One morning I opened my emails to find a Floris Books email saying I was a winner from the Grabbing a Galley from the Publishers Weekly campaign and there was an online link that was in the email. It hadn’t been that long since I had entered, but I had forgotten the titles I had hoped for. Therefore it was Christmas and I was opening the book present I always love getting. This one was the picture book, The Paper Bridge created by Joelle Veyrenc, illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh and translated by Katy Lockwood-Holmes. It is due early May 2025 and, obviously I read it via an online reader copy.
The story is familiar. The style of writing is classical. There is both an old world and modern feeling to things. But the illustrations make this story. Not only are they in a style most might not be familiar with, they have color, depth and emotion to them. Both light and solid, these colors are their own characters. They accent the busy details that make things a bit much for the younger reader, but really grab the attention of older readers and especially adults. They are worth the price of the book and the story itself is pretty darn neat-o!
I feel that this book will become a favorite of most people, will be given many awards and I could even see it becoming a modern classic. I know that it will be a great gift for people who love art, folktales, Asian and Japanese culture and art.