When I read After the Fall to a little girl, she declared that it was the best book ever.

It’s the story of Humpty Dumpty…after he fell off the wall. (He did become rather famous for that.) In this continuation of the nursery rhyme, the king’s men did manage to patch him up, but “there were some parts that couldn’t be healed with bandages and glue.” Humpty Dumpty became a rather traumatized egg, afraid of heights after his accident, and he started missing out on some of his favorite things: his top bunk in the bunk bed, his favorite cereals on the high shelves in the store, and most of all, seeing the birds flying and being high above the city.

Fortunately for Humpty Dumpty (and for young readers), he eventually decided to get back up on that wall, despite the fact that he was terrified. This story’s conclusion and Humpty Dumpty’s ultimate fate are both inspiring and a bit unexpected.

Pick up this sweet story for any young person whom you know could use a little encouragement. (In other words, pick up this sweet story for any young person you’ve ever met.)

BOOK: After the Fall

AUTHOR: Dan Santat

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2017

IMAGE: Book cover, Roaring Brook Press