Set in a run-down hotel, similar to Wes Andersen's Grand Budapest Hotel, this story is told from the perspective of hotel owner's son, Gabriel. Despite the state of the hotel, Gabriel and his parents look after the old and eccentric residents very well, including Mrs Kettle who believes she is a former queen in exile from Kettlonia. As the hotel crumbles around them, the family and residents realise it's time to say goodbye. Until they receive the surprise of their life: Mrs Kettle really is a queen and her country has been freed - her people are asking her to come back home! Gabriel, his parents and the Herring residents build the hotel afresh next to Mrs Kettle's palace and they all live happily ever after in Kettlonia.

 

There are 40 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2019 by Thames & Hudson Ltd .

Serge Bloch has won a gold medal at the Society of Illustrators and creates art for The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. He has written several other books, including some in French. Didier Levy began his career as a journalist, before devoting himself full time to children's literature. He has published more than a hundred books and lives in Paris.