Really enjoyed this! The artwork was really cute!

I will update the review with the link to on our blog as soon as I can.

I'd like to thank the publisher House of Anansi Press Inc., Groundwood Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A little bit of whimsy... a little bit of magic ... and a trip to Paris all contribute to this charming and bittersweet tale of Anthony and his baby gargoyle. I loved this picture book which thoughtfully depicts the story of a little boy helping his beloved pet gargoyle find his proper place and home. The story is told in pictures alone and the illustrations are detailed and lovely.

The publisher also included which literacy Common Core Standards the book fit within so early childhood teachers who want to adopt this book for their classroom easily know how it can fit into a standards-based lesson plan.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Anthony and the Gargoyle is a pretty-much wordless picture book that tells the story of a young child who ends up with a baby gargoyle on his hands after retrieving a rock from a visit to Paris. He and the baby gargoyle become close, but when Anthony takes another trip to Notre Dame, the baby gargoyle discovers his family. This book can have 5 stars based on the art alone, it's so unbelievably adorable and makes me want a baby gargoyle myself! This story will bring you to tears but it is also a powerful story about love, friendship, and selflessly caring for those close to you, even when it may be hard. This is a really good story for children in foster families, children who have recently lost a loved one, etc. to teach them that just because someone isn't with us does not mean that they are not still "ours" and that letting go is sometimes the best thing we can do out of love for someone.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

Wordless picture books are a great way to teach kids to engage with illustrations and interpret visual information. And they're quite difficult to execute well. This particular book is lead by fine, artistic drawings and the story is reasonably easy to follow.

Thank you Netgalley and House of Anansi Press Inc for access to this arc.

Come on. Look at that little gargoyle face on the cover and try and tell me it isn’t the cutest. Anthony and his pal are the sweetest and I loved, loved, loved reading their story. Don’t worry too much about the description of a “bittersweet story” in the blurb. It’s the friendship part you should pay attention to. True friends will help each other and that’s what Anthony selflessly – and deliberately – sets out to do. Anthony is wise beyond his years. Bogart and Kastelic make sure to let us know that the memories Anthony keeps will be happy ones and that the little gargoyle has found his home and his “people.”

The illustrations are fantastic and “tell” the story without any words at all. Yet, I totally understood actions, emotions, and intentions. Start looking early for glimpses of the friendly, little gargoyle peeking out. Read the story once to discover what happens then go back and soak up all the details and “feels.” I will quibble a bit and say that very young readers may need a little help with the transitions in the story – perhaps pointing out key details in the pictures. But this is a book I feel can be enjoyed by children and adults. I know that I did. A-

This is a children's Picture Book (There is no words) that I looked/Read with my twin boys. I have to say I found this book hard for my boys and even me at times to follow the story without words. The pictures where so cute and well done, but I think this storyline was so big that it really needed words. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Groundwood Books) or author (Jo Ellen Bogart) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Bogart presents a magical, wordless story about a young boy and his friendship with an adorably shy gargoyle. The tale culminates with a poignant visit to Notre-Dame cathedral to see the gargoyles there. A wonderful story, made even more special by Maja Kastelic's artwork.

Such a beautiful little book with a sweet, heartwarming story! Highly recommend for all kids. I’d buy it for a child in my life.

**thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc I received**

This wordless picture book is so sweet and adorable! The art is gorgeous - lots of details, beautiful colors. The story follows a young child who befriends a gargoyle that hatched in his room one night. Although the ending is bittersweet, I enjoyed the emphasis on happy memories after we say goodbye to someone important to us.

This is a cute picture book with great illustrations and wonderful nods to French art and culture. It doesn't have any words other than a name on a book the characters are reading or a name on a cafe, so it makes for a great story to add your own flair to with a child. I think it would be cute to have characters and voices created as an activity with kids to go along with this book. I highly recommend it!

