GRAHAM OAKLEY'S MAGICAL CHANGES

by Graham Oakley ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 17, 1980

A good deal of care and talent and, above all, ingenuity have been spent on this trick picture book, in which all the pages are cut in half horizontally, for matching up as you will. Slightly surreal to begin with, the full-page pictures depict both scenes (a backyard chat, a factory gate at shift break, a tribal rite, a military review) and objects (magical mushrooms, a wedding cake, a dripping candelabra). But whatever the subject, vertical bars or columns are always part of the design, and all the vertical bars line up--so that, on reshuffling, trees in a city park become lit candles, or the necks of mannequins in hats; swans' necks become chimneys disgorging smoke; spaghetti strands hold up laundry lines or flags or culminate in exotic blossoms; umbrellas walk on skeletal, clawed legs; and so on. It's a sophisticated novelty that won't do any harm in a picture book collection; but its spirit (and price tag) would fit as well in the adult toy department.

Pub Date: April 17, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1980

Categories: CHILDREN'S