5 Cherries
5 Cherries
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Written and illustrated by Vittoria Facchini
Translated from Italian by Anna Celada
A mother gives her two children five cherries each. One is a girl, one a boy, but they become hard to identify as the game goes on and they throw off traditional markers of gender identity—a headband, a pair of shoes—and their play becomes deeper and more revealing. The ungendered language of the imagination has full reign here as the children experiment with the cherries, turning them into everything from sleeping potions and medals on a general’s uniform to magical cures and a bouquet of flowers. Facchini’s audacious art makes this a book ripe for re-reading.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-2220
8.25" (W) x 12" (H) • 56 pages • HC
AWARDS AND REVIEWS
"Facchini’s wildly expressive paintings—part Ralph Steadman, part Chris Raschka—immerse readers in the siblings’ vivid scenarios, games, and interactions. It’s a vibrant reminder of the almost boundless capacity of a child’s imagination." —Publishers Weekly
"5 Cherries is a beautiful, meandering exploration of the power of imagination and play to bring people together, no matter their differences. Facchini's art is deliciously child-like and frolicsome and full of delightful visual cues that will prompt rereadings to catch all the fun details. This is a book to ponder over; a book to spark little imaginations." —Hannah DeCamp, Children's Buyer, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA)
“This is an unusual and quirky story from Italian author/illustrator Vittoria Facchini, translated by Anna Celada. She cleverly shows the contrast in the siblings’ personalities – one plans to eat them all at once while the other is happy to look at them because they are so pretty. Through her exuberant and expressive artwork it also encapsulates the limitless capacity of a child’s imagination.” —Outside in World
"5 Cherries is an ideal and enthusiastically recommended addition to family, preschool, day care center, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 4 to 8." —Midwest Book Review
"Painterly figures against plenty of white space—and those gorgeous, red cherries—invite readers into their own fruit-fueled fantasies." —Kirkus Reviews
“What would you do with five red cherries? Facchini follows two young siblings as they are each given five fresh red cherries. Is five cherries plenty or simply not enough? One child is immediately excited with the endless possibilities. The other is disappointed. Why so few? But their imaginations soon take over as they explore the many uses for their cherished cherries. ‘I'll be a jester! And I'll do a jiggety-jester-jig,’ says one sibling. The other declares: ‘I'll share mine with my friends. Everything's ready. They're coming to tea.’ As the pages turn, the children seem to blend together, and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell one from the other. By the end, both the children and readers are left wanting more. The bright, floral paintings, beginning and ending on the inside covers, are bursting with color to help give life to this inventive tale. The engagingly stylized pictures dance across plain white pages and tell a story of their own. In the end, readers are left wondering at the possibilities of just five more minutes. […] A thought-provoking and imaginative story that is beautifully illustrated.” —Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library, School Library Journal