Christoph Niemann (1) (1970–)

Having dreamed of being a police officer since the time he was a tiny puff, the diaphanous hero of this sweet little picture-book is at first delighted when his friend, the police helicopter, convinces the chief to give him a job. But a series of disasters - the cloud inadvertently aids a burglar in his escape, causes a car accident, and ruins everyone's day at the park - leads to the heartbreaking realization that it is not to be. Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining (sorry, show more couldn't resist!), and the tearful cloud discovers that another heroic occupation is open to him...

I don't know that I would ever have picked up Christoph Niemann's The Police Cloud, had I not seen it discussed in Leonard S. Marcus' article, "Back to the Future: Retro picture books — déjà vu all over again?" (to be found in the January/February 2010 edition of The Horn Book Magazine), where it is described as an example of the revival of the "Constructivist" style in picture-books. I'm glad I did, as I appreciate the message implicit in the story - that when one door closes, another opens - and thought the book was rather sweet. That said, I'm not sure I really see the "Constructivism" in it (the style seemed more reminiscent of the 1950s, to me), as clearly as in other examples Marcus cited, such as The Orange Book. Still, it's an interesting exercise, tracking down these titles, and seeing whether I can see what the critic has... show less

artist/designer presents visuals re:his observations in post-1995 New York City and Brooklyn (and circa 2010 Berlin) as an office worker, husband, and father of two small boys. Compiled from blog posts and published in 2012.

charming and funny, like a doodle of a donut (but more geometric or abstract). very creative and frequently pun-ny; recommended.

We all take in life as we live, it's how we let it out again that shows who we are. For Christoph Niemann, his life comes out through his graphic design influenced art work. Much of the unique work that appears in his book ABSTRACT CITY originally appeared as part of his visual blog for the New York Times. Working like visual essays accompanied by modest text, each is a treat presenting relatable moments from everyday life in formats that recall catalogs or training manuals. Often silly but show more always creative, Niemann's art utilizes disparate art forms to convey his ideas the elements of which usually relate specifically to what he is talking about. For example, relating his personal history with coffee through a series of drawings on coffee stained napkins or lamenting how electrical cords complicate our lives through art using actual wires. Since much of my childhood involved creating my own world while playing with Legos, I particularly appreciated Niemann's using the multi colored plastic blocks to represent what it's like to life in New York, entitled--I LEGO NY. It's tempting to breeze through the book but I found myself dipping back into previous essays. As I experienced each new art format, I appreciated the ones before even more. show less

I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked the book because of the illustrations. The author used the simple illustrations, such as trees or animals, and wrote the Chinese symbol for the word using the illustration. I thought this was a great way for children learning Chinese to associate symbols with pictures since the language is much different from English. However, I did not like this book because I found the story to be underwhelming and unbelievable. This may have show more been because I was too focused on the illustrations, but after reading I did not feel as though I gained anything from the story. The overall message of the book was for children to learn about friendship and adventure, but to also learn more about Chinese culture. show less