Instructions

First I have to say that I am a confirmed fan of Neil Gaiman and we have more books by him in our house than any other author, spanning the full breadth of his output. I have just bought this as a Christmas present for my son, aged nearly 4. He is too young at present to fully grasp the narrative arc of this book but I feel it is a story he will treasure throughout his life. My daughter has a copy of Blueberry Girl which sets out all the things any parent could wish for their daughters future and The Instructions is a companion piece for a son. I highly recommend this book!

I just love this book.It's advice for every adventurer to take to heart.You can read it in five minutes, but you should take a good hour and really steep yourself in the beautiful illustrations and lyrical quality of it.

This is an amazing book, not because of the illustrations (which are truly wonderful) and not because of the story (which is classic Gaiman), but because it is a gateway to so many tales. Follow the journey and you will pass paths leading you to stories you will know, to stories you half remember and to stories you have yet to meet. The challenge is to find those tales and weave them into the story as you read it.

This really is suitable for all ages, there is not the weird menace or dark element of a lot of Gaiman's material (certainly his adult reads) and it is brilliantly illustrated including characters and elements from tales and fables many will be familiar with. The main character seems to be puss in boots, while red riding hood and the wolf, sleeping giants and wyrm dragons all make an appearence.For fans of Gaiman there are elements which will be familiar from his books, such as the unnoticed door to a fantasy world or adventure (Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text and to an extent also Stardust) and friendly ghosts (The Graveyard Book). That said you dont need any knowledge of Gaiman's writing to enjoy this.If you are reading it with a younger reader it is about one or two sentences to a page, so for someone learning to read it wont appear like it is too daunting, and the very full illustrations provide plenty of things to talk about or point out and branch out into other stories.

Stunning illustrations and thoughtful, wistful and imaginative text. Absolutely gorgeous.

Neil Gaiman is master of both adult and children's books. My son really enjoyed this far reaching adventure book and beautiful use of language. Beautiful illustrations. We loved it!

Text and images are beautiful. I love the idea of giving instructions for what to do if you were trapped in a fairy tale. If I was teaching it would be a fantastic stimulus for creative writing.

When you get stuck in fairy land THIS is the book you must of read.How to get in and more importantly how to get out (IF you want to.)good fun and easy words for 5 year olds and up.