Love, Z by Jessie Sima

The cover of this book really caught my eye. As you can see there are seven robots and a sailor cat. Look closely and you can see each robot has a letter - ALMFYI and Z. The meaning of this is revealed at the end and it gave me a huge smile.

Little Z is out exploring when he stumbles on a bottle and yes inside the bottle is a message. The message is smudgy but Z can read - "Love, Beatrice". 

"The young robot did not know what 'love' meant or who 'Beatrice' was, but they felt important."

No one in the robot family can help with these questions so Z heads off in search of answers and it is Captain Cat on the cover who helps him/her/them on the way. You might think of a book like Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge - various people and animals and children supply answers but all of this is so confusing. 

Love is butterflies. Love is sweaters. Love is lawn gnomes. Love is a million puppies. Love is snowflakes on my tongue.

Captain Cat and Z continue their voyage and eventually they chance upon a small island. It is a wonderful moment when a kindly lady opens the door to her small cottage and she tells the travellers her name is Beatrice! Z and Beatrice talk about love. Love is warm, cozy, safe and you will know it when you feel it. But Z is still confused until the final scene ...

There is some controversy about Jessie Sima here in NSW because she is the author of Spencer's new Pet a book that the NSW English unit writers have featured for ES1 or Kindergarten. That should be okay I guess but here in Australia this US picture book - Spencer's New Pet is very expensive and while it is a fun example of a wordless book, especially I would suggest for a preschool aged child, there are so many other books teachers could use to fulfil the syllabus outcomes. The problem comes when some teachers, many new to the profession, feel unable to alter or modify a unit of work even though, at this stage, these units are just suggestions - they are not mandatory. Meanwhile cash strapped schools and schools with small library budgets are struggling to purchase this book like Spencer's New Pet especially when some schools demand multiple copies. I've seen Spencer's New Pet listed between AUS$30 and AUS$43. Anyway all of that to one side I did enjoy Love, Z. 

Here is the web site for Jessie Sima with a list of all her books. 

Aaron Becker three wordless books

Did you or your young reading companion enjoy Harold and the purple crayon or the Bear Hunt books by Anthony Browne when your child was younger? Journey, Quest and Return feel like grown up sequels to these famous titles. They show the power of imagination, problem solving and determination.

Journey was written/illustrated in 2013 but the opening scenes are so very relevant for today as we see a young lonely girl and her busy, tech-distracted parents. Red is her signature colour. She tries to ask her mum to come with her on her red scooter; she shows her dad her red kite and she then tries to entice her brother with her red ball but no one will listen. The young girl retreats to her bedroom and on the floor she sees a red crayon. In one beautiful, liberating moment, she draws an arched doorway onto her wall and walks through to an amazing adventure. I could almost hear the buzz of the night noises as she steps into an enchanted forest bedecked with fairy lights and Chinese lanterns.

As each point in her adventure she pulls out her red crayon and draws a solution such as a small red boat to take along the river. The river leads to an amazing city a little like some you may associate with Anno. Water filled viaducts lead her through the city but when she finds herself at the top of a waterfall she quickly draws a red hot air balloon. Now things take another twist as we see the sky filled with strange flying machines a little like the ones you might associate with Steampunk. On one machine she sees a caged bird. A beautiful huge orange feathered creature that she somehow instinctively knows needs to be rescued. 

In the ensuing battle she drops her crayon - I gasped. But luckily her kindness to the bird, who has been set free, is rewarded and so her precious tool is returned. She still needs to escape and so she draws a red flying carpet. The purple bird leads her to another arched door and there she meets a boy with is own crayon but his is purple. Clearly the bird is his friend. The girl and boy create a wonderful bicycle with red and purple wheels and they cycle off together into the unknown. Where do they go? 

Open up to the title page of the next book - Quest - and you can see the boy and girl are on their way to another wonderful adventure which then continues in Return. 

I love the way these three books by Aaron Becker have been designed to make a set. The end of each one appears on the title page of the next. Even the position of the author name on the cover has been thought through and kept consistent. 

These are books to read slowly, to reread and to explore with a friend paying careful attention to every tiny detail. I especially love the inventive architecture of the city that the girl discovers.

If you cannot get your hands on the print copies of these books I found some videos all of them run for about 9 minutes each and they are well done. Journey  (turn off the sound if it intrudes). Quest video. Return video.

Journey review comments

Kirkus Star review: An imaginative adventure story whose elaborate illustrations inspire wonder, careful examination and multiple reads.

