The Odyssey of The Little Barbarian

Renato Moriconi is a unique talent. I received his English edition of The Little Barbarian yesterday. (Thank you, Eerdmans.) 

To start, Moriconi's design, palette and watercolor illustrations are beautiful. And the 5.5 x 12 portrait format is perfect for what's to come. (Hat tip to the art director.)

In this wordless adventure, an intrepid little barbarian makes a dangerous journey on horseback. On each spread he faces different attackers. Snakes, giant birds, arrows, and a sea serpent don't faze him—he can make this journey with his eyes closed. 

He rides on under flying demons and Zeus throwing thunderbolts. He rides over fire and cyclopes. He even rides head-on into a giant scorpion. 

The Little Barbarian only becomes emotional at the very end (and I won't say why). The end is the perfect capper to this inventive and fun picture book.

Jpeg from https://www.debbiebiboagency.com/the-little-barbarian 

You can see a slideshow of The Little Barbarian at that link.

And while you're there, check out all the other great illustrators

at the Debbie Bibo Agency