Any Questions? - Marie-Louise Gay (2014)


ISBN 10 : 1 55498 382 7
ISBN 13 : 978 1 55498 382 7
(Hardcover)

A story starter pack


        Where does a picture book start? Is it from a word, a setting, a doodle or from a scribble? With a fictional twist, author Marie-Louise Gay, has sketched and developed a story on how to build a story.

         Believe it or not, every story starts from a blank page. In first person narration, the author first suggests some (imaginary) kids, to check for different colored canvases. (A white color - snow storm, blue - ocean theme, black - horror story and so on.) If canvas does not strike well, some introductory phrases or doodles could work. 

          After the chain of setting a canvas, an introduction and some doodles, a story emerges slowly, about a giant. With so many questions to be answered and pictures to be scribbled, how does the story evolve finally?



    Published By : Groundwood Books


    Number Of Pages : 60


    Classification : Skill (Story Writing), Informative,

                                                   Interactive


    Age : Grades 1 -5





My Comment:
      
          Yes, this book is based on the story writing skill. But it never has a moment, that identifies it like a tutorial. There is a whimsical fictional energy, flowing through this book, thus making it a perfect story book. It fits even for kids, who don't have a flair for writing. My older son (to-be third grader now) writes stories often and I can clearly say that he has received a lot from this book. (Though, we cannot seriously consider his writing as stories, yet). 

          The layouts form an major (and interesting) part of the book. The author has almost performed every kind of art (penciled, doodled, scribbled, sketched etc. as the book says) and made an enjoyable array of illustrations. The varying fonts, speech bubbles and other minute detailings are sure to give a joyful read.

         As a word of reminder, it is better to read this book personally, before reading to kids. It gives a better idea on how to read the sequences, as there is a story and a story inside the story and a lot other things, going on in this book. Finally after reading this book, sure you are going to feel like writing a picture book, so it is worth the pain.





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2 comments:

  1. so going to check this out for my son..I think he would enjoy this! Thanks for stopping by!

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