Review by Booklist Review
An artist creates a still life that includes an assortment of objects such as fruit, cheese, a jar of jam, a bottle of ink, a dollhouse castle, a candle, and thread. The artist's self-importance and knowing facial expressions convey his pompous attitude wonderfully, and as he repeatedly proclaims, "In a still life, nothing moves," young readers will enjoy arguing back when the images contradict the narrative. This clever juxtaposition of text and illustrations defies expectations about what might happen next. The artist proclaims that no mice will nibble the cheese or taste the jam (although the reader can see the trespassers), that there is not a dragon, knight, or princess near that castle, and if there were, a princess would not help the dragon fight off the knight! Zelinsky started with an actual black-pencil drawing, then colored and altered it digitally to create a basic still-life painting with a traditional appearance at the beginning. As more details are added, the art styles vary to highlight the visual adventure unfolding despite the artist's best attempts to deny its existence. Humorously creative, this book subtly teaches children how to look at individual elements of a work of art and to consider how the details combine and contribute to an image or story. Great fun for older readers to consider the contrasts and for younger readers to simply enjoy.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
London (The Adventures of Wrong Man and Power Girl) pits a pale-skinned human painter against a crew of fairy tale characters who get up to no good in this meta work, a fizzy art class send-up. The artist, appropriately decked out in a dashing red scarf, lectures readers about the theory behind a specific still life painting--an elaborate arrangement of cheese and fruit, writing implements, and more arrayed on a table that's overlooked by a dollhouse castle. The artist's discourse begins: "This is a still life. It is a painting of objects sitting still. In a still life, nothing moves." The explanation is just as firm about what isn't there: "Dragons? No, nothing like that." But readers will spot a dragon, along with a doll-size royal watching from the castle, and a few other creatures, all most assuredly on the move. In dynamic digitally finished spreads, Zelinsky (Cinderella and a Mouse Called Fred) juggles multiple visual styles, using expressive line drawing for the lecturing artist; elegantly drafted and sculpted forms for the painting; and loose-limbed caricature for the decidedly unstill beings who tumble amusingly into jam-smudged, thread-tangled, cheese-strangled chaos right under the artist's nose. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
This inventive picture book skillfully merges two art styles to tell a story within a story, visually pushing boundaries. "This is a still life. It is a painting of objects sitting still. In a still life, nothing moves," declares the (unreliable) artist narrator. That artist is hard at work painting a still life -- of a table, fruit and cheese, paper and ink, and a miniature castle -- depicted in a rich style full of detail and texture in direct contrast to the cartoonish flair of the narrator's world. Throughout, the narrator drones on solemnly about the lack of movement in a still-life painting, or of any need to imagine beyond the moment depicted: "There are no eager mice hiding behind the cloth." Yes, there are, reveals the art, and they've left jammy footprints everywhere despite what the artist says. An exciting, separate visual narrative breaks out in the painting, involving a dragon, a princess, and a knight. The story in the still life culminates in a surprise ending, while the narrator departs, still making assertions about the static properties of still-life paintings. The art has moved the plot along, contradicting the text, and attentive readers are left with more to consider about storytelling in art. The dragon and princess turn up in the pattern of the closing endpapers, giving the idea of stillness one last jolt. Julie RoachNovember/December 2024 p.71 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A canvas depicting an assemblage of items on a tablecloth comes to life, upending traditional assumptions surrounding artistic conventions. The book's narrator--an earnest, light-skinned artist with curly, salt-and-pepper hair--announces, "This is a still life. A painting of objects sitting still. In a still life, nothing moves." A close-up reveals succulent fruit, a quill pen and an inkwell, and a castlelike dollhouse. In contrast to the painter and other characters, rendered as bright, flat caricatures, the painting is portrayed with a range of colors, subtle shading, soft texture, and a wealth of detail. As the artist continues with inspired musings about stillness, two mice appear and run inside the painting. The narrator urges readers to ignore the "jammy footprints" emerging from an open jar within the painting. Next, a dragon steps forth; the painter stresses that such creatures don't belong "in this sort of painting." Then a valiant knight arrives to slay the dragon, and a tan-skinned princess appears on the dollhouse's throne. Zelinsky's hilarious, action-packed scenes--a combination of hand drawing and digital work--contrast with the narrator's serious admonitions not to acknowledge the dragon's desperate plea for help, nor to pay any attention as the princess uses a spool of thread to zip-line down to join the ensuing chaos. Readers will be left with plenty to laugh--and learn--about as the artist exits. A superb example of text and image telling opposing stories--and of the humor that can be found in the intersection. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
