Be Careful What You Wish For

This is on the copyright page of Bill Thomson’s books:

“Bill Thomson embraced traditional painting techniques and meticulously painted each illustration by hand, using acrylic paint and colored pencils. His illustrations are not photographs or computer generated images.”

This statement gives you an idea of Thomson’s hyperrealistic illustrations. I own The Typewriter (2016). The cover art of a bumble bee is so huge it exceeds the boundaries of the book. I look at it on the shelf at a library sale and think, “What in the world is this?” At first glance, the fanciful scenes remind me of David Weisner. When three children type words onto a sheet of paper, their snowy landscape transforms into a sandy beach. Each word they type becomes real in the superlative—including a giant crab!

Chalk and Fossil came my way via interlibrary loan. They had similar themes and spectacular images. After the wow factor faded, I noticed Thomson’s shifting point of view. Characters are often up close and personal. Faces are brightly lit and exuberantly expressive. Smaller pictures inserted into two-page spreads bring readers even closer. For example, one inserted illustration shows only the typed word “Ball” as a key lifts off the page, its shadow crisply darkening the brilliant white paper. Another insert shows only the mouth and nose of a boy eagerly anticipating the “Ice Cream” he’s just typed. A huge beach pail of ice cream foreshadows the size of the crab that follows. Views from above and below manage to maintain intimacy.

These three stories are super fun wordless picture books for children who don’t mind a giant scary crab, flying pterodactyl, or triceratops. The artwork is amazing and, in each one, the child who creates the danger also saves the day. Lesson: be careful what you wish for.