Close Modal

Godfather Death

Illustrated by Júlia Sardà
Look inside
Hardcover
7.38"W x 9.75"H x 0.42"D   | 12 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Aug 13, 2024 | 48 Pages | 9780593692103
Age 4-8 years
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell U
A soul-stirring reimagined Grimm tale by award-winning author Sally Nicholls and hauntingly illustrated by Júlia Sardà that will spellbind and thrill readers of all ages.

When a poor fisherman chooses Death to be godfather to his son, he’s certain he’s made a good choice—for surely there’s no man more honest than Death? At the christening, Death gives the fisherman a gift that seems at first to be the key to the family’s fortune, but when greed overcomes the fisherman, he learns that nobody can truly cheat Death...
SALLY NICHOLLS grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, and after school, travelled the world, working for a period at a Red Cross hospital in Japan. Sally's first novel, Ways to Live Forever, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and she has been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Costa Children's Book Award. She lives in Oxford. View titles by Sally Nicholls
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Canada
•     Guam
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     North Mariana
•     Philippines
•     Puerto Rico
•     Samoa,American
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA

Available for sale non-exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahrain
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Benin
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cameroon
•     Cape Verde
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Faroe Islands
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guatemala
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Iraq
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Japan
•     Jordan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Morocco
•     Myanmar
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     Saint Martin
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Singapore
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     St Barthelemy
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Sudan
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen

Not available for sale:
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Australia
•     Bahamas
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belize
•     Bermuda
•     Botswana
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Cayman Islands
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Cyprus
•     Dominica
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Fiji
•     Gambia
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Grenada
•     Guernsey
•     Guyana
•     India
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Jamaica
•     Jersey
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Lesotho
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Malta
•     Mauritius
•     Montserrat
•     Mozambique
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     New Zealand
•     Nigeria
•     Pakistan
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     Sri Lanka
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     Swaziland
•     Tanzania
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     Uganda
•     United Kingdom
•     Vanuatu
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
Raves for Godfather Death

★ “[A] prickly, haunting story...Throughout, gracefully stylized vignettes and elaborate borders in autumn hues by Sardà present a distinctive concoction of humor and anxiety. It echoes suspenseful, folkloric prose that grapples with truth and human frailty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
★ “A lesser-known Brothers Grimm tale finds new life… Deft writing and entrancing art prove once more why the old stories are worth retelling.” —Kirkus, starred review
 
★ “[A] deliciously haunting story…Nicholls makes some fantastic alterations, and Sardà’s illustrations are masterful, adding further new details. Autumnal hues and highly detailed woodblock style vignettes and full-page spreads carry the story forward as much as the text. Sardà brilliantly evokes medieval illuminated manuscripts, nineteenth-century folklore, and a lush, immersive timelessness that echoes the inevitability of death… Readers will likely be both deeply moved by the fisherman’s original pure intentions and highly satisfied by his ultimate comeuppance.” —BCCB, starred review

"From the wonderfully measured text to the gorgeously retro images, this is a shivery treat." —Parade.com

About

A soul-stirring reimagined Grimm tale by award-winning author Sally Nicholls and hauntingly illustrated by Júlia Sardà that will spellbind and thrill readers of all ages.

When a poor fisherman chooses Death to be godfather to his son, he’s certain he’s made a good choice—for surely there’s no man more honest than Death? At the christening, Death gives the fisherman a gift that seems at first to be the key to the family’s fortune, but when greed overcomes the fisherman, he learns that nobody can truly cheat Death...

Creators

SALLY NICHOLLS grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, and after school, travelled the world, working for a period at a Red Cross hospital in Japan. Sally's first novel, Ways to Live Forever, won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and she has been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Costa Children's Book Award. She lives in Oxford. View titles by Sally Nicholls

Photos

additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo
additional book photo

Praise

Raves for Godfather Death

★ “[A] prickly, haunting story...Throughout, gracefully stylized vignettes and elaborate borders in autumn hues by Sardà present a distinctive concoction of humor and anxiety. It echoes suspenseful, folkloric prose that grapples with truth and human frailty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
★ “A lesser-known Brothers Grimm tale finds new life… Deft writing and entrancing art prove once more why the old stories are worth retelling.” —Kirkus, starred review
 
★ “[A] deliciously haunting story…Nicholls makes some fantastic alterations, and Sardà’s illustrations are masterful, adding further new details. Autumnal hues and highly detailed woodblock style vignettes and full-page spreads carry the story forward as much as the text. Sardà brilliantly evokes medieval illuminated manuscripts, nineteenth-century folklore, and a lush, immersive timelessness that echoes the inevitability of death… Readers will likely be both deeply moved by the fisherman’s original pure intentions and highly satisfied by his ultimate comeuppance.” —BCCB, starred review

"From the wonderfully measured text to the gorgeously retro images, this is a shivery treat." —Parade.com
Penguin Random House Comics Retail