The book case is thin as are the pages, which are often glossy. They are anemic and generic, for the most part. Walk into any Barnes & Noble (really, please do this, even though they are a chain, we need brick and mortar bookstores to stay alive and maybe even thrive) and look at (and touch) the current crop of picture books on display. In her review at Brain Pickings, Maria Popova ("reader, writer, inerestingness hunter-gatherer and curious mind at large") notes that, while Doi's books are, "prolific and beloved in Japan," they have been slow to make their way west, in large part because Doi's, "vibrant yet delicate illustrations demand a special attentiveness to color and paper quality, impossible to reproduce with the cheap commodity approach commercial publishers have even to children's books today." Images can't quite convey the quality and production value Enchanted Lion brings to Doi's books, but, if you are a picture book aficionado, you will know what I speak of when I talk about the thickness of the pages and the book case (the hard cover under the dust jacket) as well as the trim size. Seeing illustrations from Doi's books on line and reading reviews (and also knowing that they are published by the superb Enchanted Lion Books, a Brooklyn based independent publisher dedicated to international books with a "playfully subversive flair") I knew that I would fall in love with these books and I did. But, if you want to invest in a book that, besides having a meaningful story is also a work of art, read my reviews. If you want a fun, quick read, head to the library. I assume that my readers are like me and looking for a picture book worth owning. And, while I see more picture books every year, I choose to review less every year. Writing reviews of picture books for the last nine years, I have reviewed almost 1,000 picture books. Working as an assistant to a literary agent with a client list that includes many Caldecott winners (including Jon Klassen, who won the Caldecott and the Caldecott honor in the same year) helped me hone my critical eye and understand my instincts and tastes on a more intellectual level.
Working as a children's bookseller for almost 20 years, and reading hundreds of books out loud each year in a professional and parental capacity, I feel able and qualified to offer my opinion on what makes a superlative picture book. Reading a picture book can be a magical experience for me and I have the deepest regard for the creator of this kind of picture book.
This is going to be a review, but also a discourse on the picture book itself.
0 kommentar(er)
