Ji Hyeon Lee

This wonderful, whimsical book by JiHyeon Lee is a wordless picture book that perfectly illustrates the nature of anxiety and friendship for a highly sensitive little person. A lot of thought went into this delicate little book, and color is highly important! We begin at a crowded swimming pool rendered in soft black and white images, were our little hero is overwhelmed by the Sendak like mob of swimmers that quickly crowd the pool. Our brave hero eventually decides to dive in past the crowd where he is meets a like minded little swimmer and together they explore the depths of the poor, away from the noise, allowing their imaginations to soar! Quickly the images are rendered in full color as the pool becomes full of life with various sea creatures galore! Fans of Sendak, Pixar, Selznick, and Miyazaki will be charmed. And this is the perfect book to browse through with your anxious, and overwhelmed little one.


JiHyeon Lee is a treasure. I'll be on the look out for more of her work… (meer)

The action is easy to follow in this wordless picture book; color draws the eye to important figures, starting with the tiny bug on the title page (who has just dropped a key that a young boy picks up). Pencil gives way to colored pencil as the boy follows the bug and uses the key to open a spiderweb-covered door; he passes through and discovers a world peopled with unusual creatures who speak an unfamiliar language. At first the boy is frightened, but the creatures are friendly. This world is full of doors, and people come and go from all over; it's a happy world, full of picnics and even a wedding. When the boy (now in color, with rosy cheeks) waves goodbye, he leaves the door open and unlocked behind him.

See also: Beekle by Dan Santat, The Lost Book by Margarita Surnaite, Chirri & Chirra by Kaya Doi, Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis, Journey by Aaron Becker… (meer)