Visually gorgeous and quirky in equal parts, there is something here to entertain most minds.
People
A fisherman and a fishmonger, a slave and a goddess, a princess and a werewolf…
Real, mythical and imaginary people come together in this stunning picture book for all ages
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Description
From the author and illustrator of Seasons.
In this book, each character is matched with another on the opposite page. These relationships are often funny and surprising. Sometimes the connection is obvious. Other times it takes a bit of thinking.
A fisherman and a fishmonger. A slave and a goddess. A princess and a werewolf. Real, mythical and imaginary people come together in this stunning picture book for kids and all ages.
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Book Details
Country of Origin France Reader Age 2-5 year, 5-7 year Book Size ISBN
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Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
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Swings and Roundabouts, June 2012 –
Visually gorgeous and quirky in equal parts, there is something here to entertain most minds.
Around the Bookshops, February 2012 –
There are so many uses for this book from discussion to creative writing, from design ideas to just being curious about its quirkiness and to make up more pairs. This is a really impressive piece of book production – including the double-sided book jacket.
Parents in Touch (UK), April 2012 –
For such a simple looking book, it is extremely thought-provoking … The detail in the illustrations will give rise to all sorts of conversations. A book to go back to over and over again, and the durable linen binding ensures the book will last.
The Source, December 2011 –
Some juxtapositions are funny: a sailor faces a siren; a nudist faces an invisible man. All are clearly intended to start young readers thinking or drawing connections. For example a hard-working cowboy is shown in an identical posture to an actor playing a cowboy. A bricklayer builds a wall which a labourer knocks down. A painter and a tagger share another wall.
All the people of stories are here: a princess, a bedouin, a castaway, a rabbi, a snake-charmer, a genie, a pirate, a romantic and, of course, the daydreamer who will weave them into their own stories. (Adults are free to talk about the human dichotomy; kids enjoy the fun of having a footballer and a brat displaying the same kicking technique.)
Some of the people shown aren’t really people; Sisyphus is labelled as a myth, while a yeti, a centaur, a scarecrow, a vampire and a ghost also make appearances. A muezzin is on a minaret, an emperor on his throne and Father Christmas appears as a seasonal worker. Best of all, on the very last page, a small boy draws a stick man on the footpath; the caption reads a drawing.
This handsome book is a springboard for a reader’s creativity.
Brain Pickings, September 2011 –
Each charmingly matte and papery double-page spread features a full-bleed illustrated vignette that captures the human condition in its diversity, richness and paradoxes … Something entirely new and entirely delightful, certain to make you smile, make you think, and make you wish you were a snake charmer.
Brooklyn Public Library, NY, September 2011 –
With its 208 pages, this is not your average picture book. Instead, it’s a unique reflection on the similarities and differences among people from all walks of life … Readers are encouraged to contemplate the relationships between the people being represented and how they interact and influence one another and the world around them.
Publisher’s Weekly US, September 2011 –
Blexbolex’s captivating silk-screens explore human archetypes using a 1960s-era design aesthetic … The book’s brilliance lies in the intriguing ways in which the images mimic, challenge, and inform one another … Readers will form new associations and make new discoveries upon each revisiting.
Unity Books Auckland, IndieBound blog, December 2011 –
This is ostensibly a children’s book. Its colourful pastel woodblock prints of different people do appeal to children, but on another level entirely it’s also a designer’s workbook; an adult’s inspiration.
People is educational as well as kind of ironic & funny, depending on where you’re at in your development.
On one page you’ll have the block print of a cowboy with a lasso and on the complementary page you have an actor dressed as a cow boy. Respectively these images are entitled: COWBOY / ACTOR. There’s also a Hypnotist, Fishmonger and a Genie in here reminding us to break out of the small, confined labels we convince children are representative of humanity.
This means the pages tumble on with no usual order, apart from the unifier of the topic and Blexbolex’s pastel coloured aesthetic pushing pinks overtop of browns and making you smile. People is the follow up to Seasons, the two together are superb.
The Napier Courier, November 2011 –
The quirky drawings will make you smile no matter what age you are. The clever artist has put characters on opposite pages that are related in some way . . . some obvious, some not so. For instance there is a policeman on one side and a thief on the other, or an explorer and tourists. People of all ages will enjoy browsing through this book and the youngsters will learn to associate skis with a skier. Excellent.
Bookrapt NZ, November 2011 –
Children are naturally curious about the people who fill their world. French artist Blexbolex introduces youngsters to humanity in a variety of guises … The retro-style artwork uses block colours, bold text, defined outlines and 1950s fashions. Close study of the detail will spark many conversations.
My Best Friends are Books blog, November 2011 –
People is a book that will be loved by not just children, but parents, teachers and design students. It’s the perfect Christmas present for the whole family to enjoy.