A review by barefootsong
Pockets by Jennifer Armstrong, Mary GrandPré

5.0

From the opening lines (“A slim schooner of a woman, driven by strong winds and a broken heart, floundered barefoot across the eastern plains until arriving at the edge of a village”), the reader is drawn into a curiously juxtaposed world in which nautical terms are used to describe a prairie setting. It is a juxtaposition that works, thanks to the combination of Armstrong’s lyrical text and GrandPré’s dreamy illustrations. The sea and sewing provide a metaphor for imagination, richly developed in Armstrong’s choice of words. Adjectives and nouns give the text a maritime flavor, but it is the use of nautical verbs at every opportunity (“The plains around them swallowed color and drowned it, and the village itself drifted sadly, a sunless island”) that truly brings the metaphor to life. GrandPré’s illustrations portray equally well the drab life of the prairie folks and their subsequent transformation through the stories unfolding inside their pockets, a transformation made magical by GrandPré’s swirling colors and shining visions. Pockets is a beautiful addition to any collection, sure to inspire hope and dreams.