By: John,
on 11/3/2010
Auf Des Hechtes Geheiss (by Max Fiedler)
Max Fiedler created this wordless comic based on a Russian fairy tale. Click through to read the whole thing.
By: shelf-employed,
on 4/28/2010
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| David Wiesner, signing books at NJLA |
By: shelf-employed,
on 4/16/2010
By: Tasha Saecker,
on 4/14/2010
Mirror by Suzy Lee
The author of Wave returns with another wordless book that captures emotion through images alone. Her use of simple lines, white space and minimal color sets a unique tone in this book. It is the story of a girl who is sad and alone before she discovers a mirror. As she interacts with her reflection, she becomes exuberant as do the illustrations. She begins to dance with her reflection and then something odd happens and her reflection does different things than she does. This makes her angry so she shoves the reflection, bringing the book to a crashing end.
Lee excels at creating wordless stories that have depth and grace. Here her thick black lines come together to make a story that is interesting and universal. Her skill with white space is really at its best here. She offers an entire two page spread of only blank pages that really create a vital moment in the book. On other pages, she is unafraid to keep large parts of the page bare and allow readers to really focus on the figures themselves.
The book itself is wonderfully designed with a tall, thin cover than evokes the shape of a mirror. The endpages feature the colors and inky shapes found inside the book. Beautifully and caringly done.
A wordless book that offers emotion, surprises and delight, this book will be enjoyed by many different readers. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Seven Footer Press.
Also reviewed by The Well-Read Child and Pink Me.
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By: David Elzey,
on 3/26/2010
by Jeff Newman Simon and Schuster 2010 A Mid-Century Modern picture book valentine to the nature of boys at play, both young and old. On Monday the new kid moves to town. On Tuesday he sets out to the park with his bat and ball to mingle with the kids of his new neighborhood but can't bring himself to join in. He shuffles over to a park bench full of a quartet of old men who don't quite
By: Tasha Saecker,
on 10/27/2009
The Treasure Bath by Dan Andreasen
This jolly wordless picture book has a toddler who is busily helping his mother bake a cake. All messy after the cake goes in the oven, he is put in the bath. His facial expression makes it clear that he is not happy to be headed there. But once he is in the bath with his boat, his imagination goes to work and he is surrounded by colorful fish who join him in swimming down deep into the sea to find a treasure map. They follow the map to the treasure chest which is filled with soap and shampoo. From there he is grabbed by an eel and scrubbed by an octopus as a whale rinses him off with his spout. The little boy complains to the fish about how he was treated, then he returns to reality in the bath with his hair neatly combed and his mother waiting to get him out. And what is waiting when he gets out of the bath? Cake!
The joyful and jolly spirit of this book is what captured me immediately. Yes, the little boy is grumpy when being put into the bath, but then the magic begins. The scenes underwater are just as crisp and clear as those in reality. The lines between the two are seamless, letting the book really feel like a vivid daydream. Andreasen’s art is done in oil on bristol board and has a nice depth, great colors, and a perfect dappled effect in the underwater scenes.
A sudsy, jolly book that is perfect for toddlers who may not enjoy baths and for those who do too. Appropriate for ages 2-5.
Reviewed from book received from publisher.
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By: Tasha Saecker,
on 10/8/2009
The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
In this almost wordless book, readers revisit Aesop’s tale of the lion who spares the life of a mouse only in turn to be rescued by the mouse. The only words on the page are animal noises that bring the African setting to life. Readers follow the mouse right into the lion’s paws, sigh in relief at the release, and will be riveted as the capture of the lion plays out.
Pinkney shows readers the world in focused images, revealing the view of the land the mouse has, the perspective of the lion, and foreshadowing the capture of the lion in the poacher’s net. Each image is beautifully done, filled with details that bring the story to life and invite you to linger over them. His pacing is done with such skill that he can create suspense with a single page turn. From the moment of opening the cover, readers are in the hands of a master story teller who speaks through his art.
One of the best wordless picture books I have ever read, this book should be on every library’s shelf. And with that cover, it is not going to sit there long! Make sure you face this one out!
Reviewed from copy received from publisher. Copy will be placed in library collection.
Also reviewed by Collecting Children’s Books, 100 Scope Notes, A Patchwork of Books, Pink Me, and Fuse #8.
By: your neighborhood librarian,
on 9/8/2009
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney is a god. I think that's my whole review. No, wait, I have to mention that this book is wordless (except for beautifully lettered onomatopoeia incorporated into the paintings).
In a year when Jerry Pinkney also illustrated The Moon Over Star
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By: [email protected] (Mark Blevis and Andrea ,
on 5/21/2009
Author: Bob Graham (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Bob Graham
Published: 2008 Candlewick Press (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0763639036
Airy illustrations and sparse poetic prose paint a poignant picture of hope, help and healing in this unspoken invitation to dare to care.
Other books mentioned:
Dreams of flying on JOMB:
Six weeks ago yesterday, in Woodstock, Ontario, eight year old Victoria Stafford finished her school day … then disappeared. As the days turned to weeks, Canadians coast to coast came to know Victoria and her family as we watched mother Tara McDonald’s daily efforts to keep the search for her daughter fresh in our minds. This despite mounting public criticism and suspicion of Tara herself.
Yesterday, we learned of Tori’s tragic fate … and of her mother’s innocence.
This episode of Just One More Book! is dedicated to little Tori Stafford, with heartfelt hopes for the healing of those she left behind.
By: your neighborhood librarian,
on 10/13/2008
Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu
I'm not usually sucked in by the wordless beautiful magical dream journey type of picture book. I'm one of the few people I know who wasn't entranced by The House in the Night
But man, I love Wonder Bear. I love the wordless narrative - so simple that even a five-year-old can follow and predict, yet so subtle that his older brother will find repetitions and clues to the dream logic at work.
