Cleocatra by Alex Bond

Location: United States

Strange and Surreal is an an illustrated coming-of-age book about a young woman who discovers that even as myths have been fading and folklore has been forgotten, the creatures we fear and love have continued to live with us hidden in plain sight. Some have distanced themselves from humans and others have domesticated themselves to hide their strangeness. Cleocatra is one of the domesticated creatures of legend. She comes from the long lineage of the Egyptian sphinx, temple guardians. If you watch closely, you will recognize signs of her true nature in the way she protects her home, the impossible heights she can jump, the way she stares (seemingly) at nothing, and the intelligent spark in her eyes.