Aaron Becker
Author of Journey
Series
Works by Aaron Becker
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1974
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Pomona College, California
Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design - Occupations
- writer
illustrator
artist for Pixar, Disney, Lucasfilm
film designer
art teacher
camp counselor (show all 7)
graphic designer - Relationships
- Wife, daughter
- Short biography
- Born in Baltimore, Aaron Becker moved to California to attend Pomona College where he scored his first illustration job designing t-shirts for his water polo team. Since then, he's traveled to Kenya, Japan, Sweden, and Tahiti backpacking around while looking for good things to eat and feeding his imagination. He now lives with his family in Amherst, MA where he's busy at work on his next book project. You can find out more about what he's been up to lately at storybreathing.com. [retrieved 7/20/2019 from Amazon.com]
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Places of residence
- Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
The eponymous tree and river coexist—sometimes peacefully and sometimes not—with a series of human settlements in this wordless picture book from Aaron Becker, perhaps best known for his Caldecott Honor-winning Journey, and its two sequels, which also present a wordless narrative. Villages and cities rise and fall, the river is diverted and used in various ways and the tree grows, changes and eventually comes to near destruction, until finally it produces an acorn and a new tree arises, show more by the banks of that same river...
When I first read the premise of The Tree and the River I was reminded of such picture books as Debbie Atwell's River and Lynne Cherry's A River Ran Wild, both of which follow the story of a river over time, as the world changes around it. But having now read (or scanned, as the case may be) Becker's book, and noted again the similar theme in the process, I think it is more speculative in nature than those earlier books, imagining greater stretches of time, and proceeding into the future rather than just observing the past. It is also somewhat more disturbing and less hopeful. While the final scenes here do posit a future for the tree and river, as well as an interaction with people, some of the preceding scenes are so apocalyptic that one wonders whether the message taken away will be that nature can recover, that it will outlast us, or that we are inherently destructive to it. I appreciated the illustrations here—always important in a wordless picture book!—and I appreciated the themes explored, but I also found myself wondering whether the book would provoke thoughtful consideration or just despair in its young audience. Psychologists have recently begun diagnosing an increasingly widespread neurosis in children, known as climate or eco-anxiety, and it feels as if titles like this would contribute to that, in that they present truly disturbing ecological scenarios, with little hope or sense that humans can do better. It's true that two people visit the newly sprouted tree at the end—but does this mean humanity has changed? Or will the cycle continue? Whatever may have been intended by the creator, I'm not sure the reader will take much away here, aside from the fact that Becker is a talented artist. While visually lovely (hence, the three stars), this is not one I would strongly recommend, save to fans of this creator. show less
When I first read the premise of The Tree and the River I was reminded of such picture books as Debbie Atwell's River and Lynne Cherry's A River Ran Wild, both of which follow the story of a river over time, as the world changes around it. But having now read (or scanned, as the case may be) Becker's book, and noted again the similar theme in the process, I think it is more speculative in nature than those earlier books, imagining greater stretches of time, and proceeding into the future rather than just observing the past. It is also somewhat more disturbing and less hopeful. While the final scenes here do posit a future for the tree and river, as well as an interaction with people, some of the preceding scenes are so apocalyptic that one wonders whether the message taken away will be that nature can recover, that it will outlast us, or that we are inherently destructive to it. I appreciated the illustrations here—always important in a wordless picture book!—and I appreciated the themes explored, but I also found myself wondering whether the book would provoke thoughtful consideration or just despair in its young audience. Psychologists have recently begun diagnosing an increasingly widespread neurosis in children, known as climate or eco-anxiety, and it feels as if titles like this would contribute to that, in that they present truly disturbing ecological scenarios, with little hope or sense that humans can do better. It's true that two people visit the newly sprouted tree at the end—but does this mean humanity has changed? Or will the cycle continue? Whatever may have been intended by the creator, I'm not sure the reader will take much away here, aside from the fact that Becker is a talented artist. While visually lovely (hence, the three stars), this is not one I would strongly recommend, save to fans of this creator. show less
NOA, a gigantic seawall construction robot that survives in a flooded world, comes to the rescue of some stranded zoo animals in this wordless picture book from author/artist Aaron Becker. Working tirelessly, he feeds and cares for the animals, and when continued rain threatens their total destruction, he builds a boat in which they can all withstand the flood. Sailing into the unknown, they encounter terrible storms and come close to perishing, before being rescued by another surviving show more robot, and brought to an island paradise...
Casting forward into a doubtful future and backward to an ancient past, The Last Zookeeper is a fascinating and futuristic retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his ark, one that spins a powerful spell with artwork alone. The paintings here, done in watercolor and pen and ink, are just lovely, beautifully expressive in their depiction of NOA and the animals, and gorgeous in their totality, especially in the seafaring scenes under the sunny and starry skies. This is a hopeful tale, for all that it is set in a future where cataclysm has come, using one of the great myths of the human past—although Noah is the inspiration here, many cultures throughout the world have an ancient flood story—to imagine a path to survival. Recommended to fans of wordless picture books, and to picture book readers who enjoy science fiction and/or adventure stories. show less
Casting forward into a doubtful future and backward to an ancient past, The Last Zookeeper is a fascinating and futuristic retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his ark, one that spins a powerful spell with artwork alone. The paintings here, done in watercolor and pen and ink, are just lovely, beautifully expressive in their depiction of NOA and the animals, and gorgeous in their totality, especially in the seafaring scenes under the sunny and starry skies. This is a hopeful tale, for all that it is set in a future where cataclysm has come, using one of the great myths of the human past—although Noah is the inspiration here, many cultures throughout the world have an ancient flood story—to imagine a path to survival. Recommended to fans of wordless picture books, and to picture book readers who enjoy science fiction and/or adventure stories. show less
Aaron Becker is known for his work on films like "The Polar Express," and you can see the influence of his cinematic background in his books. His newest is a time-lapse wordless story about the evolution of a civilization that arises and metamorphoses around an enduring tree alongside a river.
