Review by New York Times Review
ADULTS LUG AROUND a five-piece Samsonite luggage set of love and intimacy issues, but most small children have none, or at the most, a carry-on. They are unencumbered by personal history, commitment issues or self-doubt. They just love. Four new valentines disguised as picture books examine age-appropriate love affairs of every stripe: from high-rise-dwelling kids to urban polar bears, from worms to an ink drop and a snowflake. Urbanites will understand true love's obstacle in David Teague and Antoinette Portis's "The Red Hat": the wind that whips through a city's upper stratosphere of apartments and penthouses. Apparently it doesn't menace only flimsy terrace furniture and small barbecue grills, but potential friendships as well. The wind also seems to have blown away any unnecessary visual fussiness in Portis's charming illustration style, which depicts just the right amount of detail and drama with its bold lines and limited color palette. Our hero, Billy Hightower, lives "atop the world's tallest building," high above rain and clouds, but not high enough to escape the fierce wind and a sense of loneliness. A skyscraper rises across the way, and so does Billy's hope of finding a friend when he spots a solitary girl wearing a red hat on the building's roof. Rather than fighting his adversary the wind, cleverly represented by Portis as swirling laminated lines, almost invisible over the art and text, Billy tries to use it to connect with the girl. He misfires several times, ultimately failing big-time and being swept all the way to the ground. Billy is down, but he's not out, and in Teague and Portis's simple universe, a friendship is born. Alessandro Gatti and Pierdomenico Baccalario's "The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop" may not be about humans, but the journey of these two unlikely soul mates is deeply rooted in humanity. The book's clever design allows the reader to choose which solitary expedition to follow first - Snowflake's or Inkdrop's - with two front covers and two stories that connect in the middle. Simona Mulazzani's lush illustrations take the reader to two distinctly different worlds: inside an artist's art-filled studio, where a drop of ink waits patiently to be put to use, and outside to a serene snow-blanketed town, where a snowflake wonders where it will land. Both worlds are colorful and lovely and enhance the protagonists' desire to fling themselves into the unknown in order to find love. This tale is punctuated with several diecut pages of geometric snowflakes and organic ink-drop shapes. Text, illustration and design culminate harmoniously in the center of the book to elevate this unlikely love affair. Gender roles are imposed on us all. As adults, we mostly accept, rail against, or at least acknowledge them, but as far as the youngest of lovers are concerned, the point is moot. J.J. Austrian and Mike Curato's "Worm Loves Worm," in which two worms of the hermaphroditic variety fall in love, brilliantly explores the idea of love between two beings, regardless of gender (or species) and despite societal pressures. Curato's spare but sure silhouetted images and Austrian's straightforward text are a perfect match to deliver the simple story of two characters who just want to declare their love and commit to each other. With patience and good cheer they accept the various matrimonial trappings offered to them by their well-meaning insect friends, like a wedding party, a cake and rings - even though they have no fingers. The all-embracing spirit of the story is best represented by the worm couple's lack of regard for traditional wedding garb: Each wears bits and pieces of a tuxedo and a wedding dress during the ceremony. Caron Levis and Charles Santoso tackle the sadness that ultimately comes with love in "Ida, Always." Inspired by two real-life polar bears, Gus and Ida, who were residents of New York City's Central Park Zoo, this wonderful story about the loss of a loved one is beautifully told. It's an example of children's books at their best. Santoso's dense, luscious paintings give the couple a solid, reassuring world to live in, which changes in tone and hue according to the characters' emotional state throughout the story. The bears live an idyllic life, playing ball, splashing in the water and sleeping. But their favorite shared experience is sitting on their beloved rock listening to the sounds of the city, something Ida calls "the city's heartbeat." One day Ida doesn't come out of her cave. Gus at first is bored, then confused, and finally hysterical, after Sonya the zookeeper explains that Ida is so sick she will soon die. Together Gus and Ida stomp, snarl and howl against Ida's fate, until they arrive at acceptance. The rest of the story follows Ida's last days, which are filled with not only grief but affection, humor and some "fishy treats." The zoo's visitors mourn Ida's passing, but no one feels the loss more than Gus. The city moves on, and Gus does too, although his life is different. He still plays ball, splashes in the water and sits on their rock listening to the city's heartbeat, but he does it alone. He has known love, but experienced its hardest aspect. Your lover may not live forever, but if you're lucky, their love will live on in your heart. This is a difficult story to tell for both children and adults, but "Ida, Always" does it with simplicity and grace. DAN YACCARINO'S picture books include "Every Friday" and "Unlovable." He is the creator of the animated TV series "Oswald" and "Willa's Wild Life."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [February 7, 2016]
Review by Booklist Review
Two beings full of longing, an ink drop and a snowflake, intertwine their stories in this beautifully designed picture book. One side of the book follows Snowflake, who has traveled a long time and is finally ready to fall. Crisp white pages with die-cut snowflakes give readers a peek of the delightful scenes Snowflake passes before turning the page to reveal Mulazzani's soft, welcoming snow-speckled paintings. Flip the book over and the story begins again, this time with Inkdrop, who's patiently waiting her turn to be in a piece of art. Black pages with die-cut spatters reveal glimpses of the artist's paintings, and in the middle, when Snowflake and Inkdrop finally meet, with endless stories to tell each other, two gatefold pages open to show snippets of all they've seen, rendered in swirling, colorful figures that tumble together in a riot of cheery doodles. The theme of finding a friend will likely resonate with young readers, and though the ultimate conclusion seems a bit abrupt, the artwork is marvelous and invites lingering looks.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Baccalario (the Enchanted Emporium series) and Gatti, in his English-language debut, trace the paths of a black inkdrop and a white snowflake, which come together in a central gatefold. In the snowflake's tale, he seeks the perfect place to land as a snowstorm descends on a town; intricate laser-cut snowflakes provide glimpses of a few options (an urban canal, a circus), which are revealed in their full glory after page turns. Flipping the book over, readers meet the inkdrop, which dreams of leaving her jar to become part of a drawing. A gust of wind brings the snowflake and inkdrop together in a wintry midair collision. Their meeting results in an explosion of creative energy, which Mulazzini (Tree of Wonder) captures in a four-page foldout spread that shows an enormous snowflake surrounded by inky blackness, illuminated with delicately drawn pastel images of flora and fauna: "They had endless stories to tell each other. Their embrace lasted forever." While the laser-cut snowflakes and ink splotches may not hold up well to rereading, it's a lovely vision of the unpredictable miracles that bring people together. Ages 4-8. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-This lovely volume consists of two stories that meet in the middle in an impressive double gatefold spread. The front story is the tale of a snowflake, patiently dreaming of where he will fall. Just as he is about to alight on the window of a bakery, he is blown off course. As he whirls back into the air, he spots a drop of ink headed toward him, and they join, finding perfect joy in sharing their stories for eternity. Turn the book over, and read the story of Inkdrop, who longs to become part of beautiful artworks in the studio. A sudden wind whisks Inkdrop out the window. "As she began to fall, she felt sure she would change into a tear." Each scene that the snowflake considers falling into is viewed through an intricate snowy laser-cut overlay. Turn the page, and the full scene is revealed. Similarly, each piece of art that Inkdrop dreams of is viewed through a cutout pattern of spilled ink. The beautiful muted paintings evoke the beauty of winter, and where the two stories meet the art changes to soft colored pencil sketches, uniting the plotlines in dreamy fantasy. Readers will enjoy scouring the illustrations to make connections between the tales. The paper is extra thick, but this book is a delicate piece of art to be handled and appreciated by older readers. VERDICT A beautiful offering for lovers of books as art objects and a good choice for large collections.-Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A snowflake meets a drop of ink in midair in this dreamy, creatively designed import. Carried after a "particularly long time" by silver clouds toward a town, Snowflake looks through a series of lacy white die-cut screens at possible landings: a boat on a canal, a colorful circus tent, children on a playground. But just as the wind whispers "Go now!" a draft whirls him upward again, directly toward a falling drop of ink that is "shiny, dense, round, beautiful." Meanwhile, a drop of ink waiting to be used by her artist catches enticing glimpses of brightly hued landscapes and other paintings through black pages of irregular, blot-shaped holes, until her bottle is jarred and she flies out the open window to an unexpected rendezvous. The two stories, bound dos--dos, meet in the middle on a climactic (in every sense of the word) double gatefold in which images of stars and rolling ocean, animals and people, light and dark whirl together: "They had endless stories to tell each other. Their embrace lasted forever." The surreal plotline, plus the peekaboo pleasures of viewing each scene partially through the cutouts and then in full, will draw viewers too young to appreciate the story's erotic aspects, but the latter lie at its rapturous heart. A love story with design elements and harmonious illustrations that might spread its appeal from children to adult readers looking for an unusual wedding gift and beyond. (Picture book. 6-8, adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
