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July 27, 2017 by Travis Jonker

The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2017

July 27, 2017 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

Unconventional 2017

I love it when a book leaves me stunned (in a good way).

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giphy-2

Pushing the envelope. Pushing boundaries. Pushing buttons. Here’s to children’s books that expand our assumptions of what a children’s book can be.

Previously . . .

The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2016

The Wildest Children’s Books of 2015

The Wildest Children’s Books of 2014

The Wildest Children’s Books of 2013

The Wildest Children’s Books of 2012

Baby Update

What Does Baby Want 1

 

What Does Baby Want 3

What Does Baby Want? by Tupera Tupera

Phaidon | June 16

Baby is upset. What does baby want? A ball? No. A tambourine? Keep guessing . . .

Why It’s Unconventional: See above for a clue on the conclusion of the book. While the topic of breastfeeding has been popping up more in books for children, it’s often depicted as an aside in the illustrations without much mention. This is the first book I’ve seen to address it so directly. Bravo Two-pera (yep, just coined a nickname for the creator of this book).

Adele

Adele 1

Adele in Sand Land by Claude Ponti

TOON Books | May 15

Adele playtime in the sand turns into a long strange trip.

Why It’s Unconventional: It’s Alice in Wonderland on acid (more acid???). Adele follows a talking sand castle into a world of the bizarre and grotesque. I’ve heard badminton described at the fastest-slowest sport in the world (because of the immense change in velocity of the shuttlecock during the course of play). Well, Ponti’s work is the badminton of children’s literature – simultaneously the cutest and the most frightening out there.

Purloining Prince

Purloining Prince 1

The Purloining Prince of Oleomargarine by Mark Twain and Philip Stead and Erin Stead

Doubleday (Random House) | September 26

The Steads breathe life into an unfinished fairy tale by Mark Twain.

Why It’s Unconventional: In text, illustration, and design, nothing here says “Hey Just Your Standard Picture Book in the Year 2017”. It’s a 160 page story laid out and illustrated like a picture book with a text where the living author occasionally engages in banter with the deceased author.

After the Storm

After the Storm 1

My Pictures After the Storm by Eric Viellé

Gecko Press | March 1

A series of before-and-after illustrations.

Why It’s Unconventional: Viellé isn’t afraid to get absurd, favoring weird and humorous choices over the standard melted-ice-cube-becomes-puddle-of-water fare.

Grandfather

Grandfather 1

Grandfather and the Moon by Stéphanie LaPointe and Rogé

Groundwood Books | May 16

A girl goes to the moon to lift the spirits of her grieving grandfather.

Why It’s Unconventional: You read the summary there, right? Add to it the fact that this book rides about four different format lines (illustrated novel, chapter book, picture book, graphic novel) Is it for grown-ups? Is it for kids? One thing is certain:

*DRAMATIC PAUSE*

you won’t read anything else like it.

Silent Days

Silent Days 1

Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say

Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic) | October 31

A picture book biography of little-known artist James Castle.

Why It’s Unconventional: Say has called his artwork in this book “a possession” by Castle. And it shows, with page after page of illustrations that will make you wonder if Castle made them (nope, all Say).

Grandma

Grandma 1

Tell Me About Sex, Grandma by Anastasia Higginbotham

The Feminist Press at CUNY | April 11

“The talk”, illustrated.

Why It’s Unconventional: Oh, you’ve seen a lot of books on this topic, with this sort of title, illustrated in collage? Then it’s pretty typical, I guess.

La

La 1

La La La by Kate DiCamillo and Jaime Kim

Candlewick Press | October 3

A girl struggles to be heard in a big world.

Why It’s Unconventional: Some books are striking because of their content. Some stand out because they are unlike anything that creator has made before (see: Silent Days, Silent Dreams). This one is a little of both. It’s a fully-realized story (with sizable assistance from Jaime Kim) written by a Newbery winner containing one word consisting of two letters. Also, it’s about a girl striking up a friendship with the moon.

Last Tree

Last Tree 1

The Last Tree by Ingrid Chabbert and Guridi

Kids Can Press | April 4

A boy and his friend save the last tree from certain destruction.

Why It’s Unconventional: Combine one part dystopia, one part environmental allegory and you have . . . a combo not often found in a picture book. Chabbert knows how to write unconventional books – her book The Day I Became a Bird was on this list last year.

Lint Boy

Lint Boy 1

Lint Boy by Aileen Leijten

Clarion Books (HMH) | June 27

Lint boy is on a mission to save his friend.

Why It’s Unconventional: This graphic novel features a slightly twisted dream-like world that reads like a mix of Coraline and the witch from Hansel and Gretel.

Book of Mistakes

Book of Mistakes 1

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

Dial (Penguin) | April 18

No one is perfect. No drawing is perfect. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Why It’s Unconventional: Luyken does something unexpected with the illustrations – over the course of the book, mistakes in the artwork are made, addressed in the text, and then transformed into something else, guiding the story in new places in the process.

*Bonus Reissue Section*

These Astonishingly Unconventional books from the past are all being reissued in 2017.

Mud Book

Mud Book 1

Mud Book: How to Make Pies and Cakes by John Cage and Lois Long

Princeton Architectural Press | April 4

Created in the mid 50s and first published in a limited run in the 80s this book is exactly what the title suggests – a book on about making mud pies and cakes.

Why It’s Unconventional: With illustrations that appear to be made with the help of actual mud, this tiny square of a book stands out.

Perfect Child

Perfect Child 1

Tales for the Perfect Child by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Atheneum (Simon & Shuster) | March 7

Eight short stories about kids messing with authority.

Why It’s Unconventional: It dares to show kids subtly (and not so subtly) thumbing their noses at their parents. But who can’t relate with being a little naughty sometimes?

 

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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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandy Brehl says

    July 27, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    I read a partial/advance copy of THE PURLOINING OF PRINCE OLEOMARGARINE (Twain, Steads) and loved it, but never remembered to get a library copy last spring. TY for these features and for that nudge! Often to add to my hold list.

  2. laurel snyder says

    July 27, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    I’m a HUGE fan of Tell Me About Sex, Grandma!
    Also The Book of Mistakes.

    Will look up the others. Love this roundup! Keep Kidlit Weird!

  3. Ryan says

    July 27, 2017 at 11:50 pm

    I love Anastasia Higgenbotham. She has a great book called “Death is Stupid”, which is similar to the format of the book you listed above. It really deals with the loss of a loved one in a helpful, non-patronizing way. It’s my go to for young family members who have lost a loved one.

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