Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Paperback
Synopsis: While using construction paper and a pair of scissors, Molly Bang analyzes how pictures, in their simplest form, make us feel.
Review: I picked up this book because it was on the required reading list for one of my courses. I had the pleasure of reading this before classes started, and I’m glad I did. Bang does a fantastic job of describing and analyzing why pictures do what they do and how by doing one simple thing: cutting out shapes with construction paper.
Molly Bang herself is an illustrator, but she wanted to get to the root of pictures by using simple shapes, simple colors, and a simple story: Little Red Riding Hood. How do we connect Little Red and The Wolf? How do we show that the woods are a terrifying place? How do we make Little Red’s mother look maternal while not taking the focus off of Little Red? Bang explores these ideas fantastically, all the while using a picturebook format.
If you’re interested in art theory, or how pictures do what they do, I highly recommend reading this. It’ll likely take you less than a day to get through, and you’ll learn so much!
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