When he started making larger books with bolder illustrations ( Magic Thinks Big, 2004), I had the feeling he was leaving his comfort zone in search of a more mainstream audience. His books didn't have much plot, but they were perfect for those rare children who are quiet observers. Every figure he drew had a specific individuality that brought it to life. His tiny gestural pencil sketches revealed close observation and an astonishing ability to depict motion. I've been a fan of Elijah Cooper's illustrations since his first children's book in 1997 ( Country Fair). One of the benefits of gaining a certain (ahem) age is that you get to see how an illustrator changes and matures. We've established that the real committee can't discuss an illustrator's previous books, but one thing I like about this blog is that we are not the real committee. On each of these spreads we see two cats curled up together in a clear homage to the yin and yang symbol. To underscore the theme, Cooper stops the action three times with full-bleed spreads and a surprising yellow background. We see that they are different from each other, but also complementary.

Much of the book contains small vignettes of the cats scattered across a spread. (Remember Garth Williams's Rabbits' Wedding?) The best reason for the color choice becomes clear when Cooper highlights the yin and yang theme. What is simpler than black and white? I'm guessing some people will look for hidden racial meaning or allegory in this book, but in my opinion, they are barking up the wrong tree. This is a story about pairs, told as simply as possible. I get annoyed when the only reason a picture book is black and white is to get attention and appear artsy. When a new white kitten arrives, we have come full circle.īlack-and-white illustrations stand out these days because full-color books are so much more common. When the older white cat dies, it is hard for the black cat and for the human family, seen only in silhouette.

We see their individual personalities and their closeness as they play, eat, and nap. First a big white cat, then a young black kitten who learns from the older cat and grows up to be even bigger. Like Henkes, Cooper's no-frills drawing style uses deceptively simple thick black outlines. Here is another book that, like Kitten's First Full Moon, is mostly black-and-white and has minimal text. Julie's post this week about Egg by Kevin Henkes took me back to my own Caldecott experience when Henkes won for Kitten's First Full Moon.

Country Fair by Elisha Cooper