I love the observation about the shorts, because picture book illustrators make certain concessions for the sake of story, putting reality aside - one of those things is keeping the main character in the same clothing from beginning to end. Bill’s vocabulary lessons don’t just happen when he’s driving.īut other than that, it is all true (sort of). James and Eamon do change their shorts occasionally.Bill and Pam do not have a striped couch.Marla Frazee based this book on real people and real events. “How long do we have to stand here and smile?” asks one of the boys, simultaneously making the joke (to adults) and encouraging (child) readers to open the cover to get on with the adventure. Smile, Baby! You’re On The Cover Of A Picture Book!īut here, Marla Frazee draws us in on the humour of this particular picture book convention (largely outdated now - you’ll find it on classic Little Golden Books). The joke on the cover is, “Who are these boys smiling at?” I have previously noted that when illustrators draw characters as if they’re posing for photographs, this is a form of direct address - sometimes accidental, I’m sure. This is a picture book for kids, but it’s also a picture book for people who have spent many years reading picture books, engaging the adult part of the brain. Becky Albertalli Writes The Good Stuff #booktuber #bookish #beckyalbertalli
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |