Bill Thomson (1)

It's been almost three years since we saw a book from Bill Thomson and six years since we first met a trio of diverse, curious, imaginative kids in Chalk. I'm thrilled to show off his brand-new book, Typewriter, which is a splendid celebration of the power of words.

Two boys and a girl arrive at a closed carousel, the only spot of color in the dull wilderness a monarch butterfly (perhaps left from the Chalk adventure?). They are delighted to see something special on top of the bee - a show more mysterious box. When they open it they discover...a typewriter. A few minutes of tweaking later and they type their first word... and the magic begins. With a simple word the snow-covered landscape is transformed into a beach and the exuberant creators start adding to their newfound playground. Things get a little (ok, a lot) out of hand and they'll need some quick thinking and fast typing to save the day. Adventure over, they pack up the typewriter and cycle off together, perhaps thinking of new stories to tell.

Thomson's stunning art, which is created by hand and not digitized, is the perfect medium to capture the exuberance and joy of the trio of children as they discover the power and magic of words. I love that there is diversity not only in the children pictured but in their actions - this time it's the girl who initiates the mischief and comes up with a clever plan to set it right. There are many subtle details in the art - the butterfly from a previous book, the play on words of the "spelling bee", not to mention the delicious scariness of the giant crab!

The clear sequence of events in Thomson's wordless titles make them great storytime choices, especially if you're just starting to use wordless titles in your storytimes. Be prepared for gasps of excitement, delight and surprise as you turn the pages and have the kids tell the story and discuss what is happening in each picture. Older listeners will be inspired to create their own stories with a few simple words and pictures while teachers will find many uses for this new book in school (once you've explained what a typewriter is of course!)

Verdict: Another triumph of wordless art - celebrating the power of words! A must have for your library and a good opportunity to check the condition of your other Bill Thomson titles and see if a revamp is needed before featuring them in a program.

ISBN: 9781477849750; Published 2016 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library show less

This is a wordless book kids can really get their teeth into.

Heh. I couldn't resist. On a gloomy, rainy day, three children find a bag of chalk in the park. Magical chalk, that makes their drawings come alive. Of course, one kid can't resist drawing...you guessed it, a tyrannosaurus! After a frenzied chase, one child has a bright idea and the dinosaur is defeated. The chalk is left behind for another child to discover the magic, and the three children leave.

Thomson's illustrations, created show more from acrylic paint and colored pencils, have a slick surface and vibrant depth and movement. He perfectly captures the complete absorption in art, imagination, and magic that only a child can display, and the children's range of emotions from wonder to terror, are spot on at every point. I am specifically in love with the illustration of the butterflies coming alive on the concrete and the children's exuberant delight as they swirl up into the sky.

This book, by the way, is the kind of picturebook I'd like to see more of when I think of adding "multicultural" picturebooks to my library. The three children represent different races and genders, but they are caught in a moment of magic and excitement that any child can understand and empathize with. I was also glad to see that each child played a major part in the story - many picturebooks are starting to show minorities, but mostly as what I call "background diversity"; as a best friend, part of a class, or a neighbor, not as an important character in the story.

Verdict: Highly recommended for public, school, and personal libraries. Display it with books on dinosaurs, art, and imagination. Have children tell the story to you in storytime. Show it to your after school kids and then have a giant chalk drawing program. show less

I love how this wordless picture book uses science and history to tell a story. A lot of kids don't enjoy these subjects but having them incorporated into a wordless picture book could make learning about them more enjoyable. This book also has a powerful lesson that every action has a reaction. The author does an amazing job portraying this with only illustrations.

Three children find themselves on the playground one rainy afternoon, and discovering a bag of chalk hanging from one of the rides - the dinosaur ride! - they begin to draw. To their surprise and delight, whatever they draw is magically made real: a sunny day, a kaleidoscope of butterflies, a Tyrannosaurus Rex! Now, on the run from their creation (well, the boy's creation, in any event), they must find a way to undo what they have done...

Chosen as one of our January selections for the show more Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme is "wordless picture-books," Chalk is an engaging tale of adventure, ably carried along by Bill Thomson's acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations. I appreciated many of the details of these paintings: the young African-American girl's hands, when she picks up the chalk, the young boy's backward glance, as the friends leave the park. I wasn't disturbed, as some reviewers seem to have been, that it is the boy's actions which both precipitate and resolve the crisis. All in all, this is one I recommend to any young reader who enjoys wordless picture-books! show less