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A review by erine
Pockets by Jennifer Armstrong, Mary GrandPré
I didn’t care for the text of this book very much, but thought the illustrations were truly superb. The idea and message behind the story were enjoyable, but the nautical metaphors were heavy-handed and the text was lengthy and dense. A lost seamstress washes up in a lonely, dull village. She agrees to make only plain clothing for the villagers in return for charity, but she can’t suppress her creativity and imagination for long. Her outlet is the pockets she puts in each garment, heavily embroidered and decorated. These pockets become windows to the world for the villagers.
The illustrations by Mary GrandPre lightened up the heavy story. As with Sweep Dreams, the pictures have clear, bold shapes that are round and rich. For this story, she uses line to create the illusion of embroidery. The color is bold here, too; rich jewel tones throughout the illustrations get brighter as the villagers lose their dull thoughts and broaden their horizons. GrandPre’s use of value adds a depth to her illustrations, as certain parts of each picture pop out of darkness. The illustrations fill the pages and flow effortlessly around the text blocks: this book is more successful than Sweep Dreams in layering the text over the illustrations. GrandPre continues to use perspective well, zooming in on the changing faces of the villagers, zooming out to show the village as a whole, and just in general creates beautiful artwork to tell this story. It’s a shame the words don’t match the illustrations.
The illustrations by Mary GrandPre lightened up the heavy story. As with Sweep Dreams, the pictures have clear, bold shapes that are round and rich. For this story, she uses line to create the illusion of embroidery. The color is bold here, too; rich jewel tones throughout the illustrations get brighter as the villagers lose their dull thoughts and broaden their horizons. GrandPre’s use of value adds a depth to her illustrations, as certain parts of each picture pop out of darkness. The illustrations fill the pages and flow effortlessly around the text blocks: this book is more successful than Sweep Dreams in layering the text over the illustrations. GrandPre continues to use perspective well, zooming in on the changing faces of the villagers, zooming out to show the village as a whole, and just in general creates beautiful artwork to tell this story. It’s a shame the words don’t match the illustrations.