Every once in a blue moon a book captures the imagination, providing a portal into magical places unknown. So it was with The Neverending Story, a children’s fantasy novel by Michael Ende, which topped best-seller lists in the author’s native Germany following its release on September 1st, 1979. Illustrator Roswitha Quadflieg captured the story’s mythical feel by emblazoning each chapter with a decorative initial inspired by medieval scripts. And today’s Doodle adds a 3D dimension, with an artwork-packed slideshow that uses parallax scrolling—a Doodle first!  

At the heart of this book-within-a-book is Bastian Balthazar Bux, a lonely boy who steals a copy of The Neverending Story from an antiques store—and leaps into its pages. Bastian is tapped by a hunter named Atreyu to help save the enchanted but ill-omened world of Fantastica by doing something only a human can do: giving Fantastica’s ruler, the Childlike Empress, a new name. Their companion, Falkor, a luckdragon, remains ever-optimistic that they’ll prevail over wicked creatures and destructive forces to reach the Childlike Empress’s Ivory Tower. In time, Bastian’s journey becomes one of self discovery, in which the words “Do what thou wilt!” inscribed on Atreyu’s talisman, take on personal meaning.

Today’s Doodle takes us along on Bastian’s odyssey in honor of the 37th anniversary of the book’s publication.

Doodle by Sophie Diao