Eleven-year-old Trina steals a ride on the back of the Great Barrett, a very large bird. Though he would much rather stay in his comfortable home in the village of Agarondo, together they are destined for adventure. Trina and the Great Barrett are captured by evil Shaggies and held in a cave prison before escaping into a storm of rose petals. They encounter the Dancing Sand Band (complete with flute, lute and burtlephone), a gaggle of confused but helpful owls, cloud-scraping machines, rare jewels, hypnotized butterflies and a not-so-scary Drogon-not-a-dragon among the fanciful friends, vile enemies and bizarre situations they find along the way. Their final destination, to discover why all the colors of the earth are disappearing, leads to a dramatic battle with a colorful conclusion. This is a wonderful book about friendship, courage and loyalty for young readers, set in a truly unique world. Author and illustrator Robert Gumpertz' work is reminiscent of Roald Dahl, but with a voice all his own.
This book is also available in print (Amazon.com)
You can reach Robert through his website: gumpertzart.com
OTHER BOOKS BY ROBERT GUMPERTZ: "Frankie at the Bus Stop" (print: Amazon), "Way to Go" (print: Amazon.com), "Frankie at the Seashore" (print: Amazon),"The International Dog Cartoon Book" (Golden Press, New York), "Professor Twill's Travels" (Children's Book Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston), "Dream Notebook" (San Francisco Publishing), "From Fiddletown to Tuba City" Cartoon Book (Workman Publishing, New York).