If the name of author Liza Wiemer is familiar to you, it could well be from her contemporary teen novel THE ASSIGNMENT. It's an award-winning and globally successful story inspired by actual events in this last decade. If you haven't read it, I urge you to do so.
It is often said/presumed that novelists and others who write for teens and adults struggle to write picture book text. In extended prose, the author needs to "illustrate" everything the reader needs to know and feel and consider with language. In picture books, the text is not only drastically lower in word count, but each word must earn its place on the page. The text must also allow the illustrator the space and respect and trust that visual narratives will not just mirror the text but provide as much or more of the storytelling as the words do. That is a challenging task for the illustrators but also for the author to determine what needs to be said with words and what does not. Wiemer has succeeded beautifully with her first endeavor into picture books. Her text and illustrator Margeaux Lucas achieve that masterful interaction of text and images that convey the heart and soul of a wonderful story.
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| Kaliot Books. August, 2023 |
OUT AND ABOUT: A Tale of Giving is written by award-winning author Liza Wiemer and illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. There is so much to enjoy about a well-told story in a picture book format, and this new offering provides both entertainment and heartwarming life lessons without being didactic.
The illustrations, of course, enhance the qualities of Daniel and his family's relationships, which are both loving and supportive but also realistic in the personalities and playful approaches of their interactions. Daniel's keen observations, insatiable curiosity, and vivid imagination reveal a believable boy who sees any mysterious box as potentially fulfilling his dreams.
Eventually, though, that observational curiosity allows him to put puzzle pieces together and realize that other peoples’ dreams matter, too. That's especially true when life circumstances place hurdles in the way of happiness. I especially enjoyed that Daniel developed his growing understanding and chose steps forward to participate in kindness without relying on prompts or explanations from the adults or older siblings. His final page decision about how to respond to the curiosity of his younger brother was a satisfying confirmation of the change he had embraced.
This narrative involves an accessible amount of text with page placement and font sizes resembling short passages of longer, full text. That is a great match for Daniel's character and for the skills of target readers' ages. It also reaches readers at their own developmental capacity to take the same steps of logic and empathy as Daniel does.
A brief glossary, simple explanation/quiz about the Jewish principles of giving, MAIMONIDES’ EIGHT LEVELS OF TZEDAKAH, and a short author note expand this particular Jewish family experience into an informative resource as well as an opportunity to reflect on the universal value of giving in ways large, small, publicly magnanimous, and generously anonymous.
Author Liza Wiemer writes from her heart at every level, and she has agreed to answer several interview questions about this story and its origins in a post on her BOOK BIRTHDAY, August 15.
Until then… stay generous and giving in the best possible ways.
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