Any by de Paola Is Best
Simple Pictures Are Best illustrated by Tomie DePaola
The more I am exposed to Tomie de Paola's works, the more impressed I am with his talents. He has an incredible artistic range and every work of his I see reveals new depths and rich detail.
To be fair, dePaola is not the author of Simple Pictures are Best. He's the illustrator. The author is Nancy Willard and her narrative powers are equal to the charming artwork of dePaola.
Willards' Narrrative
The book opens up by introducing us to the quiet life of a shoemaker and his wife. He makes shoes; she bakes and paints. They both garden. He plays the fiddle; she dances and plays the spoons. A one-eyed cat eats their mice and keeps them company.When their wedding anniversary rolls around, they decide they want to get their portrait taken. So out comes the photographer with his clunky old-fashioned camera and his young assistant James. The trouble begins when the couple must make decisions about the composition of the portrait. When they can't decide which, James suggests they include everything. So the shoemaker ends up wearing a red hat, his wife a blue hat, he has his old shoes on his feet and his new shoes on his ears.
On and on it goes, with the photographer moaning each time that, "Simple pictures are best." Finally there is the moment when the picture is shot and the results weren't quite what the couple was hoping for.
The language is quick and to the point. There is a rhythm in the repetition as she goes through in rounds, repeating each time what is in the picture. It builds on the silliness while never getting tiresome. The repetition also means that children are quickly able to pick up on the words and I'm certain my son has the book memorized after only five or six readings.
de Paola's Paintings
The pictures in the book build on the absurdity of the story. Each painting fleshes the characters out, allowing the author to excise unnecessary detail that could bog the reader down. We see the growing impatience of the photographer. No words are wasted expressing the idea. While the narrative might make James out to be a simple fool, we see in the pictures that he is mischievous and is having great fun making the adults look silly.The art itself is very dePaola in style. If you're not familiar with the name, he wrote such well-known children's tales as Strega Nona, Charlie Needs a Cloak, Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs, Bonjour, Mr. Satie, Christopher, the Holy Giant, and Country Angel Christmas. He has more than 200 book credits to his name.
Toward the end of Simple Pictures are Best is a special surprise that I think de Paola threw in for his fans. The shoemaker and his wife are having trouble smiling. So James juggles turnips for them. The picture of James on that page is nearly identical to a picture that shows up in the extremely touching, The Clown of God. Every time I see that picture it is riveting because it takes me back to the other story-a story that makes me cry every time I read it.
Charming All Around
Simple Pictures are Best shows us the silliness of people who won't make choices. Rather than choose one good thing, the couple wants to have it all. Willard and dePaola illuminate that while it might be possible to have it all, the materialism ends up looking awfully silly. And they do this not by preaching or tacking on a moral at the end. They do it by making us laugh. For this book is awfully funny and the characters sometimes seem so absurd that we relate only to James.When we're honest, though, we admit that sometimes we'd rather look silly than have to make a choice. We'd rather make sure that everyone can see all of our talents and prized possessions than to present ourselves in a way that is simple and charming.
In the end, no one has gotten quite what he or she wanted, but we do get the feeling that everyone is a little wiser. There is little more that I could ask for from a children's book. Or for that matter, an adult book.
