Happy Autumn, readers!
To recognize literary blasts from the past, I am running an "Oldie But Goodie" series to recognize memorable books I read that were published back in the day.
"I
find myself drawn more and more often to designing books that involve
some sort of visual play. It seems like a wonderful opportunity to
encourage children to look at familiar things in different ways while
offering the appeal of a game or a puzzle." - Ann Jonas
Someone at my school read Ann Jonas's picture book ROUND TRIP (Greenwillow) to me when I was a child. My son told
me that his teacher read this book to him in kindergarten. Published in 1983, ROUND TRIP is an
example of how a good book stands the test of time
across generations.
ROUND
TRIP is a story told in the first-person narrative about the narrator
and companion(s) leaving home early in the morning. They journey past
the town, a small farm, fields of wheat...and end up in the city. In
the city, they ride a subway, see a movie, and then turn around. Now
the book is flipped upside down so readers can view the journey back
home...dining at a restaurant, picking up the car, leaving the
city...and returning home.
The
illustrations show one thing when the book is read one way, and when
it's upside down, the images depict something else. Fields of wheat
become rain when the book is turned upside down. Marshy inlets now,
fireworks later. The black and white illustrations in the book are
simple yet complex. I could only imagine the deliberation and
planning that went into each page in order to create the convincing
perspectives.
If
we look at the situations we face in our own lives, what different
scenes would we see if we turn these pictures upside down?
1 comments:
That's a brilliant idea book idea! I'll need to see if my library has a copy.
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