Genre: Children’s lit
Medium: Hardcover
Synopsis: Max is a poet, and he’s famous. Well, he will be. He just hasn’t gotten his big break yet.
Review: This book hits all of my marks…a dog? A poet dog? A poet dog who wants to go to France? References to artistic and musical and literary geniuses of 1920s Montmartre??? Sign me the heck up. Does it get better than this? (Yes–with the second book in this series, but outside of this series? Probably not).
Kalman’s artwork for her book is incredible. The text does not stand apart from the illustrations–it becomes it. That’s part of why her illustrations are so incredible, including her references to Magritte, the French way of life, and visually differing characters. And the text, oh my god, the text. Have I ever identified with anybody more than Max? Moody, poetic Max? (Probably not).
This was such a callback to my time spent in France, and a reminder of just how special it was to me, and how special it is to others. I can’t wait to read more Max books!!
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