Chiuso per ferie

Have you ever wondered what really happens in your house when you leave to go on vacation? "Chiuso  per ferie" gives you a very enjoyable suggestion!​

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In the start of the book, we see a family leaving the house. They are carrying suitcases and boxes, so it is quite safe to assume they will be gone for a while, probably on vacation. In the hallway, there is a cabinet with some framed black and white fotos on them. When the door closes and the family is gone, things start happening: The black and white people from the pictures climb right out of the frames! There is a man and a woman, a girl and a boy, a very old couple and a small dog. Over the next spread, we see them have fun in the house: they use the roller skates as cars, do gymnatics in the house plants, use the sink as a swimming pool and the stove as a tanning bed...

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Even though the picture-people have come to life, they are still black and white, and still tiny, which is what makes the book both very funny and visually stunning. The black and white characters against the strongly colored backgrounds makes the story (or stories, for there are so many to be told from this book) easy to follow also for the young children. The fact that they are so tiny is a comic and dramatic effect: Like when the dog is chasen by mosquitues almost as big as him, or when the the woman uses a kitchen sponge as a raft in the sink "pool".

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The characters facial expressions are very easy to read. They are amazed, worried, curious, tired - but most of the time they look like they are having fun! Until the dog starts barking at the door: Everyone runs to the cabinet and finds their place in the picture. In the last spread, we see the family enter the door. The picture people are safely back in their frames. But one of the toys they played with are, to the family´s surprise, left in the middle of the floor. What happened? Only the readers know...

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An adventorous and fun book that will spark the imagination of both children and adults!