SYNOPSIS
We quickly learn that Anthony is part of a traditional French family unit consisting of his Mother (Mère), Father (Père) and Anthony (Antoine). His home environment is comfortable without being extravagant. Going to bed one night his favorite rock metamorphosis’s into something rare. On waking he discovers a surprise that leads him into a close relationship with his new-found friend. Recognizing that his new pal is different from him, Anthony questions his mother in order to better understand his bon ami. An unexpected phone call requires his mother to go to Paris. She takes Anthony and the Gargoyle with her. What follows is a journey of discovery for both Anthony and his Gargoyle. Anthony experiences love, loss and mortality. The Journey is tinged with both happiness and sadness; with new beginnings and endings.

CONCLUSION SEE: https://wp.me/paAiOn-1E3

Incredibly sweet story! Very well done wordless picture book that conveyed the difficulty in saying goodbye to a friend while still appreciating all of the memories that you formed with them.

This wordless adventure is stunning. The watercolor effect illustrations are gorgeous. The story is a little hard to follow without reading the blurb, but I think kids will either figure it out, or create their own amazing words to go with the amazing illustrations.

I loved this wordless book. Anthony and the Gargoyle were so cute together and even though it was a semi-sad ending, Anthony will always have his memories with the Gargoyle

This wordless children's graphic novel has beautiful illustrations, and the art is full of intricate details that readers can study over repeat experiences, recognizing more details and subtleties to the main story. This is very charming and sweet, and can appeal to adults and children who are interested in France, travel, and fantastical friendships between children and other creatures. My one critique is that it is sometimes difficult to follow some of the transition points in the story, and I think that the addition of a few lines of dialogue or basic description could help readers follow the events in a clearer way.

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. Anthony and the Gargoyle tells the story of Anthony, a little boy who lives with his parents in a house full of photographs. These pictures tell the story of his life and his parents’ lives before him. In the background of some of them, you can see Parisian landmarks beside the smiling happy couple.

In one of the photographs, Anthony can be seen holding a pet rock. One day, this rock breaks open and from it springs a gargoyle that teaches Anthony an important lesson: sometimes loving something means being willing to let it go. He also learns along the way that love doesn’t end at separation—it can break any boundary and traverse any distance.

Perfect for fans of Aaron Becker’s Journey trilogy and Molly Idle’s Flora and Her Feathered Friends series, Anthony and the Gargoyle is sure to delight readers of all ages. It is due to be released on October 5th, 2021, and is now available to preorder wherever books are sold.

This book was adorable. A little boy is given a rock that is roughly egg-shaped. It hatches into a baby gargoyle who is rather shy at first, but quickly becomes his friend. They have a few days of adventures together: playing, reading, searching their house. His parents take the little boy to France to connect with a sick relative. He does make it to Notre Dame and.... read the book to find out what happens in the end!

There is not a single word in this picture book and that's a beautiful thing. The illustrations were gorgeous! I totally want a baby gargoyle friend.

“Anthony and the Gargoyle” is an exquisitely illustrated wordless book by Jo Ellen Bogart. A small boy Anthony is the owner of an oval rock, which one day reveals itself to be an egg from which hatches a baby gargoyle. Hiding the gargoyle in his room Anthony seeks more information about gargoyles from his mom. She shows him photos from before he was born, when she and Anthony’s dad toured Paris and saw the great gargoyles of Notre Dame cathedral. Shortly after their conversation Anthony and his family suddenly need to travel to Paris to visit Anthony’s great-aunt. It is then that Anthony hatches a plan to reunite his new friend with family. The illustrations contain wonderful little details in the family’s collection of photographs; the craftmanship of Notre Dame's architecture is intricately shown across graphic novel like panels. "Anthony and the Gargoyle" is a magical friendship story destined to be a new classic.

What a SWEET story! And the illustrations are incredible! That gargoyle looks so dang friendly! Both my 5 and 9 year old would really enjoy this!

Beautiful illustrations and sweet story. Love all the details in the illustrations and seeing Paris through the eyes of a child. I personally really struggle with wordless books and so wish there were words to go along with the story.