The Heart and the Bottle

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Published by Philomel Books
2010

     "Once there was a girl, much like any other whose head was filled with all the curiosities of the world." Her grandfather would sit in his armchair and read to the girl, opening to her a world of wonder, inspiring her imagination and creativity.  "Until the day she found and empty chair." With her grandfather's passing the little girl found that the only way to protect her heart from pain was to put it in a safe place. "So, she put it in a bottle and hung it around her neck." While that helped the sorrow at first, she soon began to forget about the curiosities and wonders of the world. She grew up.  And then she met someone younger who was still curious about the world and she felt it was time to take her heart out of the bottle.
     The Heart and the Bottle is painfully beautiful.  As I read it the first time I immediately choked up and had to go back and read it a second time to absorb all its gorgeous imaginary and illustrations.  The way Jeffers showed the girls imagination is just magical.  We see her laying in the grass next to her grandfather, whose dialogue bubble shows a picture of a constellation, while hers shows her seeing the sky as a bumble bee on fire.  And then there's the heartbreaking image of her drawing on paper a bunch of doodles and, as she runs to show her grandfather, we see that in her head the picture is of her with a whale...and that when we turn the page to find the empty chair where grandpa used to sit.  The thing about The Heart and the Bottle is that it feels like it's more for us the adults than for children; to reminds us to keep the inner child alive. The illustrations will entertain the young readers though, even if they don't quite "get it". Such a beautiful book!

People

People by Blexbolex

2011

     People is part picture book, part coffee table book, all conceptual book.  Through very cool retro looking silkscreened images,  Blexbolex illustrates over 200 pages organized as paired concepts.  The paired concepts are sometimes easy to relate to each other: man and woman, mother and baby, couple and bachelor. Other times they need the illustrations to help with the link: contortionist and plumber, blind and distracted.  Or they are very interesting (conductor and tyrant, amputee and cyclops) or, I guess, just plain weird (station attendant and alien).  There are endless topics to discuss while flipping through the pages of People.  Every page turn offers a new surprise, thought or laugh.  This is the kind of books adults will like as much as curious kids, so much so, they might have it around even when the kids are not there.   

Dillweed's Revenge

Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic by Florence Parry Heide
Illustrated by Carson Ellis
2010

     Dillweed wants to go places and have adventures, just like his parents, but he never gets to go. His parents have left him behind once more. It's just Dillweed and his friend, a strange looking pet named Skorped.  He has to stay home with his butler and maid who treat him horribly.  They make Dillweed do all the chores and they take over the house as if it was their own.  One day, a package arrives for Dillweed, a strange looking footlocker.  He has kept it unopened under his bed, but when he's finally fed up with the abuse at home, he unlocks it and releases evil spirits.  When the maid tries to poison Skorped, the spirits have a hand in ensuring that the butler confuses the poison with whiskey and drinks it, dying instantly.  The maid also has an "accident" when the armoire falls on top of her and kills her.  "Dillweed and Skorped were happy." With the spirits still roaming his home, Dillweed's parents return home.  But when they show their dislike for Skorped and throw him out the window, Dillweed and Skorped "wished the parents would go away."  And..."they got their wish."  Dillweed and Skorped were finally able to travel and have adventures and they lived happily ever after. "Dillweed and Skorped, not the parents."
     Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic is a deliciously dark tale.  It reminds me of Dahl, Gorey and Belloc.  These types of dark tales are the ones that stuck with me years after reading them as a child. Ellis' illustrations are a perfect accompaniment.  Not for the really young ones, unless they are...brave.

Potch & Polly

 

Potch & Polly by William Steig
Illustrated by Jon Agee

     I'm a big fan of Jon Agee, in fact I've already included two of my favorite books by him on previous blog entries: The Retired Kid and Milo's Hat Trick.   So I was really excited to find a book by Steig, illustrated by Agee. I was not disappointed.
     "When Potch was born, there was an angel with a clown's face hovering over the bed."  He loved life and "always woke up happy to be who and where he was."  One day, he was invited to a masquerade ball, and that's where he first saw Polly Pumpernickel. He wasn't handsome and she wasn't beautiful, but to Potch, Polly was "a sugar bowl." He immediately realised that the one thing missing from his life was "the same love that makes the world go round and can turn pigs into ponies."  They danced all night, but unfortunately, during a pirouette, Potch tossed Polly up in the air and failed to catch her on her way down.   Polly was furious and left the masquerade leaving Potch behind.  Potch tried to make it up to her and win her affection many times, but something always went terribly wrong (like when he surrounded her house with fireworks, and one of them went into her bedroom).  That is, until the day when Polly goes to put an end to Potch's pestering and she overhears his angel telling him get over her and move on.  Of course, she then realises she wants him in her life and pulls a surprise move of her own.
     I love Potch & Polly.  I'm a sucker for picture books that read like stories meant for adults.  The illustrations by Agee are wonderful.  They have a timeless feeling to them that I've always enjoyed.  It's impossible not to fall in love with Potch and his attempts at conquering Polly's heart.  A sweet and funny love story.

The Retired Kid

Retired Kid, The by Jon Agee
Illustrated by Jon Agee
2008

     Brian is exhausted: school, soccer practice, violin class. walking the dog, babysitting his little sister..."So, one day, Brian decided to retire. 'It's been a wonderful eight years.' he said, 'but I need a break.'"  In The Retired Kid, an eight year old gets to "enjoy" and early retirement in Florida.  There's no homework or school but there are other issues when everybody around you is over 60 years old.
     Jon Agee uses his no-nonsense illustration style, which I love, and tells a story many of us dreamed of when we were younger: enjoying a permanent vacation away from our kid responsibilities.  It's also a thought provoking story for all those Alpha parents that don't give their kids a second to breathe between school and a million other planned activities.

The Lost Thing

Lost Thing by Shaun Tan
Illustrated by Shaun Tan
2000
Ages 9+

     The Lost Thing is one of those books that you just know, as soon as you read it, you want to own it and look at it again and again.  Shaun Tan's illustrations are mesmerizing -he just received the Oscar for his short of the same title based on this book.
     A kid is walking alone, looking for bottle tops for his collection, when he spots the "thing".  The "thing" is an over-sized red machine-creature that nobody seems to notice -not even his parents after he brings it into their living room.  The boy and the machine embark on a quest to find a place where the "thing" can fit in.  It is "A tale for those who have more important things to pay attention to".  Amazing book!