The Magic Bookcase

Internationally acclaimed illustrator and author Robert Ingpen spins a fantastic spell in this imaginative book. The illustrations are taken from a massive mural he donated to the National Library of Australia in 2018. It depicts a bookshelf without books. Instead, the shelves are filled with characters from classical stories who, through the imagination of the illustrator, are borrowed from the pages of books where they traditionally belong.

Robert Ingpen was born in Geelong, Australia. He began studying illustration and design at the Royal Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University). Since 1970 he has written and illustrated well over one hundred books, and in 1986 he was awarded the highest honor in the children’s book world, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, for his long term contribution to international children’s literature. His books for minedition include If You Wish, and The Ugly Duckling.