School Library Journal (Betsy Bird) Packed with details, the book rewards readings and rereadings. It’s a true original, though it certainly harkens back to classic picture books of yore. I don’t get to use this word very often when I’m talking about books for young children but I’m going to dust it off and use it now: Beautiful. There’s no other way to describe Journey. Take your own today.

Quest review comments:

Kirkus star review: Breathtaking in scope, consider this a wordless testament to the power of not just imagination, but art itself; picture books rarely feel this epic. 

Return review comments:

Kirkus Star review: A fantastic final leg to a reading journey that altered, expanded, and enriched the landscape of children's literature—and surely many young people's lives

Here is a video where you can see Aaron talking about his book and drawing Journey. 

Journey blurb from Candlewick: A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? There are lots of extra resources on this page.

Quest blurb from Candlewick: A king emerges from a hidden door in a city park, startling two children sheltering from the rain. No sooner does he push a map and some strange objects into their hands than he is captured by hostile forces that whisk him back through the enchanted door. Just like that, the children are caught up in a quest to rescue the king and his kingdom from darkness, while illuminating the farthest reaches of their imagination. Colored markers in hand, they make their own way through the portal, under the sea, through a tropical paradise, over a perilous bridge, and high in the air with the help of a winged friend

Return blurb from Candlewick: Failing to get the attention of her busy father, a lonely girl turns back to a fantastic world for friendship and adventure. It’s her third journey into the enticing realm of kings and emperors, castles and canals, exotic creatures and enchanting landscapes. This time, it will take something truly powerful to persuade her to return home, as a gripping backstory is revealed that will hold readers in its thrall.

Aaron Becker has just published another spectacular wordless book - The Tree and the River. Our Australian review journal Magpies will feature this book in their next issue. 

WONDER: Wordless Picture Books by 7 artists from South Korea

 

When you begin to read the stories of picture books without words, the question mark now hovering over your head will become an exclamation mark of amazement.

This week I visited this exhibition Wonder: Wordless Picture Books -  in Sydney with two friends and we all agreed this is one of VERY BEST picture book exhibitions we have ever attended. One friend commented "The curator has done a superb job ... (the author of the commentary) is a real wordsmith."

The exhibition features books, original illustrations, preliminary sketches, drawings, artists’ video and ephemera from 7 Korean artists; Nahye, Hyungshik Nam, Inkyung Noh, Barim, Gihun Lee, Sumi Lee and JiHyeon Lee.

Why was this exhibition so special?

• Lots of space to move around allowing you to stand back and then move in closer to view the art
• Generous examples of art from the featured books by the seven Korean illustrators
• A shelf under every illustrator profile with a collection of the books to read
• An activity table for young children
• A small library shelf area with all the books from the exhibition and many more Korean picture books along with comfy seating for children and parents
• Intriguing wordless or as we call them in IBBY Silent books for all ages from very young children through to adults - we found ourselves exclaiming over so many of them
• We puzzled over the images of whales in so many of the books (see the whale from Pool below)
• A table display of artist materials and techniques (it was difficult not to touch this display)
• A very informative and huge video display where the seven artists discuss their work
• Places to sit and read and read and read - make sure you peel back any dust jackets to reveal the surprises often found underneath

This description of the exhibition and the way wordless books work is so beautifully expressed:

We feel disconcerted when we open a book without words. And then we wonder, what does this book want to tell us? Instead of ‘reading words’ as we are accustomed to, we concentrate on paying attention to the pictures and ‘reading the story of pictures.’ Picture book artists create a story from pictures, which is complete when the people who read it add to the story with their imagination. 

The artists who create picture books without words meticulously consider and plan each picture’s colour, composition, page layout and pagination to build this visual literacy. They also use the synergy that often occurs with the juxtaposition of multiple images.

These seven Korean picture book artists are renowned in Korea and around the world for their diverse techniques, compositions and unique subjects. With their works, we are drawn into a variety of different stories. 

Her books are Pool; Door; A Strange House; and Last Island

Read more about Pool here. And see inside the book here.

Whale from Pool

Book: Find "One day a child unexpectedly turns into a bear ... "

Book: Running

Book: The Breath

Book: Swish, Tap Tap Boom!

Books: The Egg; The Tin Bear; and 09.47 

Book: In the Museum

My favourite books (so far - I am going back next week) were The Breath, A Strange House and Pool. I will add more photos to this post after my next visit. IBBY focus on wordless books which they call Silent Books - read more here. I do hope many of the books from this selection have been submitted to IBBY for the Lampedusa collections. Korean illustrator Suzy Lee won the Hans Christian Andersen award in 2022, her work is not part of this exhibition but a number of her wordless or silent books have been included by IBBY in their Silent Book collections. 

