Sketch

An especially artistic child seeks and finds his peers. Sketch is born, well, sketchy. He's scruffy, like a drawing's first draft. He spends his formative years at home, exploring his world under the guidance of his loving parents. But his town prizes conformity and order, and at school, most of his teachers look askance at his unorthodox handwriting and his active imagination. Sketch finds solace in the art room, where the teacher reassures him that his art is vitally important. Often lonely but always devoted to his craft, Sketch enters high school and draws strength from his bonds with other young artists: a muselike dancer named Flow, a shadowy silhouette called Muddy, and Doodle, an amorphous adolescent made up of squiggles. Sketch's story celebrates the artist's journey: a deep-seated urge to create that starts early and supersedes other pursuits, and the world's need for that gift. Arguing that the creative drive is a talent that only grows greater when lovingly nurtured, this Canadian import, translated from French, will appeal to a broader age range than its picture-book format might suggest. Also making the case for wider readership are candid moments depicting childbirth, newborn Sketch's nudity, and urination. Goldstyn's characters' nervy energy, especially Sketch's, feels happily indebted to René Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempé's endlessly playful Le Petit Nicolas. Sketch has paper-white skin; other characters vary in skin tone. A whimsical ode to prolific natural artists.(Picture book. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.