When we're little, books are mostly about the pictures. Then when we're a little bigger, the words get more important, but we still like those pictures a lot. Then at some point we might feel like we're not supposed to care about the pictures anymore because we're, like, too old for that stuff. But fortunately, stories can be told in so many ways these days, and many of them involve words and images working together, complementing each other, in graphic novels, comics, and other books that are still very much about the pictures.
Ottoline Goes to School, written and illustrated by Chris Riddell (HarperCollins) is like that. Funny, offbeat, and wonderfully weird, it's the story of Ottoline, who's cared for by servants and her strange but loyal friend Mr. Munroe while her parents travel the world as "Collectors." (This is the second book in the Ottoline series; the first is titled Ottoline and the Yellow Cat.) Ottoline meets a charismatic new friend named Cecily, who entices her to enroll in the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted. The adventures that follow involve a campus mystery, Ottoline's search for her "gift," and some lessons about friendship. But it's the illustrations that really make this book special; they'll make you giggle and take a closer look, really bringing you into Ottoline's world. It's a strange one for sure, but much of it will seem oddly familiar too...
IML's Rating: B+
Ottoline Goes to School, written and illustrated by Chris Riddell (HarperCollins) is like that. Funny, offbeat, and wonderfully weird, it's the story of Ottoline, who's cared for by servants and her strange but loyal friend Mr. Munroe while her parents travel the world as "Collectors." (This is the second book in the Ottoline series; the first is titled Ottoline and the Yellow Cat.) Ottoline meets a charismatic new friend named Cecily, who entices her to enroll in the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted. The adventures that follow involve a campus mystery, Ottoline's search for her "gift," and some lessons about friendship. But it's the illustrations that really make this book special; they'll make you giggle and take a closer look, really bringing you into Ottoline's world. It's a strange one for sure, but much of it will seem oddly familiar too...
IML's Rating: B+
