Makers

by Young Vo

Overview

From the creator of Gibberish, a friendship story about different ways to think and create. It begins with two boys who together dream of sailing across the wide sea. As they grow and both become boat makers, their differences grow bigger and bigger. One has a wild and fresh imagination, with tons of great ideas; but he has trouble with quality control. The other is meticulous and strives for perfection; but he has trouble finishing even one boat! Only when the two friends reunite can they form a perfect team and reach their hearts' desires.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646144495
Publisher:	Levine Querido
Publication date:	08/27/2024
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.40(h) x 6.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Young Vo learned to draw before he could write. He drew a lot of characters, then began to write stories for them. There were not many job choices that he could make, so he decided to be an animator, illustrator, and author. Now he writes and draws his stories before the sun rises, then during the day, he animates. Follow him @youngvoart.

Author residence: Vancouver, WA

Editorial Reviews

04/15/2024

When two apprentice boat makers in a coastal town dream of “sailing across the sea together,” their partnership amplifies their individual strengths. “Van moved from project to project, always trying something new. Minh wanted things to be perfect.” After graduation, the two open individual boat-making businesses. Vo’s digitally finished pencil and ink illustrations contrast each character’s less-than-stellar experiences: Van’s boats are innovative but impractical (a pirate rowboat promptly sinks with its client on board), while Minh is stalled by perfectionism (intensive labors result in a single tiny block). The story resolves in classic buddy-film style, with the epiphany that collaboration doesn’t mean losing individuality and the realization of their long-ago dream. Powerful partnership prevails—even when humans do their best to ignore it—in this can-do picture book. Characters read as Southeast Asian. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A charming allegory about the creative process.” – Kirkus

“Powerful partnership prevails—even when humans do their best to ignore it—in this can-do picture book.” – Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2024-05-17
Boat makers with very different approaches struggle alone but find success when they work together.

Two young apprentices, Van and Minh, live in a town by the coast. Van loves to experiment with new approaches, while Minh wants things to be perfect. They both “[dream] of sailing across the sea together,” but upon graduating from their apprenticeships, they open separate shops on the opposite sides of town. Before they part, Van gifts Minh a golden chisel, and Minh gives Van a golden hammer. As the years pass, the young men toil fruitlessly. Van creates boat after boat with outlandish ideas that don’t quite work—one has “the wrong size balloon,” while another has “too many umbrellas.” Meanwhile, Minh doesn’t make any boats at all, though he talks about “finding the perfect tools” and “almost” finishing a boat. It’s not until they join their golden tools together that they finally build their dream boat. Much of Vo’s storytelling happens in the varied visual compositions, with just enough text on each page to push the plot along. Saturated pastel hues convey the island feel, while cartoony yet expressive characters bring to life a story about the challenges and rewards of creating art. Though the various objects and visual motifs appear to be symbolic, deciphering their meanings may take more patience than most young readers possess. Van and Minh are brown-skinned; other characters are diverse in skin tone.

A charming allegory about the creative process, albeit with some enigmatic details. (origami boat instructions) (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews