Every two-page spread of this book shows an incredibly detailed landscape of a place in the Netherlands. From waterways and beaches to city scenes and the countryside, each image contains expected Dutch symbols and unexpected surprises.
Readers of all ages will appreciate the panoramic virtual tour thanks to its sophisticated presentation and striking colors.
USBBY'S 2014 Outstanding International Books List says that this book is "a remarkable wordless, oversize picture book that offers detailed illustrations of the land, people, and important moments in [Holland's] history. . . . Holland is a book for all ages."
Holland by Jesse Goossens and Charlotte Dematons. The Netherlands: Lemniscaat, 2013. [9781935954330]
The unusually tall format of this book is perfectly suited to its content. Using a limited color palette of green, yellow, grey, and black, a small forest of trees with circular tops and oddly narrow stem-like trunks form the story's setting. The conductor selects a tree, shimmies up its trunk to the treetop, raises his baton, and transforms the leaves into birds that take flight. An incredible symphony of movement continues until the trees are bare, then he shimmies back down again and plants a seed, along with his baton. An interesting, albeit strange, combination of music, trees, and birds, this book will be appreciated by imaginative people of all ages - especially musicians.
This book was on USBBY's 2012 Outstanding International Books list.
The Conductor [originally published in France as Diapason] by Laetitia Devernay. United States of America: Chronicle Books, 2011. [9781452104911]
There are several surprises in this book. The first is the paper it's printed on - it has the weight and texture of cloth, which makes turning the pages a luxurious experience.
The real surprise is in the plot, though. Using soft, muted colors and a simple illustration style, the story provides glimpses of everyday life for a grey cat and her owner. Time passes quickly. The couple leaves to go to the hospital for the birth of their first child, the cat ventures outside, and when they return home, the cat is gone. Shortly thereafter, the cat returns with two kittens! The final pages show the lady, her baby, the cat and her two kittens, all in the living room together.
La Surprise [The Surprise] by Janik Coat. France: MeMo, 2010. [9782352890904]
A young girl refuses to eat her meal and is sent to her room, where she falls asleep on her bed next to her stuffed black bear. She dreams that the bear becomes her larger-than-life companion, and they go on an adventure through her neighborhood and into a wildlife habitat where they play with other friendly creatures until she awakens and reconciles her relationship with her mom.
Incredible linocut prints using muted tones and displaying a cracked texture do an excellent job of evoking the story's mood and the main character's feelings.
Last Night by Hwe-Won Yum. Korea: BIR Publishing Co., 2011. [9780374343583]
A boy falls asleep while looking at an atlas, and his dreams evolve from things in his room morphing into imaginary places influenced by the book's contents.
The watercolor illustrations are chock full of details; you really need to look at every page carefully or you will miss the connections from one page to the next.
Even the most detail-oriented reader might find the plot illogical and surreal. A healthy dose of imagination is required for full appreciation.
This book received a Caldecott Honor in 1989.
Free Fall by David Wiesner. United States of America: HarperCollins, 1988. [9780688055837]
Bold black and white pictures are strikingly beautiful, and effectively capture the mood and the setting. Rambling through a snow-covered forest on a cold day, a boy is being watched by a black wolf. Snow starts to fall, and he picks up his pace while the wolf continues to stare at him. The wolf bares his teeth, the boy turns and notices him, and the wolf pounces! The reader is temporarily in shock, because a tree has fallen at the same time, and it takes a moment to make sense of what has happened.
In the final scene, the boy and the wolf are hugging and smiling, and the reader realizes that the wolf did not have bad intentions, but was saving the boy from being injured or killed by the falling tree. Perhaps this story was created as a reminder to be careful of having preconceived notions?
Loup Noir [Black Wolf] by Antoine Guilloppe. France: Duculot/Casterman, 2004. [9782203553064]
A painter embellishes a parade of animals with red stripes, spots, or other accents. The animals are delighted to see the way they look when they pass a mirror. Sadly, rain washes away the paint, leaving everyone distraught. The final page and inside back cover reveal a tree with a solid red, oval-shaped opening and the story ends with the animals looking at it, deciding what they should do next.
From the 2012 White Ravens catalog: "Distinctive drawings emphasize each animal's indigenous characteristics." Simple and fun, the book is made of brown recycled paper which, together with a black and red colour scheme, are used to symbolically express the animals' expectations for each step along the line."
O Fim da Fila [The End of the Row] by Marcelo Pimentel. Brazil: Rovelle, 2011. [9788561521493]
