THE THREE GOLDEN KEYS

A man in a hot-air balloon is blown off course by a storm. The rig descends smack in the middle of Prague. But it is a strange Prague, dark and ancient and unpeopled, as if in a dream. Still, it is the Prague of the man's youth, even without the voices and commotion. The man tours the city in the company of a black cat that looks suspiciously like the one he had as a child. He comes to the family house, now bolted with three padlocks. Pushing on, the man has three special encounters, each one relating an old Czech legend, each giving to him a golden key, each changing the seasons. The man returns with the keys to his house and uses them to unlock the palace of memory. S°s (A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North, 1993, etc.) builds the brief, poetic text from snippets of childhood remembrance, conjuring a highly personal image of the city, and a magical one. As always, his crabbed line drawings are a treasure hunt that slowly reveal their many pleasures. S°s summons a richly experienced childhood and a city full of wonders. (Author tour) (Folklore/Picture book. 6+)