I have a subscription to The Picture Book Club. The theme of my subscription is “In Translation”, so I receive books first published in other languages. All but one of these stories has been quite gentle. The content more original than I’ve seen in my browsing. The illustrations also unlike the homogeneous digital art that fills the local bookstore shelves.
In Roger is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen, an adult neighbor quiets a noisy child next door in a refreshingly civilized way. The Endfixer by Noemi Vola has humorous parallel narratives. Moon Pops by Heena Baek stretches my imagination. Mr. Coats by Sieb Posthuma is warm silliness. A Most Mysterious Mouse by Giovanna Zoboli has me scratching my head. And Rosie Runs by Marika Maijala uses repetition to emphasize both heartbreak and safety. The illustrations include crayon, colored pencil, and marker. I don’t think I ever see these mediums in picture books in my small corner of the world.
It’s a treat to find a book on my doorstep once a month. They’ve given me freedom to imagine story and illustration in new ways.
Books Too 
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