If you visit this exhibition in Sydney you could also call into the State Library of NSW to see their illustration exhbition - Imagine.

Sunshine by Jan Ormerod

"With an economy of line and colour, she captures and shares an intimate and familiar morning routine, complete with early morning light you can almost feel and the burning of toast you can almost smell. Jan portrays the essence and comedy of situations and characters with elegant simplicity."  Freya Blackwood Foreword to the 2022 reprint of Sunshine.

"Sunshine is a masterpiece of design and pacing. ... Then at the hilarious pivotal moment, the regular layout is tosses aside, parents rush about readying themselves while the child looks out at the reader with an acknowledging smile." Freya Blackwood Foreword to the 2022 reprint of Sunshine.

In 1982 Sunshine won the Australian Children's Picture Book of the Year award. I was not working in a school library, that didn't happen until 1985, but I was studying librarianship and my passion for children's books had begun. Sunshine was one of the very first picture books I purchased for myself - not for a child, not for a gift, not for a library - just for me! 1982 is over forty years ago, but I think Sunshine was probably the first wordless book I had ever seen or read.  Recently I spied this new copy and so, as a celebration of my own two years as a CBCA Picture book judge I decided to purchase this book all over again. Sunshine is still my most favourite wordless or textless or as we call them in IBBY, silent book. When I put on layers of clothes in winter I often think of the little girl putting on her vest, rights, skivvy, pinafore, and shoes. I also love the special moment when dad bends down and touches her nose with his nose before he rushes out the door. And what a pity she has to leave her orange-haired rag doll at home when she heads out the door with mum. 

In 2022 Sunshine turned 40 and Harper Collins printed an anniversary edition. It is a slightly larger format (thank you) and every page is just as vibrant as the the original. Here is a video/audio presentation which explores one series of illustrations in detail. 

As her parents settle in to reading the paper and dozing, the child gets ready for the day – involving a truly exquisite sequence of dressing herself, getting lost in her singlet, pulling on an obstreperous pair of tights and finally putting shoes on the wrong feet. Perfection. ... Detail and delight abound in this work that feels fresh and contemporary. Even with it’s wind-up alarm clock. Kids' Book Review

Jan Ormerod (1946-2013) produced some very special picture books both as an author/illustrator and as an author with different illustrators such as Freya Blackwood who provided the Foreword to this new edition. Freya herself illustrated a wonderful wordless book in 2021 - The Boy and the Elephant. 

Here are some other books by Jan Ormerod - many of these are sure to be in your local or school library.  The sequel to Sunshine, Moonlight was also reprinted in 2022.

The story of Chicken Licken

I have mentioned Sunshine in several past posts here on my blog - take a look:

• Children's Book Council of Australia awards in the 1980s
• The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood
• An insight into Silent Books IBBY Australia event
• Little Mouse gets ready by Jeff Smith

I was a little surprised to see these three different covers and titles for The Swap illustrated by Andrew Joyner:

A Small Miracle by Peter Collington

As this story opens we see an old woman who lives alone in a cold wooden van. Outside the land is covered in deep snow.  She looks in cupboards and boxes for food or coins but all of them are empty so she takes her piano accordion into the town a and sits down in the snow and begins busking on a busy street. 

She sits there all day but makes no money so she is forced to sell the accordion. Walking home she is robbed by a young man. This scene made me gasp.

On her way into the town earlier that day she had passed a church where they were setting up their nativity scene. Walking past again late in the day she sees the thief who took her tin of coins running out the door with the nativity coin collection. She runs at the man and snatches back the coin bucket but inside the church she discovers all of the precious nativity figures are damaged and scattered all over the floor. Carefully, she puts the nativity back together. 

Frail, and hungry and desperate, the old woman collapses in the deep snow on her way home, and lies unconscious. At this point the story shifts and a series of miracles begin. The nativity figures come to life - Mary and her baby along with Joseph and the wise men. Surrounding the old woman, they lift her up, and carry her home, leaving food on the table which they purchase at the supermarket, a fire in the stove, and a very special Christmas gift. Can you guess what it was?

It is thirteen sleeps until Christmas so it is time for me to begin sharing some different, funny, old, new, in print, out of print, and even quirky Christmas books. My book today is old (hardcover 1997 paperback 2011) and out of print but also very very different and poignant and truly special.

