It’s a rarity that I have been disappointed with a book I’ve picked up. When I saw this book, I was really excited about it. I had a feeling that the book would be unlike any children’s book I have read. I was not prepared for this though.
The art is eerie and gloomy, and reminded me of some gothic favorites like Tim Burton. The first few pages were fantastic, and then I don’t know what happened. The narrative suddenly seemed to diverge from what I had been reading up to that point. At one point I felt that the shadow asks us to listen tin silence to things that we might miss in the chaos of the day. The it seemed to bring the hazy notion that “being different is cool”. I’m really not sure what I was intended to take away from the book . Some of the photos contained action that didn’t correspond to the text. Like there is a woman who seems scared. What is she scared of? Why is that woman saying it? What exactly am I looking at?
The issue is, I appreciate the way this book feels and looks. I reasoned that perhaps I was to blame, and that I hadn’t paid close enough attention, that… Yet when I read it again a few days later, the result was the same. I felt I could not connect certain images and words which created a discord in the narrative. Did I miss something? Somehow the book did not appeal to me as a children’s book. The images are too creepy and dark for children. Adult supervision is a must as children might not connect with the content and might also feel nervous or intimidated with the dark images.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Not just a Librarian 