4/9/2016
"The Nowhere Box" by Sam Zuppardi
Copyright 2013,
Realistic Fiction

Image taken from Google

I don't have two little brothers, but I do have one. Growing up, I certainly remember him following me around like a duckling. I don't remember anymore if I ever got as annoyed as George, but I can sympathize with his attempt to "run away". I think it's great that we have a book about playing alone as well as playing with siblings (or friends). Books I read seem to like to depict kids who play alone as kids who are lonely, sad, or lacking social skills. But sometimes, especially when your little brothers are driving you up the wall, alone time is what you need. All it takes is a random object, a boat load of imagination, and off to Nowhere you go. However, midway through the book, we see that George actually missed his brothers. And then he time-traveled back home to find them - until the next time he needs to go Nowhere again.

I feel like this is one of those books most can easily relate to - children and adults alike. Even the drawing style is relate-able. The thin, rubber-like arms, the three-fingered hands, the stick-like legs, the humongous mouth, the dot-shaped eyes... I don't know about you guys, but that's my drawing when I was seven. Not that much has changed now. The buttons in the washing machine box are also very "realistic". In the sense that it's scrawly, sloppy, and none of the circles are actually round. Point is: the design makes it look like a fellow seven-year old is illustrating the book. The colors may be a little more complicated with all those shades and layers, but I like how it's bold, vibrant, and mostly involves the basic red-blue-yellow-green scheme instead of soft pastel colors. I also like how all the pictures are outlined in a thin, gray line (looks like a pencil) instead of a bold, black, formal, professional one. In my eyes, it gives off a stronger "this is a children's work" feel that way.