The Wildest Children’s Books of 2013
I tend to think we are in the midst of a great period of creativity in children’s books. In many ways, there seems to be a loosening of the tie, with unexpected combinations of illustration, text, and design popping up all over the place. Below are a few 2013 books that had me saying “huh?!” in the very best of ways.
Click here for the Wildest Children’s Books of 2012
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Little Ghost Party by Jacques Duquennoy
ABRAMS | August 20, 2013
It’s dance party time and Little Ghost is playing host. He invites all his friends to join in the fun.
Why it’s Wild: One word: chains. Duquennoy incorporates thin chains into his illustrations, allowing the reader to tilt the book to create different motions and moods. It’s a board book, sure, but it’s the sort of inventiveness that will delight anyone who picks it up. I really wish there was a video for this one so you could see it in action.
*Update* Ask an you shall receive! The folks at ABRAMS made a video for this book:
Enchanted Lion Books | September 10, 2013
A man/creature finds a hole next to the door in his apartment. He can’t explain it. Maybe the local laboratory can?
Why it’s Wild: We’ve all seen die cuts before, but few like this. A single small hole runs through the entire book, moving into and out of the story.
Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier; illustrated by Suzy Lee
Chronicle Books | January 1, 2013
A cast of animal characters lead the way as the reader is encouraged to open a series of smaller and smaller books.
Why it’s Wild: A book within a book within a book within a – you get the idea.
Flying Eye Books | July 2, 2013
If Salvador Dali made a picture book, it might look like this. In this surreal world, everything is the opposite of what you’d expect.
Why it’s Wild: Each page presents a bizarro version of reality, where horses jockey jockeys, babies feed grown-ups, and butterflies net kids. I’m working on a theory: the fewer the letters in a picture book creator’s name, the higher the chances he/she makes wild books.
Battle Bunny by Mac Barnett and Jon Scieszka; illustrated by Matthew Myers
Simon & Schuster | October 22, 2013
A boy takes a saccarine bunny story and puts his own spin on it.
Why it’s Wild: There are plenty of books made to look like they were created by kids (see: The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby), but a “kid” taking one story and giving it a complete overhaul? Can’t say I’ve seen that before.
That Night, a Monster… by Marzena Sowa; illustrated by Berenika Kolomycka
Uncivilized Books | November 12, 2013
In this picture book/graphic novel, a boy wakes up to find that his mother has been replaced with … a giant fern.
Why it’s Wild: Some of the books on this list are here for unique design elements – this one is unique in story. Leave it to a Polish author/illustrator team to turn a book about a fern into a child-relatable meditation on the fear of a maternal disappearance.
Odd ducks – keep doing what you do.
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About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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Fun list, Travis! Can’t wait to check these out. Hope you are enjoying your summer!
Thanks Anne – same to you!
An intriguing group of books! I’m likely to order several of them, in fact! A footnote on The Hole: Peter Newell did die-cut pages a century ago. Check out The Hole Book and The Rocket Book.
Thanks Phil! For the good of the cause, here’s a link to some images from Newell’s The Hole Book:
http://www.nocloo.com/gallery2/v/peter-newell-hole-book/newell-hole-book07.jpg.html
I have a copy of The Hole Book in my personal library — it’s definitely wild! Maybe I’ll schlep it to Midwinter to share with you 🙂 Fun post!
Great List! BTW, we have been talking about you at the MRA Summer Reading Conferenece! 🙂
Thanks, Heidi!
Thanks for the great list. Exactly the kind of books that I would have enjoyed as a child (and still do). Good to know that there still are wild books. I will look out for The Hole and Bunny.
Can’t wait for Battle Bunny! I showed my daughter a review of the book and we ended up at Half Price books that same day to look for a book she could alter. A board book called “Love and Kisses” is now called “Zombie Kisses.”
I *adore* Suzy Lee! Yay! And as for the chains….I am having a muscle memory of something in my grandma’s basement….a board book of some kind where all the noses where chains. Any ideas?
No ideas here, but I hope someone is able to name it
How about The Dark too? By Lemony Snicket. Is it wild enough for you?
Great post, Travis! I can’t wait to check these out! It does seem like picture books are embarking on a creative period filled with playful, interactive, and whimsical books. Looking forward to see what odd balls make this list in the years to come 🙂
Great stuff, Travis! I hadn’t seen some of these. I’ll have to share with my co-workers and seek some of these out. Like another poster, I love Snicket’s The Dark, but I don’t think it’s really all that weird; just kind of follows a bit of a “dark” trend we’ve been seeing! Gotta get you writing for CAL again!