My Day, Your Day
by Robin Ballard
Published 2001. Something about the beady eyes of the characters made me smile; there is a definite charm to the artwork that is wholesome and enjoyable to look at. The artwork also utilizes a variety of colors that layer an interesting style. The story covers a brief day for early school, a good read for a child going to school for the first time.
The Count’s Hanukkah Countdown
written by Tilda Balsley and Ellen Fischer and illustrations by Tom Leigh
Published 2012. A Sesame Street branded book. This art style is typically different from my taste, but I enjoyed the color compliments used, and the compositions and texture of each illustration were fascinating. The book focuses on counting, specifically to 8, and introducing a child to Jewish customs/celebrations. The text is too pandering in spots for my taste and needs more actual conflict.
One Fall Day
by Molly Bang
Published 1994. Molly Bang’s name immediately sounded familiar; if you are an illustrator, I highly recommend checking out her instructional book on compositions, ‘Picture This.’ The artwork is unique and fresh, and I LOVE it! It looks like a creative blend of flat papercraft, found objects, and puppets! Interesting compositions and fantastic colors with a nice variety of how the illustration moves the eye between spots of flat color vs. areas of dense textures and exciting visuals. The text is complex as it has a pleasurable, poetically disjointed read to it that uses a wide range of engaging words. I like the simple journey with a subtle ‘conflict’ in the middle. It is a very present-focused book that I enjoyed.
Ten, Nine, Eight
by Molly Bang
Published 1983. It is a countdown book that is very sweet and tells the story of bedtime. The artwork is very different from the above work. Combining painterly characters, flat textures/patterns, and colors creates engaging and exciting illustrations. I like how the text weaves some story into a ‘simple’ counting book.
My Light
by Molly Bang
Published 2004. The artwork and photographs work well together, but I enjoyed some spreads more than others. The text is educational and focused on the water and energy cycles.
If you liked this post, I hope you’ll consider becoming a free subscriber and joining our crew (discussions via Substack are always a delight!). That’s it for this edition of The Weekly Picture, I hope you have a wonderful day and as always, thank you for reading!
Caleb
