ME AND YOU IN A BOOK MADE FOR TWO

Time to start an adventure!

The arrival of a purple-hued owl inspires two brown-haired, tan-skinned children staring out the window to ponder: “Life’s an adventure— / a story— / that’s true! / Now imagine our tale / in a book made for two! / What would we do in a book, / ME AND YOU? // Would we dance in a rainstorm / and dodge every drop? / Would we race on a rainbow / and meet at the top?” From there, the characters seem to climb into their own book as the pages change from one far-flung adventure to another. The poetic text may inspire imaginative readers to consider their own daydreams and fantasies, but some may need a shot of insulin to counter the saccharine sweetness of the poem. The digital illustrations don’t temper that feeling, as their diverse array of rosy-cheeked children seem to take inspiration from the animatronic characters of It’s a Small World but with unnerving dead-eyed stares, all set against backgrounds created through shapes and designs in varying degrees of subtlety. Even the most ardent bibliophile would suggest they pull it back a little. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sometimes too much is too much.