The Circles in the Sky, Hardcover

With luminous illustrations, this original folktale about the discovery of a lifeless bird offers a sympathetic exploration of grief, loss, and hope. One morning, Fox is drawn toward the forest. There, in a clearing, he sees something small and silent, perhaps forgotten. It's a bird, lying as still as can be. Fox is confused, upset, and angry. Is the bird broken? Why doesn't it move or sing, no matter what Fox does? His curious antics are spied by a little moth, who shares a comforting thought about the circles in the sky--that the sun, even after it sets, is reflected by the moon and the stars, reminding us of its light. In an author-illustrator debut, Karl James Mountford pairs a text at once lyrical and humorous, meditative and down-to-earth with glorious, multilayered artwork that will take your breath away. Told with sensitivity and an enchanting visual style, this story of the ineffable nature of death and life has the feel of a universal folktale for modern times.

Karl James Mountford is an illustrator who works in both traditional and digital media. He illustrated the picture books Maurice the Unbeastly by Amy Dixon and The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth by Ellie Hattie as well as book covers and chapter illustrations for adult titles. He lives and works in Wales, where his sketchbooks rarely get a day off.

• Dimensions: 281 x 205
• Author: Karl James Mountford
• Cover type: Hardcover
• Publishing Year: 2022
• Publishing Month: 9
• Pages: 40
• Language: English
• Publisher: Candlewick Studio
• Weight: 386 g