The imagined cityscapes are wondrous: intricately drawn, ranging from medieval to futuristic and steampunk. The lack of words in the book allow you to fill in the story with your imagination, but the show more breadth and depth of the illustrations do as well.
We see hope transmute into glory; occasional decay and destruction; and in the end, a return to hope.
In an interview, Becker noted that he was inspired by living in the city of Granada, which, he observed, was built first upon Roman ruins, and then Catholic castles and cathedrals. Layers of history were built into the very walls of the city. It gave him an awareness of the “experience of time” which he wanted to explore in his books. He said he felt that showing the accretion of time in a particular place works even better with just pictures rather than words. He wanted readers to think about how human history is so much larger than one’s own experience of it, and yet it is all connected.
Becker accomplishes this goal by combining the precision of ink with the soft and dreamy quality of muted watercolors to create a series of related but different architectural wonders and exotic landscapes. Each stage of civilization contributes to the next. The progression allows readers to see how both history and culture can be gleaned from the art and artifacts around us. A myriad of tiny details ensure that kids will pour over these pages for hours, seeing what endured in each mutation and what changed; filling in their own narrative; and maybe dreaming up their own alternative outcomes.
Discussion: Some of my favorite books are wordless. They allow children to supply the dialogue through their imaginations, forcing them to think about what is being depicted and what it might mean, allowing for endless creative interpretations. The pictures in this book are not as simple to analyze as, for example, the wordless books by Tommi dePaola (which are in fact meant for much younger children), so it asks readers to concentrate and ponder. Younger readers can still enjoy this book on a purely visual level at the very least, and those not as adept at reading words will discover just how much they can figure out by other means.
Evaluation: This is definitely a book for all ages to explore together. show less
The imagined cityscapes are wondrous: intricately drawn, ranging from medieval to futuristic and steampunk. The lack of words in the book allow you to fill in the story with your imagination, but the show more breadth and depth of the illustrations do as well.
We see hope transmute into glory; occasional decay and destruction; and in the end, a return to hope.
In an interview, Becker noted that he was inspired by living in the city of Granada, which, he observed, was built first upon Roman ruins, and then Catholic castles and cathedrals. Layers of history were built into the very walls of the city. It gave him an awareness of the “experience of time” which he wanted to explore in his books. He said he felt that showing the accretion of time in a particular place works even better with just pictures rather than words. He wanted readers to think about how human history is so much larger than one’s own experience of it, and yet it is all connected.
Becker accomplishes this goal by combining the precision of ink with the soft and dreamy quality of muted watercolors to create a series of related but different architectural wonders and exotic landscapes. Each stage of civilization contributes to the next. The progression allows readers to see how both history and culture can be gleaned from the art and artifacts around us. A myriad of tiny details ensure that kids will pour over these pages for hours, seeing what endured in each mutation and what changed; filling in their own narrative; and maybe dreaming up their own alternative outcomes.
Discussion: Some of my favorite books are wordless. They allow children to supply the dialogue through their imaginations, forcing them to think about what is being depicted and what it might mean, allowing for endless creative interpretations. The pictures in this book are not as simple to analyze as, for example, the wordless books by Tommi dePaola (which are in fact meant for much younger children), so it asks readers to concentrate and ponder. Younger readers can still enjoy this book on a purely visual level at the very least, and those not as adept at reading words will discover just how much they can figure out by other means.
Evaluation: This is definitely a book for all ages to explore together. show less
A young girl grieves for her beloved dog, who recently died, in this wordless picture-book from Aaron Becker. On her family's seashore vacation, she finds a very special stone, a stone with an ancient, storied history, and sensing its beauty and unique character, she brings it home as an offering to leave at Sascha's grave...
Becker, who won a Caldecott Honor for his earlier title, Journey, the first of a picture-book trilogy about a girl's adventures in a parallel fairy-tale world, proves show more with A Stone for Sascha that he is a master of the wordless story. The tale itself is poignant and thought-provoking, tying individual grief to ideas of time, survival, and the reuse of that very significant stone by diverse human civilizations down through the millennia. The artwork itself is gorgeous, beautiful in its own right, and more than enough to carry the story along. I appreciated the fact that Sascha's loving family here is African-American, although that is clearly not the focus of the story, and I found the depiction of the stone itself - it is luminous, as befits an object from the heavens - added a mysterious, almost enchanting element to the story. Recommended to Aaron Becker fans, and to anyone looking for beautiful new wordless picture-books. show less
Becker, who won a Caldecott Honor for his earlier title, Journey, the first of a picture-book trilogy about a girl's adventures in a parallel fairy-tale world, proves show more with A Stone for Sascha that he is a master of the wordless story. The tale itself is poignant and thought-provoking, tying individual grief to ideas of time, survival, and the reuse of that very significant stone by diverse human civilizations down through the millennia. The artwork itself is gorgeous, beautiful in its own right, and more than enough to carry the story along. I appreciated the fact that Sascha's loving family here is African-American, although that is clearly not the focus of the story, and I found the depiction of the stone itself - it is luminous, as befits an object from the heavens - added a mysterious, almost enchanting element to the story. Recommended to Aaron Becker fans, and to anyone looking for beautiful new wordless picture-books. show less
Lists
Wordless Books (3)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 12
- Also by
- 2
- Members
- 4,411
- Popularity
- #5,675
- Rating
- 4.4
- Reviews
- 437
- ISBNs
- 62
- Languages
- 9
- Favorited
- 1
