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Boy, do I love that image. <\/p>\n
(I have to say that it’s almost painful to put a post over top the vibrant David D\u00edaz image below, but move on I must.) <\/p>\n
I’m here this morning with a quickie post to share some art from another delightful picture book title from the Netherlands. Those folks make the most interesting picture books<\/a><\/strong> on quite a regular basis, now don’t they? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I understand it, the Schuberts, born and raised in Germany, were once recipients of the Dutch equivalent of a Caldecott, the Golden Brush award. (This<\/a><\/strong> is my source, my disclaimer being that it’s quite possible I’m misunderstanding the scope of the award.) <\/p>\n I’ve got the De paraplu<\/em> version of the book—that is, the Dutch one—so let’s just say lucky for me it’s wordless. Again, it should see a U.S. release this Spring. I’m happy to share some of the Schuberts’ illustrations from the book this morning (“enchanting” comes to mind, though the book is altogether less cloying that “enchanting” sometimes manages to sound), as the art always speaks louder than my attempts to describe it. Here are two more. Enjoy. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/Cover-The-Umbrella1.jpg\")
The Umbrella<\/a><\/strong><\/em> from husband-and-wife team Ingrid & Dieter Schubert should be on shelves this Spring—April, I believe, though don’t quote me on that—and comes our way from Lemniscaat Publishers. This is the wordless tale, originally published in 2010, of a young puppy who stumbles upon what appears to be an ordinary red umbrella, though quickly he is whisked away by a sudden gush of wind high into the upper atmosphere for an adventure that seems to take him just about all over the world. These are sprawling spreads that make no apologies for using every inch of space, as it should be in this ever-evolving tale. The Schuberts have great fun with perspective, line, and movement, as the canine spans the globe, riding ocean waves; crossing deserts, wintry hinterlands, and jungles; and trotting across the very clouds — taking in a world seemingly filled with infinite possibilities. The umbrella eventually succumbs to some defeat and is brought down, though I won’t reveal how, only to be approached in the final endpages by the same cat who, in the opening<\/em> endpages, watches the dog get carried away—both literally and figuratively. <\/p>\n