We took out of the Brooklyn library a newish book called If I Were a Lion, a children’s book by written by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Heather M. Solomon. The book’s illustrations are incredible moving and beautifully rendered – a small child is shown imagining, during her time-out/punishment, that animals are inhabiting her home. The furious detail of the watercolors and gouache (I believe) by Ms. Solomon are full of incredible observation, passion, and knowledge of animal fur.
What always strikes me about such lusciously illustrated books is that the top billing goes to the writer. I don’t know if this is a historical remnant of the publishing world, an artifact of written culture, or is it a sign of some kind of half-hearted respect for the creators? The book is well written. But the illustrations are what make the book the book.
P.S. I believe that one of my favorite fonts, Emigre’s Filosofia, is used for the titling of the book on the cover. Specifically, it looks like Filosofia Small Caps.
P.P.S. Nope – just checked. It’s not.