{"id":4951,"date":"2019-09-15T00:01:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-15T06:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4951"},"modified":"2019-09-14T11:07:15","modified_gmt":"2019-09-14T17:07:15","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-655-featuring-guojing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4951","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #655: Featuring Guojing"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nThose of you who follow picture books closely may remember this 2015 publication<\/a><\/strong>, The Only Child<\/em>. Named one of the New York Time’s<\/em> Best Illustrated Children’s Books for that year, it was created by author-illustrator Guojing<\/a><\/strong>. She’s back with a new wordless book (Schwartz & Wade, September 2019), called Stormy<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, the story of a stray dog who finds a new home. <\/p>\n

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The opening endpapers kick off the story right away: We see a lone, leafless tree, and underneath it is a bench. Underneath that<\/em> is a dog. One day, a young woman sits on the bench to read. She sees the dog and reaches out, handing him a ball. Naturally, the stray dog is frightened, but the woman is patient. She leaves the ball there at the end of the day, and when she returns the next, they play. The dog is still hesitant, but the woman is gentle and keeps her distance. In one exquisite golden-hued spread, it is twilight and the woman sits across from the dog, just watching. Letting the dog know she is there but respecting his space. <\/p>\n

Eventually, the dog follows her home, unbeknownst to the woman. He stares longingly at her door, ball held firmly in his mouth in the rain, yet ends up sleeping in a wet, soggy cardboard box in the road by her apartment. All ends happily when, during a storm, she runs to the park to ensure the dog is okay and then finds him upon her return \u2014 and brings him inside. All of this is expertly paced, Guojing telling the story in a measured way — such that the emotional currents of the story are never forced. She uses panels on many spreads to pace the action, and there is a particularly effective and stirring use of light and shadow in these pencil and watercolor illustrations. The moment she finds the dog on her street is especially eloquent, Guojing taking her time and showing the woman in two panels giving the dog a tender, gentle hug in the rain. It’s as if she knows there is no other option but to bring him inside \u2014 and she knows they will be forever linked. When she does bring him inside, he’s dried and fed. They bond. And in the final spread, we see him \u2014 ever-so slowly \u2014 climb onto her bed and get comfortable. <\/p>\n

It’s a poignant tale, one about compassion and, above all, building trust. Here are some more illustrations so that the art can do the talking.
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(Click either image to see spread in its entirety)<\/em><\/center>
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(Click to enlarge spread)<\/em><\/center>
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STORMY. Copyright \u00a9 2019 by Guojing. Illustrations reproduced by permission of the publisher, Schwartz & Wade, New York.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 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. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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1)<\/strong><\/font> My book club. Picture books, wine, and good conversations. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> When my mother-in-law passed, she had a cat that needed a home. We found one for him this week \u2014 one that involves lots of books, as it turns out, and caring people. Since two other cats are already there, let’s hope it works out! Cross fingers for us? <\/p>\n

3)<\/strong><\/font> This made me laugh: <\/p>\n

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For the past year, I\u2019ve been filming myself scaring my best friend @NickStopTalking<\/a> <\/p>\n

Today is Nick\u2019s birthday and I\u2019ve put all the clips together! pic.twitter.com\/kfXxl0ntuo<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jackson Rickun (@JacksonRickun) September 13, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n