A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES

Luscious illustrations form a perfect match to the rolling language of the Christmas classic. Many could argue that the only way to experience Thomas’s language is to listen to it—that illustrations cannot possibly be anything other than incidental to the dizzyingly rich language whose breathless rhythms frequently challenge the reader’s lung capacity. If it is possible to illustrate these cadences adequately, then Raschka has managed to pull it off. Painted in ink and gouache on torn panels of fibrous handmade paper, the images are full of thick, sweeping lines that complement the language beautifully, the actual figures almost taking a backseat to the grand swoops of line and color. The absorbent paper blurs the lines, leading the eye to the fuzzy edges of the panels—there’s not a sharp edge in here. Inside scenes are cozy, saturated in firelight yellows and oranges, sprinkled with snoozing dogs and Uncles and bosomy Aunts, while in contrast, snowy outside scenes are rendered mostly in blues, grays, and whites that are nevertheless dotted with yellow-lit windows; comfort and warmth are never far away. Gorgeous. (Memoir. 5+)