-mail to liven up her drab life. However, her motives are not as they originally appear. Shattering the borders between our real and fantasy lives, these bold, masterfully crafted fables have real staying power."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
From two masters of the graphic novel--Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Derek Kirk Kim (Same Difference and Other Stories) come fantastical adventures through the worlds we live in and the worlds we create: the story of a prince who defeats his greatest enemy only to discover that maybe his world is not what it had seemed; the story of a frog who finds that just being a frog might be the way to go; and the story of a woman who receives an email from Prince Henry of Nigeria asking for a loan to help save his family. With vivid artwork and moving writing, Derek Kirk Kim and Gene Luen Yang test the boundaries between fantasy and reality, exploring the ways that the world of the imagination can affect real life.
Three Short Stories from The Eternal Smile
Each pair of panels below belongs to one of the three stories in the book: "Duncan's Kingdom," "Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile," and "Urgent Request."
Click on each panel to enlarge [pdf].
 
Prince Duncan goes on a quest to avenge
the king's murder and marry the princess. |  
Grandpa Greenbax the frog sees what
looks like a smile in the sky and hopes
it will answer his prayers. |  
Janet's ho-hum life gets interesting
after she receives an email from a
Nigerian prince. |
|
