Elle van Lieshout and Erik van Os, a husband-and-wife team, write books, songs, and poetry for young children and beginning readers. Their picture-book titles include "The Nice Party, The Nothing King, and The Wish. "
Kirkus Review - Children (01/01/2009): A starred review. A winsome
prison fable from the Netherlands. Lovey and Dovey, she plump, he
thin as a rail, both clad in prison stripes, have "stolen each
other & apos;s hearts " --but that & apos;s not why they languish
in Katakom. They also stole a pair of blue socks, which they now
wear, Lovey on her right foot, Dovey on his left. When Lovey
complains about the view, Dovey squeezes through the bars, tears a
square of "sun and sea " from the landscape and takes it back to
their cell to hang on the wall. This is followed by the moon, an
apple tree and so on. A wordless subplot depicts a rabbit artist
who follows Dovey, painting in his own designs on the blank
silhouettes left behind by Dovey & apos;s thefts. Van Hout places
her endearing convicts, rendered as line-and-color cartoons,
against soft-edged backgrounds, the harsh gray of the cell
modulating to bright pastels as the outside is brought in, piece by
piece. "But one day, disaster struck: they were released. " The
resolution may well bring pause to adults, but children will
respond to its daffy logic and celebrate along with the lovers.
(Picture book. 5-8)(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN
BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
Publishers Weekly (01/19/2009):
Full-bleed illustrations, comic and unabashedly heartwarming, brim
with details that encourage a second reading. ... Quirky, playful
and altogether inviting.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
