Of Cats and Men

Gorgeously illustrated, this neat little hardback would be a great gift for the cat man in your lives. Filled with short biographies (1/2 a page) of cat men throughout history, quotes, and amazing illustrations this is an informative, beautiful, and heartfelt little book. I wouldn't mind owning some prints pulled from this book. Included are bios from Andy Warhol, Jean Cocteau, Nikola Tesla, Ernest Hemingway, and other impressive men from history, an interesting mix of authors, artists, and scientists. A cute, informative read that would make a good stocking stuffer. I absolutely loved it and would love to see more from this author/illustrator!

Things I've Said To My Children

While I'm not a parent, I can still relate to many of the whimsical, hilarious, and absurd things that illustrator, Nathan Ripperger, finds himself telling his kids. I grew up in a household with a million kids and I recall many of the batshit crazy things that my mother would yell at us. Some of them are even featured in this book, "Get that dinosaur out of your mouth!" (A phrase my mother often yelled at me, even through high school, as I had a tendency to chew off the tails of my brother's dinosaurs, just because). Rippergar creates fantastic graphic illustrations to go with each phrase and some are truly a work of art that you might want framed. A cute gift, perfect for parents this Christmas.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Hansel & Gretel

I think I was expecting a little MORE, but then again, this is a kid's book. Pages alternate between spine tingly black and white illustrations and Neil Gaiman's version of Hansel and Gretel. He doesn't add any new twists or tricks to the story, it's the classic Grimm version we all grew up with. That being said it's still a great read for children who are interested in folk tales. This isn't necessarily anything to write home about, the illustrations are good, the story is good, but it's nothing new or exciting. In the back of the book there is a brief blurb on the oral and written history of Hansel and Gretel with a little bibliography. Alright, but not amazing.

Through the Woods

I love the illustrations so much I could just eat them up. They are divine. Every. Single. One.This young adult graphic novel consists of five short illustrated tales, each one more delightful than the next. They're dark and would be especially scary to small children but to teens (and me) they have just enough shock appeal to keep you thirsting for more. One cannot describe the awesomeness of this book, one must read it to understand. Seriously, it will take you less than an hour. You have to do it. The stories and pictures are gorgeous, graphic, and gritty. Get on it now. I promise you won't regret it!

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains

LOVED this. As always Gaiman brilliantly brings to life an old tale, "a tale of travel and darkness with pictures of all kinds." It's a quick read and you will have it done within an hour, but the story will stick with you. It's mesmerizing and powerful in its simplicity and raw emotion. It's hard to summarize this book without giving too much away. Just know that the haunting illustrations and great story-line are worth an hour of your life. Gaiman is a master of the dark otherworlds; this story of vengeance, adventure, and shadow is no exception.

Tales From Outer Suburbia

Tales From Outer Suburbia is easily my favorite book that I have read for class this semester. I loved everything about it, from the goofy yet impactful story, to the utterly fantastic drawings. Needless to say, I just placed an order from Amazon to make this book part of my collection.

This fantasy novel is a collection of short stories, poems and drawings about "outer suburbia." It is a place where giant marine animals can show up on your front lawn, missles are part of everyone's yards, stick figures roam the streets, and you can make pets out of garbage. Pretty much anything goes in this imaginative and inventive collection of short tall tales. It doesn't contain all the fantasy story motifs that Tunnel et al mentions but it is definitely chalk full of fantastic objects and magical elements. The illustrations that accompany the stories practically jump off the page and into your imagination, they really stick with you!

As an adult I loved this book, although if I was a small child though I would probably be scared of some of the drawings and stories. One of the lines that stuck out to me was, "... in the olden days... they got the bends because they didn't know about decompressification and how it turns your blood into lemonade." It's a pretty creepy thought, and it gave even me the heebie jeebies. I agree with the School Library Journal review that ranked this novel as fourth grade and up. This book is not intended for the very young.

Overall, I thought that this was a fantastic book. It was given eight major book awards including: Publisher's Weekly Best Book of 2007, New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2007, and a School Library Journal Best Book of 2007. A great addition for any collection!

 

Check out some of these other amazing illustrations...