Three Really Great Moments in a Book
"All Kings can jump like this."
We do a lot of deep dives into “bigger” picture books — books where there are things to say about almost every spread. This is one of the marks of a really great picture book, where all the pieces are contributing in important ways to a successful whole.
Every now and then, though, we like to pick out a moment or two from a book which may not be on everyone’s radar, or thought of as a “big” book, to go over instances that struck us as notable or interesting.
This is an important exercise for people making books, I think. It can freeze you up creatively to think that you ought to always be working on the next potential “classic”, and a lot of books that attain that status were probably done as just another job by those who made them. It seems healthier, or at least more productive, to aim for a few Good Moments in every book you make, even if, in the end, the final product has its flaws (it will). So, looking at books that fit that description seems worthwhile, and also fun. Besides, what’s the point of having a newsletter like this if you can’t do a weird book you’ve had a lifelong crush on every now and then?
Today we’re looking at a book I’ve mentioned before on here, in smaller ways, but it has enough going on to take a closer look. It is actually three consecutive stories in total, set in a vaguely medieval time and place. We owned this book when I was a kid and I read it over and over and over. I don’t remember thinking it was especially funny when I was little, but I find it very funny now. And, structurally speaking, it was actually pretty influential on me.
(Please forgive the state of this copy. I had another one in better shape but I gave it away and haven’t replaced it yet.)
Today we’re going to look at three-ish moments from this book, talk about why they’re great, and also talk about why some books can establish themselves on more abstract grounds other than the story, the characters, or the plot.
