Today's Lovely, Wonderful Thought
As I mentioned yesterday, children's books are one of the things in life that make me happy when I'm feeling down. I snatched up some pretty amazing children's books yesterday and they all have the elements that make me fall in love with any given picture book. The first element I will share with you today is simplicity.
There are some authors who have mastered the art of creating a picture book with a simple message. Often times I will pick up a book that has great pictures, an adorable title, great character names, and a good idea. But the plot just gets too complicated. The words all mush together and the magic is lost. This happened when I picked up one book yesterday. I loved the concept of the book but when I started to read the language bored me to death. Keep it simple, folks! That's what I like.
One book that I snagged embodies simplicity in it's best. Mirror by Suzy Lee is a wordless book. The illustrations tell the story of what happens when a little girl notices her reflection in a mirror and starts to dance. Lee uses one side of each page layout to show the girl and the other to show what happens in the mirror. No words are necessary to uncover the joy, and sorrow, the girl feels in this story. There are no names, no drawn out plot, no fluff in the words, and a one-word title.
So there is your first clue into what I look for in a picture book...simplicity. Are we smiling yet?
There are some authors who have mastered the art of creating a picture book with a simple message. Often times I will pick up a book that has great pictures, an adorable title, great character names, and a good idea. But the plot just gets too complicated. The words all mush together and the magic is lost. This happened when I picked up one book yesterday. I loved the concept of the book but when I started to read the language bored me to death. Keep it simple, folks! That's what I like.
I have mentioned the work of Suzy Lee before in this blog. She illustrated two other wordless books, Wave and Shadows. These books also demonstrate her mastery of creating a beautifully simple story line that captures the reader's heart. I was so happy to see yet another book by Lee and then discovered, when I googled her, that Mirror was actually created before Wave and Shadows. I don't know how I missed it but so glad to have it now! I also discovered that Lee created an Alice in Wonderland book! You can bet that is on my list of books to own!
So there is your first clue into what I look for in a picture book...simplicity. Are we smiling yet?
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