What Makes a Book a Book?

I've featured quite a few books by a specialty publisher, PHAIDON. Their offerings in children's books emphasize the quality of the book as a physical object, designing and producing board books, interactive books, and 3-D assembly books that are appealing in size and shape, with  eye-catching qualities of color, shape and contrast. Th subject matter and execution of content are equally distinct and attractive. The durability and paper quality and attention to detail of books in this category carry over to their picture books, too. 

Check out some of the Phaidon books I've reviewed HERE, HERE,  HERE, and HERE. 

PHAIDON, 2021

A brand new board book arrived for my examination (without a promise of review). It is a product of the witty and wonderful mind and talent of Jean Jullien. An earlier production, THIS IS NOT A BOOK, (2016)  set the stage for a sequel, THIS IS STILL NOT A BOOK. This latest effort continues to challenge the assumption that page-turning produces a simple left-right, beginning-middle-end interior. In fact, the challenge to our assumptions from the question that titles this post are embedded at every turn of concept, premise, subtle detail, and  cleverly complex gatefold. In each case little hands will be turning, twisting, and flipping perspectives and presumptions about what it is they are seeing... and thinking. And the durable construction will allow little ones to repeat and explore over and over again.

My teacher-instincts brought just a whisper of worry that this does nothing to support pre-reading concepts of left-to-right progression and story/concept awareness. Then my kid-loving-instincts took over and cheered that this is an ideal meta-book exploration of what actually IS A BOOK!

This wordless but thought-filled production invites a big-hearted embrace of the most important things about books: joy, surprise, engagement, meaning-making, exploration, and partnership with the creator. Without those, this is just a lovely stack of fun pictures on cardboard. With those essential book activities, we can safely grin at the author's teasing titles and confidently share his delightful books, filled with big ideas, meaningful glances, wry humor, and a successful counterattack to ever-present digital devices. This is truly a handheld delight from any and every angle.

If this whets your appetite for more young books that challenge and entice, take a look back at this post including several BOOK books that are as adored by adults as they are by kids. 

Graffiti or ART? A BANKSY Picture Book

It's fun to celebrate another title in the series of picture books written and illustrated by Fausto Gilberti. I featured some of the ..".AND WASN'T SORRY" titles in this series, HERE. In each case, his colorful, kid friendly picture books feature acclaimed modern artists who have explored and established very specific styles.Gilberti's books have included Jackson Polluck Splashed Paint And Wasn't Sorry, Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn't Sorry, and Yayoi Kusama Coverd everything in Dots and Wasn't Sorry.  These artists used their distinctive styles and techniques to "make their names" in the art world, achieving ultimate goals of museum showings, individual pieces of art that are valued at unimaginable prices, and ranking among other world-renowned artists. Their works are iconic and instantly associated with the artists.

PHAIDON, 2021

Now Gilberti has produced a new title that profiles the persona and works of an equally famous yet unknown artist: BANKSY GRAFFITIED WALLS AND WASN"T SORRY. 

The word "graffiti" originated in the italian language, and ranges from random marks and scribbles to written messages to expressive and colorful art. The surface may be new, crumbling, mobile, or even horizontal.It may be written, chalked, sprayed, or even etched. 

From its past ( and current) status in which random graffiti is illegal and can be punishable by steep fines and/or jail time.

So why would anyone risk that consequence? Why not use traditional materials and platforms? What's the point? 

In common understanding, graffiti stretches back through recorded history, and is generally viewed as either impulsivity, social defiance, or even territorial claims. It has evolved as a widely appreciated art form, with several distinctive artists gaining many of the achievements traditional artists seek through their public works. You can learn more about some of the best known in this link to short profiles.

BANKSY is a universally recognized name, and has created many widely recognized and appreciated images. However, unlike nearly every other artist, Banksy actively avoids being identified. Banksy claims creative credit for much of the art they produce, but also has many imitators  Gilberti adopts a first-person voice, imagining that Banksy is telling their own story. I've used they and their because no one actually knows who BANKSY is, or if that artist is male or female. Their art is produced with paint and stencils, incorporating many familiar images... especially RATS! Wherever Banksy paints, the art is intentional. The work voices messages about politics, society, justice, and the human condition.

The "voice" in this black and white picture book captures the art itself and its disruptive, entertaining, unexpected content and impact. Banksy's installations and "graffiti" hope to achieve that effect. At times they have worn disguises to enter museums and quietly display a piece of art, with days passing before someone noticed that it didn't belong. Even when Banksy participated in an actual museum show, the pieces had to be "found" by patrons, since it had been dispersed among the regular museum artworks. 

Banksy's work makes art accessible and meaningful to everyday people, and the artist does NOT want to earn large sums for their work. Bansky produced and offered one small piece to be  included in an auction. When an enormous bid on the piece was accepted, a alarm blared and a built-in shredder destroyed the art. 

Whether all of that sounds odd or unacceptable or fun or exciting to you, I suspect Banksy would be pleased. And I have no doubt you'll enjoy this picture book, and sharing it with young readers.

Below is one of Banksy's most famous works, which was later painted over by the city, just a few years after it first appeared. Even so, it is considered one of the most beloved Banksy artworks. Much of the art world is dedicated to preserving and protecting artworks across time. Bansky's art, on the other hand, is meant to reach as many as possible, to generate reactions and reflections, and to be valued in part large because it is ephemeral. 

Creativity Coming Through... On the Dot: Yayoi Kusama

I've set myself a challenge to create a new post (or repost a blend of past ones) that will spotlight creativity and imagination while we are all self-isolating and/or finding ways to keep kids engaged without burning out brains on screens.

Phaidon Books has released several titles in a continuing series of kid-friendly picture book biographies about contemporary artists who look, think, and work "outside the box". I've featured some of them HERE, and other artists HERE, HERE, and HERE.
Their most recent title gives me joy on many levels, because I have always adored DOTS! 

Dots in fabrics, dots in art, even patterns from raindrops on hot pavement. Dots with texture? Woo-hoo! 
Bring on the dotted SWISS fabric! 
Something about dots sparks my inner giggles.

Yayoi Kusama figured out that art makes her happy early in her life. Her family directly informed her that art was not something to pursue- not suited to her future as a wife to rich man.

Phaidon, 2020

Author/artist Fausto Gilberti celebrates the creative results of that awareness, dictate, and resistance in this latest title: YAYOI KUSAMA Covered Everything in DOTS and Wasn't Sorry. In this title the author adopts a first person voice to increase readers' insights into Kusama's journey as a person and as a creator. 
In that voice we learn about her talent and determination, including writing a letter to the amazing Georgia O'Keefe, who then paid her an unannounced visit IN PERSON! 
With O'Keefe's support and her own astonishingly original view of the world, she explored, expanded, and used her creations to open eyes, open hearts, and make political statements. She developed performance art pieces, involving herself within the final products.

Gilberti relies on small trim size and black-and-white images, combining line art with expansive interpretations of Kusama and her  work. These pages share the welcoming and whimsical tone of her work. As with Gilberti's earlier titles in the series, simple back matter provides specific details. But it is the book, itself a piece of art, that invites readers to return to it, page after page, and to learn more about the featured artist and her works.

In earlier posts I celebrated  picture book by Liz Garton Scanlon, THINK BIG! It's a lively celebration of the out-of-the-box potential of young people (the younger the better) to find joy and creative expression with an easy recipe of brains, heart, and random surrounding objects. 

You don't need loads of art supplies at home to create art. Use backs of junk mail, shopping bags, waste paper, insides of empty cereal boxes, etc. For media, try collage (No glue? Here's a link for  recipes for homemade glues and paste.) 

Despite my warnings about overdoing screen time, here's a link to a profile of Kusama with her won reflections on the palce of art in her young life, her family, and her eventual career. And here's a link to the retrospective of signature works of her LONG LIFE and many creations.

Meanwhile, use a few minutes (hours) of this gift of time to reconnect with the simple things that cause you to giggle, and use that positive energy to create something for yourselves.