David Gordon (3)

A solitary mitten who had lost the other one of her pair and a stray sock, fallen out of a laundry basket, pair up in order to find their respective partners in this sweet picture-book romp from author/illustrator David Gordon. Somewhat the worse for wear after their travails in the park, they find their way to a laundromat, and have great fun getting clean. Later, when Sock is stretched by two dogs playing tug-of-war, and Mitten becomes unraveled after her yarn is pulled by a subway car, each one of the pair helps the other out. Perhaps, rather than continuing to search for their lost partners, they should accept that they are meant to be together. That they are... smitten!

After reading David Gordon's Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery some time ago, and finding it rather uninspiring, I wasn't particularly motivated to pick up this earlier picture-book. That said, the title - Smitten - struck me, and the cover artwork looked cute, so I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did, as I found the story engaging and fun - I particularly liked the scene in the laundromat - and the artwork appealing. Whereas I found Gordon's style rather flat in his later book, here it just felt stylized and cartoon-like. It probably helped that I found Sock and Mitten and their story far more engaging than I did the eponymous cute animals of the other book. Whatever the case may be, this is one I'd recommend to anyone looking for children's stories about friendship in general, or the idea that friends can be found in all sorts of shapes and sizes, in particular.… (meer)