ON THE MOVE

In this Ukrainian import, husband-and-wife team Romanyshyn and Lesiv use bright, retro infographics to examine the concept of movement.

“Every journey begins with a single step,” the authors write, introducing the first set of numerous facts to come: “People started wearing protective coverings on their feet as early as 40,000 years ago.” A wide range of information follows, encompassing the invention of the wheel 6,000 years ago, ancient paths traveled for trade and pilgrimages, forms of exploration (space and seafaring), a consideration of time travel, and much-needed advice to “rest and reflect” by writing in one’s travelogue. One lively spread includes a familiar “you are there” marker to set readers amid the “Wonders of the World,” in this case the Pyramids of Giza and Chichén Itzá, complete with a friendly-looking information booth. Four spreads are devoted to animal migrations, like those made by monarch butterflies and whales, and another spread wistfully describes “how freely wind and water travel, knowing no boundary or limit.” Vocabulary definitions abound: nomad, brachiation, immigrant, and refugee. The action-packed graphics themselves nearly spill off the page, and the italicized text seems to be in perpetual motion. The generally faceless humans vary in skin tone (some are more fancifully hued); one figure recurs—a pale-faced character with a single curly hair, reminiscent of the Belgian cartoon character Tintin.

Sophisticated graphics, laden with information.