"No man understands a deep book until he has seen and lived at least part of its contents."
- Ezra Pound
Featuring another great Canadian author/ illustrator today on my blog. Love to highlight my country's gifted book makers. You will love this one for sure. The illustrations are amazing and could stand alone without the text.
A creative, innovative, unnamed little girl is using her imagination and ingenuity to construct the most magnificent thing. She has the design in her head and the tools to go forward and build it. She chooses her beloved canine as her assistant. He is so adorable and full of character and they do everything together. They find the perfect spot to make this project happen and after much sawing, tweaking, finagling and re-doing by the girl she finally explodes with anxiety and frustration because it just isn't right. Her best friend brings his leash and suggests a walk so she can calm down and get a better perspective on the project. He is brilliant and his strategy works. After a short reprieve they return to their workspace and low and behold she sees things in a totally new light. She re-boots, re-builds and refurbishes the magnificent thing and it works to her satisfaction. Both she and her pooch have a blast in their most magnificent thing!
The illustrations are amazing and totally drive the text. They are funny, expressive and humorous, full of detail and wit. You will go back again and again to enjoy this magnificent book... guaranteed!
About the author/ illustrator:
Ashley Spires grew up in a little town on the coast of B.C. called Tsawwassen with two parents, an older sister, eight cats, a dog and the occasional newt.
For a while she thought that animation was her future, but then photography caught her eye, which led her to bookmaking courses. These classes opened her eyes to the world of illustration and she never looked back. Delighted that there was, in fact, a career that allowed her to remain in her pajamas, hang out with her cats and be productive at the same time, illustration is the perfect job for her.
Despite the quizzical looks and baffled expressions of loved ones, 2009 saw Ashley make the big move from the coast to the prairies, where she now resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Life on the prairies will allow her to indulge in her imagination and continue anthropomorphizing her cats for her own creative endeavors.
Like Binky, Ashley does not take kindly to insects, though she rarely eats them. She has ingested a number of bugs accidentally during her frequent jogs and bike rides, but trust me, she didn’t enjoy it.
Book review rating: 8 (Fantastic!)
Read on and read always! Have an amazing day everyone!
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