Skim, words by Mariko Tamaki & drawings by Jillian Tamaki

Whew! "Emo" . . .

Not what I expected. This book is recommended for ages 14 and up, and I can DEFINITELY see why. This book is not appropriate for children. The book is riddled with harsh language and imagery, which honestly kept the book pretty exciting for me (well, probably would for a kid too, but not necessarily sending a "good" message). This may be a good book for an adolescent-aged individual, someone who is going through that awkward stage of rebellion. Perhaps seeing the strangeness of it all outside of yourself (through reading about Skim's life or others) is just what we need to thwart the magnetic temptations of adolescence...

The main character, Skim (Kim), considers herself a "gothic," she is a depressed high school student who smokes, practices witchcraft, and is obsessed with thoughts of suicide, love, death, isolation, conflicts of identity, and sexual confusion. All of these controversial topics heighten the "danger" aspect of this realistic fiction novel. The rest of Skim's story needs to be left up to reader to discover. It is a really good dramatic story of the experiences of a teenage girl. READ IT!!! YOU WILL BE INTRIGUED . . .

The layout of the book is really neat too! There are diary entries from Skim throughout the book which strengthen the deep feelings felt by the reader as they read about Skim. The art is amazing. I especially enjoyed the way the author and illustrator synchronized their work so well, this is one of the "smoothest-flowing" graphic novels in terms of readability, that I have ever read.

The Hunter and the Animals, by Tomie de Paola

OH, de Paola, if only you were my age! I am in love with his books. The illustrations, and the stories told by the art are so vivid and engaging.

This book is a wordless picture book, The story begins on the title page showing a beautifully odd artistic interpretation of a forest full of animals: fox, deer, squirrels, rabbits, birds, beavers and others. The colors are earthy and natural. A few pages into the story, we are introduced to a hunter who journeys into the forest with a gun. The reader is led to believe that he will shoot and kill an animal, but alas, the hunter is outsmarted by the animal's cunning acts of deception and trickery. In the end the animals help the hunter to open his heart and go through an unlikely transformation.

This is a great book to use with children who enjoy storytelling and creating their own meaning from illustrations. However, the fact that the hunter carries a gun may be seen as a refection of violence in a "public school setting," even though in the end the story tell us how important it is to respect the animals (or perhaps: do unto others as you would want them to do unto you). In fact, this book could be seen as a work to reach out to children to further animal rights awareness.

The author provides a brief outline in the form of a bullet-point list on the inside of the dust jacket, to provide a little insight into his intent for the story, and what the illustrations are meant to reflect. This feature is helpful for the less imaginative of us who want to know, "what story was the author trying to tell?" But really, there is so much more that can be found in these illustrations than what the author lets on. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED!