February 06, 2005
Art by Alison Jay
Having a 3-year-old already, I don't know how I've missed out on Alison Jay's work. I stumbled over her name (and several books she's illustrated) a month or so ago at the Magic Cabin web site where I was trying to track down and out-of-print maze book for my very maze-smitten son. My interest piqued by the snippets of illustration I was seeing, I headed out looking for more detail - and more titles.
As a result, my almost 1-year old received a set of special Santa gifts in the form of 4 books illustrated by Alison Jay. Unfortunately, they weren't board books (which I'd just assumed they were). They're full-sized hardbacks, but they're, nevertheless, wonderful. Here's how we (umm, Santa) got our Alison Jay collection started.
I Took the Moon for a Walk
by Carolyn Curtis, Alison Jay
This is a wonderful story of a little boy's "walk" with the moon prior to going home to bed. The illustrations are priceless; the person-like moon is adorable; and hearing a little boy talk about going swinging with the moon and taking a flashlight in case the moon got scared walking through the woods is simply precious.
ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book
by Alison Jay
I love this one. A classic "ABC" book, each page contains a large picture of something starting with the letter (and appropriate text) as well as many smaller pictures scattered throughout the scene that you can find that start with the letter. Plus, each page contains a hint to the "next" letter in the alphabet, too. The book is a lot of fun, is a puzzle of sorts, and the pictures are superb.
If Kisses Were Colors
by Janet Lawler, Alison Jay
A wonderful and sweet lullaby of a book. If you've ever told your child "I love you to the moon and back," then this is a book you'll appreciate. With simple but beautiful text that runs along the lines of "If kisses were colors, you'd see every one/of the bands of a rainbow that shines in the sun. If kisses were pebbles, your beach would be lined/with stones by the millions, of all shapes and kinds," the book makes me think of Margaret Wise Brown's classic Runaway Bunny. But the text here is fresh, sweet, and fun, and the illustrations are charming.
William and the Night Train
by Mij Kelly, Alison Jay
A sweet bedtime story, William and the Night Train will appeal to a little boy's instinctive love of trains. William is on the "night train" that takes us to tomorrow, but William doesn't want to go to sleep. A charming story with Jay's characteristic illustrations.
Santa made good choices, and as a Mom, I don't think you can go wrong with illustrations by Alison Jay. There's wonderful. Warm. Fun. Special. Classic. All wrapped up in each page is the feeling of what it means to be a parent and enter into the magical world seen through a toddler's eyes.