I Care About Books

I just read this article Who Cares About Books by Steven Heller on AIGA's website. The article talks about the future (or for some, lack of) of tradition books and book design with the growing accessibility of ebooks and recently with the launch of Apple's ipad. I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with his opinion - deep down, I truly heart books.

To read the article, click on this link.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

I was at the book store the other day browsing the children's book section (as usual) and came across some wonderful stories. I can spend an entire afternoon on the carpeted floor immersed in others' imaginations and admiring their art. I think I was the oldest kid there.

Here's a list of my favorites during my most recent visit (In no particular order). I have to say that while the stories I chose are all very unique and creative, it's the illustrations I fell in love with!

Farm
Written & Illustrated By Elisha Cooper WebLink




17 Things I'm Not Allowed To Do Anymore
Written By Jenny Offill & Illustrated By Nancy Carpenter WebLink





The Black Book Of Colors
Written By Menena Cottin & Illustrated By Rosana Faria WebLink




Forever Friends
Written & Illustrated By Carin Berger WebLink





Tales From Outer Surburbia
Written & Illustrated By Shaun Tan WebLink





The Incredible Book Eating Boy
Written & Illustrated By Oliver Jeffers WebLink




The Lion And The Mouse
By Jerry Pinkney WebLink





Tsunami!
Written By Kimiko Kajikawa & Illustrated By Ed Young WebLink






Wave
Written & Illustrated By Suzy Lee WebLink

Artwork of Michael Sowa

I've been a fan of German artist Michael Sowa's work since I first noticed his paintings in the 2001 French film Amelie. Sowa is well known for his whimsical, surrealist paintings. They often depict animals and people in reverse roles.

He has illustrated a number of books in English and German. Little King December, a story by Axel Hacke and illustrated by Michael Sowa is a beautiful story about two polar opposite worlds. The story has a mix of Lewis Carroll and Kafka's upside down upsurdities - and is a wonderful read.

Another book Sowa illustrated is Esterhazy: The Rabbit Prince by Irene Dische and Hans Magnus Enzenberger. This is an imaginative story about an European family of rabbits. The youngest bunny, Esterhazy, is sent to Berlin — a place with a Wall separating the city, "a little bit like Kansas City, one part of which belongs to the state of Kansas, the other to the state of Missouri ... only not so friendly."

Sowa's Ark is a compilation of 50 works of art. It was first published in 1996 and reprinted in 2006. All the paintings share simplistic titles and humorous subjects. Some of the backgrounds in Sowa's works remind me of Hudson River School paintings. It is striking to see the contradictions of normalcy mixed with the outlandish. In 2010, the artist printed wall calendars which can be purchased here.

Here are some samples of Michael Sowa's art.