Whimsy's Heavy Things - Hardcover

Toronto-based artist and illustrator Julie Kraulis is passionate about ideas: the unexpected, profound, whimsical, smart. Since completing her Bachelor of Design in Illustration at the Ontario College of Art & Design, Julie has created images that form a diverse body of work ranging from fine art, to illustration, to design. Her creative journey is one of hope and disbelief, soaring and stumbling. All that she encounters in this wide world becomes her inspiration and she delights in sharing these treasures with others. She is a "stop and smell the roses" kind of gal who loves to create. Visit her online at juliekraulis.com. The author lives in Toronto, Canada.

PreS-Gr 2-With a spare narrative and beautiful illustrations, this picture book tackles the subject of what to do when things seem bleak. Whimsy, a child in a mustard-and-white-striped dress and red boots, finds herself weighed down. Her "heavy things," which are rendered as black balls that look a bit like yarn, will not go away. She tries to hide them under a rug, but soon trips over them. She hoists them onto a tree, but the branch breaks. After more trial and error, and tears, "she just couldn't make the heavy things disappear." Eventually, though, Whimsy finds a solution: "she could break the heavy things into smaller pieces," and, when she does, she discovers that "heavy things are just light things in disguise." The oils and graphite spreads gently convey the bleakness the narrator feels and subtly shift in color as Whimsy becomes free of her burdens. While the message might be lost on many young readers, adults will find this title helpful for initiating discussion with anxious or sad youngsters, or to help children understand sadness.-Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WIα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.