The captain who loves giving orders once goes on dry land to see what the world is like beyond his kingdom beyond the seas. But no sooner does he leave his ship behind and is away from his obedient sailors, he has no one to give orders to. In fact, there are no orders to give. This puts his view of the world in a new perspective, and he realizes that he has much to learn. Then one day Orange Fish, his only friend who lives in a jar, disappears, and the captain’s log of things to learn is lengthened with searching for him. He searches and he learns. Thanks to various meetings and exemplary tales, he comes up with a new philosophy of life and finds his way back to his friend who, as it turns out, has led a surprising and amazing life.
With its emphasis on the lyrical, Angi Máté’s book takes us into a hermetic world of fantasy where a street sprinkler and a chair that eats apples, a crab and a balloon moon make for easy companions. This unique world of images is beautifully illustrated by Kinga Rófusz’s series of full-page illustrations that, both in length and content, make up more than half of the book.
Both the author and illustrator have received IBBY prizes for their previous books.