The Gargoyle

He's old, this gargoyle. Very old. Older than me. Older than anyone. He looks tired. If I had a seat, I would give it to him.

He shuffles past me and stands near the door and watches the city smushing past.

I think I hear him sigh. An echoey, achy, hollow sort of sigh, like the wind when it gusts down lanes and through tunnels and in and out of the big drains that stretch under the city.

This is the moving story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop to make way for a new development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train. When the gargoyle is ordered off the train, he leaves his suitcase behind. The child opens the case and unleashes the gargoyle's many memories of the city and its inhabitants. When the case crumbles, leaving nothing but a small seed, the child decides to find a place to bring the gargoyle, and the soul of the city, back.

An unforgettable story about conservation, ageing and legacies which will leave a forever imprint on your heart.

Praise for The Gargoyle:

'A sympathetically written and beautifully poignant story' Schooldaysmagazine.com

'Leaves a lasting impression of hope and kindness for our world and all its beings . . . Lyrically sensational . . . striking artwork . . . An exquisite legacy' Books+Publishing

'This is a heartfelt tale with lots of interesting ideas to unpack and at its core a simple plea for kindness and compassion' ReadPlus

'The Gargoyle is a picture book that deserves a place on every child's bookshelf. It is a book that will spark imagination and curiosity, as well as empathy and compassion' Better Reading

'A touching story about conservation, ageing, kindness and legacy' Readings, Best Picture Books of 2023

'An intriguing, moving story about the transformative powers of empathy' The Age

Zana Fraillon (Author)

Zana Fraillon (she/they) is an internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning author of books for children and young adults.

Zana's books have won the Amnesty CILIP Honour Award, the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children, the Readings YA Prize, NSW Premier's Literary Awards and the CBCA Honour Book Award. The Bone Sparrow was chosen as the biennial book to represent Australia for the International Board on Books for Young People.

Zana was born and lives in Naarm (Melbourne), but spent her early childhood in San Francisco. She has degrees in history and teaching and is undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing at La Trobe University.

Ross Morgan (Illustrator)

Ross Morgan is a fine artist and illustrator from Adelaide, South Australia. From an early age, Ross enjoyed exploring the rural environment filled with creatures, abandoned structures and objects of yesteryear. He also practised drawing, painting, and arts and crafts projects at the kitchen table, encouraged by his mother. These early experiences were key in establishing his life-long interest in drawing and painting.

He completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of South Australia in 2000. Since then, he has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions and running an independent studio practice.

Some of Ross's major awards include being selected as a semi-finalist in Doug Moran National Portrait Prize (2014), a three-time finalist in the Kennedy Art Prize (2017, 2018 and 2021) and winner of the John Shaw Neilson Acquisitive Art Prize in 2015. In 2019, Ross won Raising Literacy Australia's Emerging Author and Illustrator Mentoring Project. This led to his first illustrated book, Molly Moores has a House Like Yours, written by Kaliah Tsakalidis and published in 2020. In 2021, he was shortlisted for the SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Award as an Emerging Illustrator.

He's old, this gargoyle. Very old. Older than me. Older than anyone. He looks tired. I think, if I had a seat, I would give it to him. He shuffles past me and stands near the door and watches the city smushing past. I think I hear him sigh. An echoey, achy, hollow sort of sound, like the wind when it gusts down lanes and through tunnels and in and out of the big drains that stretch under the city. This is the moving story of an old gargoyle, forced off his rooftop stoop to make way for a new development in a barren cityscape, and the child who encounters him on an overcrowded train. When the gargoyle is ordered off the train, he leaves his suitcase behind. The child opens the case and unleashes the gargoyle's many memories of the city and its inhabitants. When the case crumbles, leaving nothing but a small seed, the child decides to find a place to bring the gargoyle, and the soul of the city, back.A unforgettable story about conservation, ageing and legacies which will leave a forever imprint on your heart.

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