I don't know how many of you have heard of this book by Brian Selznick, but it is absolutely wonderful. You should all try and get a copy in the next week and spend a few hours (although it shouldn't take more than two) reading it with a cup of hot tea and perhaps a crumpet. Actually, make that some crepes, as this is set in France. Seriously--I don't care how you get it, just get it. I got my copy by convincing my mother to buy it "for the family." I then stole it and brought it to college where it is on my bookshrine (otherwise known as a bookshelf). And really, I do not think I can part with it, because I am in love.
Why is this book so amazing? you ask. Well, look up there at that title. New literary genre? you say. Pshh. What a load of old tosh. Not so, I say, because what this man has done is integrated words and illustrations in possibly the coolest way I never thought possible. It is not a picture book, par say, as picture books generally have images that correspond to the writing on the page. What Selznick has done is to tell his story half in illustrations and half in words. So here is why I find this so incredibly awesome:
1. What a BRILLIANT way to get kids to read. I know that there are kids out there who can't stand to read and get frustrated when they are forced into reading chapter books--because come on--there are no pictures! And I also know there are kids who try and jump into books that are too long and complicated for them, just so they can boast they've read it as they hold up a book bigger than their head. This books solves both of those problems. Kids who are tentative to start chapter books will LOVE it because so much of it goes by in pictures and they will be encouraged when the pages start to fly by. It creates the illusion that they are fast readers which, even though it might not be true, can only help to boost their confidence as readers. And yes, every kid likes to boast about the longest book they've read, and this book, at over 500 pages, is thicker than almost all of the Harry Potter books. HOLY MOLY.
2. He didn't just write it, he drew it. The illustrations are absolutely phenomenal. It really is amazing how easily and creatively a story can be told with no words, and just pencil drawings. It also shows visually (at least to a person, like me, who is thinking about how to tell a story) how stories begin. We watch the moon set over the glowing city of Paris, then see the sunrise over a Paris train station. We then follow Hugo as he runs through the station, looking behind him to make sure he's not followed. Just from the pictures, we know that he's done this before. We can tell that the old man is suspicious just from a look in his eye. So, just from the images in the beginning, we have discovered the setting, characters, tension, and conflict.
3. The first words in the book are: "From his perch behind the clock, Hugo could see everything." And it comes on page 46. Just from the beginning images, we know how Hugo got to his perch, what he's looking for specifically, and that he has clearly been to this perch before.
Honestly, I cannot rave about this book enough. True, it's mostly because of his use of craft, but the story is pretty great too. Here is one of my favorite quotes (though most of my favorite quotes from this book are pictures):
"As I look out on all of you gathered here, I want to say that I don't see a room full of Parisians in top hats and diamond silk dresses. I don't see bankers and housewives and store clerks. No. I address you all tonight as you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers" (506).
5. They are making it into a movie. Of course they are. While I do think that the movie version will cause it to lose a lot of it's charm (as it is not only his words that they are cutting out, but also his images), this trailer looks fantastic. I have to say, I'm actually excited to see it. Because as much as I will miss the pictures (and the act of reading), I'm pretty sure what he has done in writing and drawing this book is lay out the movie plan (there is a word for this but I cannot, for the life of me, remember what it is). Maybe, then, because he has literally drawn it out, the movie makers will stay true to what is in the book.How come we don't ever talk about moonset and moonrise? And why is moonset, apparently, not a word?
L.R. Ogden
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