Il Sung Na

Finally! Korean picture-book author and artist Il Sung Na - whose debut effort, A Book of Sleep, was one of my happiest discoveries back in 2009; and whose subsequent The Thingamabob was also quite delightful - returns with this, his third title. Originally published in the UK as Brrrr: A Book of Winter, it follows a little white rabbit as she observes her fellow creatures in the midst of their winter activities. From the turtles, who swim off to warmer waters, to the squirrels, who are busy show more stockpiling acorns for the cold months, "everyone knows it's winter."

I have been anticipating Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons for months now, and I think that my expectations, based on Na's previous titles, may have sabotaged my experience. I don't want to overstate the case, of course! As always, I enjoyed Na's artwork, with the many delightful details that he works into larger objects - the little snowflake design on the rabbit's coat, the "striped" legs on the sheep - and his appealing use of color. The narrative itself, which felt a little scattered and random, didn't do much for me, but then, it didn't bother me either. A nice celebration of Winter, with a hopeful last few pages devoted to the coming Spring - what's not to like? But although I would wholeheartedly recommend this to fans of the artist, and to young Winter lovers, I can't honestly say I loved it as much as its predecessors. Still, I remain an admirer, and will be on the lookout for future Il Sung Na projects - after all, I don't suppose I can love ALL of his books equally! show less

Pigs do fly in Il Sung Na's most recent picture-book, which chronicles the adventures of a porcine dreamer who admired the birds, and longed to take to the skies as they did. His first attempts prove futile, but this pig doesn't give up, enlisting the help of his friends, and interviewing a series of flightless and flying birds to get some insights. Eventually his perseverance pays off, and not only does the pig take to the skies, he reaches the moon as well...

I enjoyed the heartwarming show more story in The Dreamer, appreciating its message about dreaming big and working hard, but in the end, it was Il Sung Na's beautiful artwork that really stood out to me. When he is at his best, his illustrations are immensely expressive, and he is definitely at his best here! There is a sense of wistful wonder in the opening scene, and a feeling of motion and activity in subsequent ones, as artwork is ably paired with story to create an effective whole. Recommended to all young dreamers, and to fellow fans of the artist. show less

Having discovered the marvelous work of Il Sung Na - a talented British picture-book illustrator of Korean descent - this past summer, when I stumbled across his beautiful A Book of Sleep, I had been eagerly awaiting the release of this, his second effort. With a deceptively simple text perfectly suited to a bedtime tale, and intricate illustrations that reminded me, at times, of Shaun Tan, A Book of Sleep made a big impression on me, and I was curious to see if The Thingamabob would measure show more up.

Although I am constrained to admit, after looking through it, that the illustrations in The Thingamabob are not quite the equal of those in A Book of Sleep - lacking that sense of mystery which so distinguished Na's first effort, perhaps because the palette here is so much lighter? - they are still immensely appealing, with whimsical little touches that brought a smile to my face.

Na's tale, in which a blushing elephant finds an unnamed object (an umbrella) and attempts to discover its purpose, has a gentle humor that is greatly enhanced by the artwork. I chuckled when he wonders whether he can use it to fly, or to sail, and discovers that he (most definitely) cannot. All in all, this is a lovely little picture-book, and even with my heightened expectations, and preference for Na's first book, my reaction was almost wholly positive. Il Sung Na is definitely an illustrator to watch, going forward! show less

One of my favorite picture book authors applies the imagination of an optimist to the pessimistic phrase "when pigs fly." The result is a gentle STEM fable about a porcine aerospace engineer who embodies the spirit of innovation and perseveres through failure. The muted compositions of wispy watercolor, colored pencil, and ink represent a departure from the kaleidoscopic textures of Na's familiar style. The text is spare and poetic, leaving lots of room for elaboration and discussion.

I enjoy show more the visual allusions to real-life dreamers Da Vinci, Newton, and the Wright brothers. Perhaps my favorite sequence (introduced simply with "So he listened") shows the engineer and his assistants interviewing a series of flightless birds before taking notes from a parrot. When reading the book aloud, I do find it more natural to end with "So they did," skip the unnecessary commentary on the final two pages, and allow those wistful portraits of a pig pondering flight to speak for themselves.

Pairs well with: Miyazaki's Porco Rosso and any kind of STEM activity. show less