Animus
Seonna Hong, with Shenne Hahn, illus. by Hong. . Baby Tattoo, $25 (34pp) ISBN 978-0-9729388-5-3
Hong, whose paintings and animation have a cult following among young adults, enters the picture book genre with a strangely moody pop-up book about rejection. The small-format (5x7) images feature the smooth and seamless TV-screen look of Asian pop cartoons. The heroine, "a girl, a sensitive one,/ who longed for serenity/ when each day was done," reaches out to a big black dog on a chain, who snaps and growls at her. The girl's puffed sleeves, patent-leather Mary Janes and neatly trimmed dark hair testify to her good intentions as she alternates between trying to make the dog love her and lapsing into despair. (In one extraordinary image, little bluebirds like the ones in Disney's
Reviewed on: 10/31/2005
Genre: Children's