Upon opening The World That Loved Books
, one is struck by the vivid collages that spring forth from the page. Based upon the work of master artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, author Stephen Parlato's artwork is not only stunning, it's unique. Most students will not have seen such intricate and well-balanced collage work. But the title hints at a deeper story...The premise of The World That Loved Books
is that there once was a land where everything a creature read, because all the creatures there read, became a part of their very being. A beautiful sentiment. But, it falls short on execution. It's not so much the economy of words, that's actually complimentary to the collages, it's the hodge-podge of focus. The text is sprinkled with puns, rhymes and just random thoughts which create a lack of cohesiveness. The ending, about paying a library fine, is lackluster for such a vibrant picture book.
(first picture by artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo, second picture from book by Stephen Parlato)I believe there are some valuable lessons for art teachers and the obvious lesson on creating personal collages for books we've read, but the intricate illustrations would not lend themselves well to a story circle setting. This is a book better suited to one on one interaction.
Genre: Picture Book, Art. Age: 4-8. Pages: 32.
Thanks to The Picnic Basket.
Publisher: Simply Read. Date: November 2008.
ISBN-10: 1894965981 / ISBN-13: 978-1894965989
Buy The World That Loved Books Here
The author has a nice website (HERE) where he details his school visit agenda. This looks very worthwhile.
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© 2007-2009 Cheryl Vanatti for www.ReadingRumpus.com 
