Mathieu Lavoie

Toto the worm does everything he can to win the prize he seeks - a beautiful red apple - in this picture-book from French-Canadian author/artist Mathieu Lavoie. But although he manages to hitch a ride on both a bird and a squirrel, he ends up further away from his target than when he started. It is only when a little girl picks the apple and begins to eat it, that Toto finally has his opportunity...

Originally published in French as Toto veut la pomme, the English translation of this new picture-book offering was published by the fine art press Phaidon, and it is not difficult to see why. Lavoie's illustrations, done in colorful gouache, with plenty of white space on the page, and a stylized sensibility that feels very conceptual to me, have a great graphic appeal. That said, I just couldn't warm to the story, and found the conclusion, in which Toto 'triumphs' at last (albeit now in the girl's stomach, where presumably he will be digested?) rather strange. Perhaps it was meant to be humorous, ala Klassen? Whatever the case may be, Toto's Apple didn't quite work for me, despite the strong visuals. Mileage varies, of course, so I'd encourage others to give it a try, especially if they like picture-books that range more on the quirky end of the humor spectrum...… (meer)