\n
\n
It almost pains me to post anything over top of this post<\/a><\/strong>, since I really love the colors of Claudio Mu\u00f1oz’s<\/a><\/strong> artwork, but onwards and upwards. At least it will always be here at 7-Imp for us to see. <\/p>\n I am, however, happy to share this picture book today. It’s called Perfect Square<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Greenwillow, April 2011), and it’s from graphic designer and children’s book illustrator Michael Hall. Hadn’t even heard of this one till Betsy Bird mentioned it in her mid-year Caldecott and Newbery predictions post<\/a><\/strong>. So I grabbed a library copy, and voil\u00e0! Here I am to showcase it, ’cause me likey. <\/p>\n You see, there’s this square. Perfect square. (Hence, the title.) It was super happy to be a square, and that was that. You can see here in the cover art how content it was: <\/p>\n But then, as you can see at the top of this post, it got cut into pieces. (This would be one of those rule-breaking instances in which an author is encouraged<\/em> to write in passive voice; the entire book avoids active voice. We don’t need to know who<\/em> does what to this square. We just need to know how the square responds.) Where was I? Oh, right…<\/p>\n Attasquare. That’s the right attitude. <\/p>\n This goes on every day of the week:<\/p>\n The square gets cut into strips; it becomes a park. It gets snipped into ribbons; it makes itself into a river. And so on. On Thursday, it’s shattered. (Yes, “the square was shattered.” Oh my. I find that kind of show-stoppingly dramatic, and I like it.) On Sunday, it waits but merely remains a square. Furthermore, it discovers at week’s end there that it doesn’t like it’s “confining” four sides anymore — too “rigid and cramped.” So…well, I can’t give away the entire book for you here, so I’ll stop there. <\/p>\n Using acrylic monotype ink prints here, Hall tells a story here that works on many levels: It’s pointing out the obvious to you smart 7-Imp readers that this is more than just a story about creativity. This is actually a pick-yourself-up-and-dust-yourself-off-and-make-the-most-of-it tale without being at all ham-handed about it (which could have been an easy thing in the hands of a clumsier author\/illustrator). I like it. (Maybe folks can join me in a campaign to have this<\/em> book bought and purchased for new graduates so that we can get a break from Oh, the Places You’ll Go!<\/a><\/strong><\/em> overkill at the end of every school year, with all respect to Theodor Geisel.) <\/p>\n Also, because I like to quote the professionals, The Washington Post<\/em> wrote, “Michael Hall again engineers geometric shapes and bold colors into a simple but expressive story\u2026a book that begs for reams of colored paper, rooms full of imaginative hands, and a whole lot of clapping and giggling.”<\/em> Ooh! Yes. What they said. This could be used umpteen hundred ways in an elementary classroom, particularly art class. (And that reviewer writes “again,” because Hall brought us this<\/a><\/strong> in 2010, pictured here below.)<\/p>\n Perfect Square<\/em> is simply a delight it what it is. Any day of the week. <\/p>\n PERFECT SQUARE. Copyright \u00a9 2011 by Michael Hall. Published by Greenwillow\/HarperCollins, New York. Images reproduced with permission of publisher.<\/em><\/p>\n Note for any new readers: 7-Imp’s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. <\/p>\n 2)<\/strong><\/font> Neko Case and Nick Cave covering The Zombies<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n 3)<\/strong><\/font> “The Human Voice”<\/a><\/strong> from StoryCorps.<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong><\/font> I get to speak at this event<\/a><\/strong> again this year. I get a chunk of time to talk about the best picture books thus far in 2011. Oh twist twist my arm! I’m having fun preparing. <\/p>\n 5)<\/strong><\/font> I stumbled upon this news below about a new Laura Marling<\/a><\/strong> CD, and it made me happy. I am still wearing out her 2010 CD, I Speak Because I Can<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. She is only something like eleven years old. No, seriously. She is 22, I think. (But don’t quote me on that number.) She is exceedingly talented and but a spring chicken in this life. And this Fall CD seems promising, even if she looks mighty confused standing in the park in this video. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/perfectsquarecover.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/heartislikeazoo.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/center><\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/jules\/artcamp.JPG\")
1)<\/strong><\/font> This picture is proof that your seven-year-old had fun at art camp. <\/p>\n