I love the technique - Tao Nyeu does some neat things with layering colors in her silk screen prints; I love the colors, and I love the style. The bulbous shapes, repeating patterns, and swirly clouds make me think of Central Asian and Siberian embroidery: simple shapes that gain strength through repetition. I'm totally going to steal some of her tree shapes for my niece's baby blanket.
This book has been given the high-class treatment by Dial. Lush, toothy paper, large size, and a dust jacket that is not merely a repeat of the book's cover. You can tell that someone on Hudson Street thinks this book is something special. For once, I really have to agree.
Plus: MONKEYS!
By: your neighborhood librarian,
on 10/5/2008
South by Patrick McDonnell
The first two-page spread of this gorgeous little picture book made me catch my breath. On the left we see the top half of a tree, bare of leaves and full of little yellow birds, all looking in the same direction and each with a pair of eighth-notes hanging in the air overhead. On the right, it's the same view of the same tree, and all the birds are on the wing and flying out of sight. So minimal, but you can feel the chill in the air, hear their wings, see them fly.
The rest of the book is just as expressive, just as minimal, and displays, in a way that is probably difficult to discern in a tiny newspaper strip, just how good Patrick McDonnell, the creator of Mutts, is with a brush. Big hearts come in small packages sometimes.
Would make a lovely thank-you gift for a friend who has helped when you were in a jam, a talented teacher, or someone who has just pointed you on your way. I'll have to remember this one at the end of the school year.
From the moment I saw this cover, I was mesmerized.
Two children trudge up a hill and plant some seeds. The girl plants watermelon, and the boy seemingly plants top hats.
As they sleep beside the garden, something magical happens. The top hat seeds thrust up a twisted vine that is topped with gorgeous orange flowers. Out from an orange flower climbs a polar bear wearing a top hat.
From that top hat wondrous things emerge for the children with which to play. Monkeys with fuzzy arms and legs. Lion shaped bubbles. Breezes filled with sea creatures.
After the adventure, the children are put back to bed, the wonders go back into the hat, and though the vine stays, the bear and his hat do not.
Was it a dream?
Wordless, wonderful an absolutely beautiful, Wonder Bear was apparently inspired by a gummi bear. Tao Nyeu is certainly a gifted artist with a real sense of story. Under the dust jacket are pre-printed covers featuring our monkey friends and wonder bear himself (herself?). I am not a student of design, but I do know when folks get it right. Wonder Bear begs readers to go back time and time again to discover new wonders.
Delightful.
By: your neighborhood librarian,
on 7/17/2008
Wave
Holy wackadoodle. Masterful, internationally-acclaimed author-illustrator Suzy Lee uses a stick of charcoal and one color of acrylic paint and NOTHING ELSE - no words - and chronicles a little girl's encounter with the ocean. In just a few sketched lines, she gives us eager, curious, hesitant, exuberant, intimidated... a new expression every page. It's like the best frames from a whole day of home video, silent except for the call of gulls and the sound of waves, condensed into a slideshow to watch over and over again.
In fact, replace the seagulls with pelicans, and the little girl with my 6-year-old, and you've got our vacation. I took that video myself.
By: Just One More Book!!,
on 3/8/2008
Author: Vicky Ceelen
Illustrator: Vicky Ceelen
Published: 2008 Random House (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0375842071 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Facial expression and body language steal the show in this wordless photo gallery starring human infants and their astonishing animal lookalikes.
For more of her incredible animal-baby lookalike photography, pop over to Vicky’s website or flickr pages.
Thanks to Luci McKean (of This is My Bloomington blog and podcast) for a great suggestion that we restate the book title, and author’s and illustrator’s names at the end of each review episode. We begin with this episode and we’re sorry we haven’t been doing this all along.
Tags:Baby! Baby!, boardbook, childrens book, photography, Podcast, review, Vicky CeelenBaby! Baby!, boardbook, childrens book, photography, Podcast, review, Vicky Ceelen
By: Garden Painter Art,
on 6/4/2007
Good Morning:
Another Monday is upon us. A fresh start, or a new beginning, whichever you like. Either way, it's nothing more than a psychological way to put events from the previous days behind us and look forward to, what we hope will be better days! Well...that's how I feel today, anyway, as last week was not filled with softness or glee!!
Today is a new opportunity to start afresh, and I am hopeful to have a week without any dead birds, law enforcement or lost bank cards.
I have had a quiet sort of morning, as it was chilly enough to keep me indoors, although the sun is making it's presence known at last. I found myself just sort of wandering around my house. Appreciating my bits and pieces that sit quietly on the hutches and shelves:
Humpty Dumpty Flower Pot Sitter
Vintage Oval Print and Assorted Nests
I am a brave gal today as I am going to boldly put my bathing suit on and catch some sun with my daughter in the backyard. While I'm relaxing, I'll close my eyes and pretend that I'm here:
I haven't been to the beach yet this year, but starting next week, there will be weekly trips!!
So, as I dreadfully slink into my bikini, I will leave you with a link to My Etsy Shop, where you can find my newest listing of a set of ACEO collage prints. They are from my "Beautiful Girl" series:
Beautiful Girl : Backside
Beautiful Girl : Frontside
I hope this finds all of you enjoying your day and maybe even catching a few rays.
Until Tomorrow:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
gnarly-dolls
Kim's Kandid Kamera
I agree, the man's work is in a class all its own. This is my Caldecott front runner.
Luckily, Moon Over Star was 2008. No Caldecott, but Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.