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A review by george_salis
Mimi's Dada Catifesto by Shelley Jackson
4.0
“Dada is like a hiccup: it doesn’t hurt, but it makes you look silly, and if you try to make it go away, you look even sillier."
This is definitely an adult’s children’s book (a children’s book for adults?), if such a genre exists. It tells the whimsical story of a cat named Mimi who wants an artist for an owner and who stumbles on a Dadaist performing his nonsense art to hecklers. Now, it’s up to Mimi to win over this eccentric artist. The beautifully unique illustrations are similar to those found in Jackson’s other children’s book, The Old Woman and the Wave, but this time there is typographical play on almost every page, and also some interactivity. As brief as it is, I learned a bit more about Dadaism, and although I’m not sure whether this book would be effective for kids, it’s a gem nonetheless.
The book is also inspiring in the sense that, after I finally finish my second novel, I’d like to try my hand at a children’s book or two. One with the tentative title The Paracosm Under the Shopping Mall.
This is definitely an adult’s children’s book (a children’s book for adults?), if such a genre exists. It tells the whimsical story of a cat named Mimi who wants an artist for an owner and who stumbles on a Dadaist performing his nonsense art to hecklers. Now, it’s up to Mimi to win over this eccentric artist. The beautifully unique illustrations are similar to those found in Jackson’s other children’s book, The Old Woman and the Wave, but this time there is typographical play on almost every page, and also some interactivity. As brief as it is, I learned a bit more about Dadaism, and although I’m not sure whether this book would be effective for kids, it’s a gem nonetheless.
The book is also inspiring in the sense that, after I finally finish my second novel, I’d like to try my hand at a children’s book or two. One with the tentative title The Paracosm Under the Shopping Mall.