Imaginary friends are a rich source for writers and ‘unimaginary friend’ Beekle’s story is rather special. A pudgy little blob of white, he waits to be picked with the other imaginary friends, but he’s still there alone after they’ve all gone. So he does the unimaginable and sets off alone to find his friend himself. The voyage is frightening, but beautiful, the real world grey; a muted place where no-one stops to hear the music. Only in a children’s playground does it light up and it’s near there that Beekle finds the friend he’s been waiting for, and learns that she’s been waiting for him too. The text is short, Santat’s detailed, fantastical pictures carry most of the story. The uplifting message about finding the courage to make your own way will resonate with children and adults alike. ~ Andrea Reece
The Adventures of Beekle: the Unimaginary Friend Synopsis
On one very special day an imaginary friend is born on an island far away. Here, he and his other imaginary friends play all day and each night they sit beneath the stars, hoping and waiting for their turn to be picked, to be imagined, by a real child. But this particular imaginary friend waits and waits, and still no child imagines him. So he does the unimaginable - he sets off into the real world. Once there, he searches so long that he is just about to give up, when a shy, bookish girl named Alice meets him. Gradually they discover they are perfect for each other...and Alice has the perfect name for her imaginary friend: Beekle.
'A sweet, mind-bending gumdrop of a tale' New York Times
'Bursting at the seams with charm' Huffington Post
Author
About Dan Santat
Dan Santat is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator. His picture book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, won the 2015 Caldecott Medal for distinguished illustration. He also wrote The Guild of Geniuses and created the Disney Channel animated series The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his wife, two children and various pets.
