Three more books to go! First up:
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by her husband, Don Wood. King Bidgood refuses to get out of the tub, preferring to battle, eat, hunt, and dance in the bath. Members of his court try to convince him to come out, but Bidgood insists that they get in the tub with him. Only the Court Page remains dry and successfully gets him out-- by pulling the plug!
While the writing is cute and uses a nice repetitive rhythm, I bought this book for the pictures. The paintings, (which I believe were done in acrylic), are masterfully executed. The color choices are sophisticated, and the costumes are based on historical examples. Because of the accurate lighting and expressions, it’s obvious that Mr. Wood used photographs. I bet that he and Mrs. Wood posed for the photos themselves, (and had a lot of fun doing it, too).
For those interested in learning to illustrate expressive characters, King Bidgood is a wonderful example of how to do it well. (And if you’re just starting out and not so good at mugging for the camera, this book is a nice reference you might want to get).
Castle: Medieval Days and Knights by Kyle Olmon, illustrated by Tracy Sabin, and pop-ups designed by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. Okay, confession time: I’ve never actually read this book. I bought it because I fell in love with Robert Sabuda’s pop-up versions of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, (I have both in storage).
Pop-up books in general have always amazed me, but Sabuda’s books (and the books he’s done with his partner, Matthew Reinhart), are on another plane entirely. One of the factors that makes their pop-ups outstanding is that unlike many pop-up artists, Sabuda and Reinhart don’t rely on pull-tabs to create movement. Instead, most of their illustrations spring to life just by turning the pages. They push paper-engineering to its limits and the results are breathtaking. Their illustration style is also distinct: ususally made from hand-painted paper mosaics that look like stained glass.
As wonderful as their books tend to be, Castle is not my favorite. Maybe it’s because they had to use someone else’s illustrations, but the layouts and pop-ups are somewhat static compared those in their other books. In Wizard of Oz, Sabuda managed to make a tornado that actually spins! In his version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, fifty-two cards engulf Alice and stand several inches off the page. In contrast, most of the illustrations in Castle are done head-on, hardly move, and rely on traditional pop-up construction. They just lack that Sabuda/Reinhart inventiveness.
For example, compare this layout from Alice:
to this from Castle:
Awe, and I was hoping for an epic jousting battle... At least he raises the blade when you turn the page.
Oh wait, here’s the joust:
You call that epic? Oh well, at least I bought it on sale, (totally worth the $4 I spent).
In the video below Reinhart and Sabuda talk about their books. At about 2:30 into it you can see the spinning cyclone from Wizard of Oz in action.
I’m in awe of their engineering skills, aren’t you?
And finally,Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, written and illustrated by Adam Rex. The subtitle of this book is And Other Stories You’re Sure to Like, Because They’re About Monsters, And Some of Them Are Also About Food. You Like Food, Don’t You? Well, All Right Then., which pretty much tells you the tone of the book.
Full of short stories and poems this book is pure movie-monster silliness. For example: The Phantom of The Opera is driven mad because horrible songs, (like It’s a Small World) have gotten stuck in his head; Dracula has a piece of spinach stuck in his teeth at a party and no one has the courage to tell him; Frankenstein makes a sandwich from the rotten foods lobbed at him by frightened villagers; The Creature from the Black Lagoon forgets to wait an hour after eating before getting back in the water.
From reading other books by Adam Rex I’ve decided that I hate him. No one should be that talented. He has a great sense of humor, a unique voice, and paints in several styles and mediums (pen and ink, watercolor, pencil, acrylic, photo-montage). It’s just not fair. Frankenstein is a poo-poo platter of his artistry and every piece is scrumptious.
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