Some Things I've Lost

A wallet, a set of keys, a pair of glasses these are some of the household objects that disappear and are fantastically reconstituted in Cybele Young’s inventive new picture book. Minimal text conveys the magic of a world where even inanimate objects are constantly undergoing a process of growth, transformation and change.

An introduction describing the frustration we feel when we lose something is followed by a catalogue of misplaced objects. Each item is shown first in its original form and then, through a series of gatefold spreads, is shown in the process of transforming into a marvelous and mysterious sea creature. At the very end of the book, we see these transformed objects in their new, watery habitat, a conclusion which will leave readers astonished by the distance they like the lost objects themselves have travelled.

Some Things I’ve Lost invites readers to consider the inevitability of change and the power of the imagination. On finishing the book, children and adults alike will look more closely at everything they have previously taken for granted.

Cybele Young is an award-winning artist who exhibits her exquisite paper sculpture (Japanese paper printed with etched copperplates) internationally. She has illustrated several books for children, includingPa’s Harvest by Jan Andrews, which was nominated for the Governor General’s Award (Illustration) and Jack Pine by Christopher Patton. She has recently written and illustratedA Few Blocks, a Kirkus Best Children’s Book and winner of the Alcuin Award;Ten Birds, winner of the Governor General’s Award (Illustration); andA Few Bites, which received starred reviews inKirkus and Publishers Weekly and was named an OLA Best Bet. She lives with her family in Toronto.