A Small Miracle has 96 illustrations. This story will take you on a deeply emotional journey. This is a book to linger over, read slowly, and it is one to cherish every Christmas. I am so happy I have been able to add a copy to my Christmas book collection. 

I picked up A Small Miracle by Peter Collington at a recent charity book sale (you know I have been talking about my treasures from the fair this week) and unbelievably it was only 50 cents! It is in good condition but it does have the name of a child, in tiny print, inside the front and oddly also inside the back cover. I wonder did the volunteers allocate this price because this book has no words!

You can see many of the pages from this book here by Natalia Bragaru on her blog Kids Book Explorer. You could also watch this very beautiful video version with a haunting sound track. 

Take a look at my post about another wordless book (it's an amazing one believe me) by Peter Collington - The Tooth Fairy.

Oscar's Tower of Flowers by Lauren Tobia

The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again - Charles Dickens

On the opening end paper we are given a cross section view of a city apartment building. A lady in a yellow sweater is waving to someone in the street below. On the title page mum has some luggage and her young son is pressing the buttons in the lift. In a set of small frames mum greets the lady in the yellow sweater. Lauren Tobia (illustrator of the Anna Hibiscus books) explains on her web page that this lady is Nana. Please don't turn to the back end papers until you have read the whole book then the wonderful surprise will be sure to delight you.

Blurb: Oscar’s mum has to go away for a little while, so Oscar is staying with his nana. He likes being with Nana in her apartment building, but he still misses his mum. One day, Nana has an idea, and together they carefully sow seeds—lots and lots of seeds! They water them and wait . . . and then the seeds start to grow and the flowers begin to bloom and there are plants everywhere. Luckily Oscar has a great idea for what they can do with the blossoms—share them! This brightly illustrated wordless picture book is full of graphic panels and sweeping spreads that evoke the urban bustle of a busy high-rise apartment and shows how each person can contribute to the spirit and vitality of a community.

Do you have a collection of wordless or textless (IBBY call them Silent Books) in your library? This one is quite perfect and will be enjoyed by your youngest students. You should also look at this book if you need titles for your preschool book collection or library. 

Warm and wonderful. Kirkus Star review

It’s an emotionally resonant story that will speak, in particular, to any child who has had to temporarily say goodbye to a caretaker. Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Share this warmhearted story with any preschooler experiencing separation from a loved one. Horn Book

The illustrations, a combination of graphic panels and spreads, take readers step-by-step through the simple story. The artwork is bright, expressive, and detailed. Emotion is expertly conveyed through facial expression and body language, and some parts of the story really tug on the heart, such as Oscar and Mum’s painful farewell and Oscar lying awake at night. Reading Time

Oscar's Tower of Flowers is a perfect book to add to your collection of stories about greening the community and the joy of watching tiny seeds turn in to glorious plants. It is also the first book I have ever seen where mum leaves for an extended period (we don't know why) and a young child is cared for by another family member for longer than a day.  Here are a few others books about gardens and greening the community. Type the titles into my search bar:

Every Little Kindness by Marta Bartolj

 

2022 Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award Honoree

Publisher blurb: Follow the trail of good deeds in this beautiful wordless picture book to learn how small acts of kindness can make all the difference!  When one act of kindness sparks another, anything is possible! As a girl searches for her lost dog, a simple act of generosity ripples into a wave of good deeds. In the course of a single day, each considerate action weaves lives together and transforms a neighbourhood for the better. This wordless story, told in beautiful illustrations reminiscent of a graphic novel, demonstrates how every little kindness, shared from person to person, can turn a collection of strangers into a community, and—even though we might not always see it—make the world a more vibrant and compassionate place to be.

Kindness in this book is like a set of Chinese whispers passed on from person to person until the kindness comes full circle and the young girl is reunited with her lost dog. Make sure you compare the front and back end papers too.

A lesson by example in compassion for all ages. Kirkus

This lovely book should be part of everyone’s library. Cracking the Cover

There is great pleasure in following the color through the book, seeing who notices the kindness and who benefits from it as it passes through their lives. Waking Brain Cells

Marta Bartolj is an illustrator from Slovenia. Here is a short interview where she talks about her inspiration. This book was published in 2019 with the title Kje si? and it was selected for the IBBY Silent book collection. You can read more about Every Little Kindness and see other books illustrated by Marta Bartolj here. I agree with the reviewer who said this book should be in every library but sadly it is quite expensive here in Australia at over $30 so you might just have to lobby your public library to purchase a copy. 

I would pair Every Little Kindness with another wonderful silent (wordless) book -  Stormy:

Click here to see a poster of previous Ezra Jack Keats Award winners.