I Am On Sensory Overload, Or Why Black Has Never Looked So Colorful

I am on a picture book sensory overload these days! The newest blast is a bit surprising (especially after my last post) and comes in the form of The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria. In this innovative work of genius, the pages are black and appear to have no illustrations. But upon closer inspection, the reader is treated to a raised illustration that is meant to be experienced with the fingertips, as well as white text and braille print for good measure. The book is simple, but in a moment, very powerful. I was instantly captivated by this work, and it definitely left me thinking. I do so love a book that is an experience for all of my senses!

Let Me Pause to Catch My Breath, Or Why Pamela Zagarenski is my New Favorite Illustrator

I just love it when I find a book accidentally and it ends up taking my breath away. Such was the case with Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski's gorgeous new book Red Sings from Treetops: a year in colors. Observe:

Fall smells
Purple:
old leaves, crushed berries,
squishy plums with worms in them.
Purple: the smell
of all things
mixed together.

Even without the amazing imagery that goes along with it, can't you just taste the purple on the tip of your tongue? This little gem of a book goes through each season just as vividly as the purple autumn listed above. Honestly, this book is a sensory experience. It really has been a while since a picture book has really taken my breath away, but I assure, I was panting a bit at the end of this one. And to think, I requested it from the library by accident! What a lovely act of serendipity.


Orange ripens in
full, heavy moons,
thick with pulp and seed.
Orange flickers,
all smoke and candles.
Orange eyes.
Orange cheeks.
Orange teeth.

To be fair, I absolutely adore autumn, so this spread is by far my favorite. I cannot implore you enough: CHECK OUT THIS BOOK! It will put you in a fantastic mood, no matter what your favorite season.

Hit Refresh and Hold on Tight, Or Why Paisley Hanover is Totally UnPredictable

I've been reading a lot of high school fiction in the past couple of weeks. Many times when I read such material, I find myself rolling my eyes because the characters are so stereotypical that I generally have the urge to throw up in my mouth a little. I've been really lucky recently, though, reading books that have had characters who were so real and so endearing that a few text messages thrown in here and there didn't bother me as much as usual. The best of these by far is Cameron Tuttle's bright and brilliant Paisley Hanover Acts Out.

Paisley Hanover is a character unlike any I've met in my recent forays into high school fiction. She's spunky, she's smart, and she's really just trying to figure out where she fits into her high school hierarchy. The story begins with Paisley being shuttled to Drama class on the first day of her sophomore year, something that certainly wasn't part of her seven point plan for making this year the best of her life. What follows is a story filled with twists and turns, quirky supporting characters, and a strong, willful protagonist who is so ridiculously refreshing that I was wishing she'd been my best friend in high school. I absolutely adored this book and especially its completely undefinable and always awesome Paisley.

Paisley brings to mind some of the other awesome divas I've met in recent reads, including Louise in Robyn Harding's hilarious and touching tale My Parents Are Sex Maniacs: A High School Horror Story which goes to show you that no one has a perfect family and was so laugh-out-loud hysterical that I was actually a little bummed when it ended, and Alice in Liz Gallagher's charming high school tale The Opposite of Invisible.

I've been thrilled with the amount of reading I've been able to do lately, and reading books like Paisley Hanover just gets me super excited to read more, more, more. I personally don't relish the idea of going back to high school myself, but if I can read stories like these, I'll gladly tag along any day!