88 Instruments
by Chris Barton, illustrated by Louis Thomas
Published 2016. The illustration style is perfect for the text. The washes and squiggles of the linework give the book a rhythm and lyrical quality to everything. This enhances the book’s theme. A bit on the head text-wise, but the story and moral are great. When overwhelmed with choice, we should experiment, discover, and go one step at a time to achieve a desire. I also enjoyed the way this story and text flows and the fun word choices the writer went with was a blast to read.
This Monster Cannot Wait!
by Bethany Barton
Published 2013. I wasn’t a big fan of this book. The artwork isn’t to my taste, and the pages are a bit one-note and dull throughout the book. The story seemed a bit scattered and lost at times and the ending didn’t hit me like I felt it could’ve.
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
by Byron Barton
Published 1989. Immediately loved the artwork and the bold shapes and colors, very eye-catching! As a kid, I would’ve loved this book. I was a big dinosaur fan. My parents would’ve had to read it every night until they were sick of it and ‘lost’ it. The text is very simple and swiftly told. The writer guides readers through the differences between dinosaurs. The writer personifies the dinos, and by the end, I felt a connection with them. This connection developed into a subtle message of planting myself as a dino. I’m not sure every child could make this connection. Yet, the theme and visuals could engage a child to think and ponder helping them engage with this book on a deeper level. A great book.
My Bus
by Byron Barton
Published 2014. More lovely bold blocked characters with a striking and vibrant color palette. The story is very simple, but something about it draws us in. It captures the mundane and crafts it into a book filled with early learning concepts of counting and methods of travel. All while wrapping it up in the life of a main character.
I’m trying to Love Spiders
by Bethany Barton
Published 2015. I’m still not a huge fan of the artwork but there is a unique style and charm to it. I like the text as a book to try and overcome fear by learning about it. The book also has elements of interactivity that I love. A book filled with information and fun.
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
