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Children's Fiction Humorous

Runaway

by (author) Cordell Barker

adapted by Sarah Howden

Publisher
Firefly Books
Initial publish date
Oct 2019
Category
Humorous
Recommended Age
8 to 12
Recommended Grade
3 to 7
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780228100799
    Publish Date
    Oct 2019
    List Price
    $19.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

A cow and a runaway train are on a collision course. How will it all end?

The captain is indisposed and there's no one left to pilot the train. But a train mostly drives itself, right? What could possibly go wrong?

And with that, Cordell Barker's allegorical tale of greed, ignorance and the social cost of self-importance is away!

Adapted from the 2009 animated short of the same name, Runaway is a rollicking and fast-paced comic that is short on dialogue, big on laughs and ends with a bang.

Pleasingly devoid of any pedantic tendencies, Barker's story, expertly adapted for the page by children's author Sarah Howden, comes alive with visual jokes, poignant pauses and plenty of action.

Rendered in Barker's signature, energetic illustration style, and set in an era of steamer cars and top hats, Runaway is a heavy-duty story cleverly disguised as a simple comedy of errors.

National Film Board of Canada Collection
In the tradition of the NFB's creative and innovative storytelling on film comes the National Film Board of Canada Collection: a series of celebrated animated films, documentary films and media projects adapted for the printed page.

Whether discovering a much-loved classic for the first time or interacting with a favorite film in a new and exciting way, readers will be delighted with the thought-provoking stories and inventive presentations of the National Film Board of Canada Collection.

About the authors

Cordell Barker is an award-winning animator whose films include the critically acclaimed Strange Invaders and Runaway, as well as 2016's If I Was God. Barker lives in Winnipeg where he can be found playing tennis when not animating.

Cordell Barker's profile page

SARAH HOWDEN is the author of several books for children, including 5-Minute Stories for Fearless Girls and Cone Cat. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and daughter and their two rambunctious cats. 

Sarah Howden's profile page

Editorial Reviews

A cow on the tracks. A train going at full speed. A disaster might happen before readers' eyes. This graphic novel adaptation of a short film is full of humor and action... For fans of Tim Burton films or other wry and wacky humor.

School Library Journal

Recommended.

Canadian Review of Materials

Barker's tongue-in-cheek humour and clever animation made this NFB film an instant hit when it first appeared in 2009. Howden has adapted it well to a graphic novel; both early readers and their parents will enjoy this delightful spoof about the unreliability of official figures.

Winnipeg Free Press

Based on Cordell Barker's 2009 NFB film and adapted by Sarah Howden, Runaway is the witty, action-packed tale of a train and a cow on a colli sion course. While lessons about greed, ignorance, and self-importance can be drawn from the text, Howden lets Barker's visual jokes take centre stage.

Quill and Quire

The adventure rolls along as the train's captain becomes indisposed and there's no one left to pilot the train. But doesn't a train usually drive itself? What could possibly go wrong? And with that, the allegorical tale of greed, ignorance and the social cost of self-importance is away. This rollicking and fast-paced comic that is short on dialogue, big on laughs and ends with a bang.

City Parent

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