Paging through this long series of full-page or full-spread serigraphic seasonal scenes and iconic images quickly becomes immersive. As the artist goes for silhouettes and broad, sometimes layered patches of color rather than fine detail (though there’s some of that too, in a delicate mosquito or the subtle sheen of a luscious plum), the multi-year round has an abstract, dreamlike quality that will draw viewers into the rhythms of each season. It’s a human-centered but outdoorsy world: Flowers and leaves bud, open and fall; birds thread a piece of yarn into their nest; an ice-cream cart wheels by; a splashy swim is followed by a sunburned back. Though the mood is largely idyllic, a flood, a forest fire, an avalanche and several other dramatic incidents add emotional dimension. Big one- or two-word captions accompany each picture and sometimes create links—a fall of “Snow” draws grown-ups outside for a “Snowball Fight,” which gives way to “Silence” over a pulled-back view of an isolated, cozy house with a curl of smoke above the chimney. Both a stylish debut (on this side of the Atlantic) and a distinctive showcase for this French comics illustrator. (Artist’s album. 4 & up)
Pub Date: April 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59270-095-0
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2010
A lovely, simple reminder to pause and notice this life.
A white-bearded grandfather imparts his gentle wisdom to his grandchildren—a girl and a boy—as they meander through a placid green space.
Together, the grandfather and children make note of the bustling natural world. The birds are flying, the dog is running; everyone seems to be in a hurry. The grandfather suggests that the children try another way of being with him, sitting quietly on a bench. The creatures around them respond to their stillness, also taking a moment to rest. As the book draws toward its close, each child is featured in a full-page portrait illustration, gazing out as they note what the quiet and stillness offers to them: “I can think, when I’m quiet. / I can see, when I’m still.” It seems as though the prolific author and illustrator dePaola is speaking directly to readers on these pages, passing on his own insight. His signature illustration style is so simple that it feels fresh. Thick outlines separate individual shapes, and the muted palette epitomizes softness. A single white lotus floats in a small pond on the final page, perhaps paying homage to contemplative practices such as mindfulness that encourage making space for quiet reflection in our busy lives. Children and grandfather have light skin, the girl with straight black hair and the boy with a curly red mop.
A lovely, simple reminder to pause and notice this life. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7754-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
An unsuspecting student falls victim to the Math Curse when her teacher notes that ``You can think of almost everything as a math problem.'' Suddenly, everything is: ``I wake up at 7:15. It takes me 10 minutes to get dressed, 15 minutes to eat my breakfast, and 1 minute to brush my teeth . . . if my bus leaves at 8:00, will I make it on time?'' If it's not a time problem, it's equivalents (``How many inches in a foot?''), multiplication, nondecimal numbers, money combinations, and more. What's the cure? It comes to her in a dream: A problem with an answer is no problem at all. Smith's big paintings-cum-collage are, as usual, way strange, perfectly complementing the wild, postmodern page design with concatenations of small objects, fragments, and geometric shapes and figures, all placed on dark, grainy backgrounds. Another calculated triumph from the fevered brows that brought forth The Stinky Cheese Man (1992) and other instant classics, this one with a bit of brainwork deftly woven in. Readers can check their answers on the back cover. (Picture book. 7-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-670-86194-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
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