Surprise

by Mies van Hout

Overview

Back in print at last! Award-winning author-illustrator Mies Van Hout celebrates the joys and challenges of parenthood as vibrant birds grow their families.

Set against Mies van Hout’s iconic black backgrounds and utilizing the same vibrant chalk style of the internationally bestselling Happy, each spread of Surprise shows vivid birds portraying the emotions of parenthood, from “marveling” to “teasing” to “listening.”

This lively book is perfect for both new and experienced parents alike, as they will resonate with the emotional and ephemeral journey of parenthood. This new, high-value edition of Surprise features extra-heavy pages that, like the love parents have for their children, will stand the test of time and repeated readings.  

Award-winning author-illustrator Mies van Hout brings humor and charm to the exhilarating adventure of parenthood. Her distinctive paintings are cheerful and bold, and her work has been published in more than twenty countries.

“Extraordinary colors and single words describe the journey of bird parents and children….While certainly a work that will appeal to parents, it will also delight children with the profusion of color and the single words illustrated with so much energy and imagination.”—Kirkus *Starred Review*

“Surprise, which has humor as well as sweetness, should appeal to children and perhaps especially to their mothers, whether they are still [‘longing’] for a new hatchling or at last letting go.”—New York Times

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772783124
Publisher:	Pajama Press Inc.
Publication date:	05/28/2024
Pages:	26
Product dimensions:	11.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Mies van Hout is the author and illustrator of the picture books Happy, Friends, Surprise, From One to Ten, and This Is My Daddy, among others, which have been hugely popular in Europe and North America. She studied graphic design at the Arts Academy in Groningen, the Netherlands, and has worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer since 1989. Her distinctive paintings are cheerful and bold, and her work has been published in more than twenty countries.

Editorial Reviews

Though the illustrations have the loose, unstudied quality of a young child's work, van Hout…shows her finesse in their ingenious compositions and her ability to convey expression in what could be blank avian eyes. Surprise, which has humor as well as sweetness, should appeal to children and perhaps especially to their mothers…

The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith

About Friends.
Starred review. Van Hout used wildly expressive fish to illustrate emotions in 2012's Happy. Twelve pairs of equally exuberant monster friends do the job in this excellent companion book, each representing a verb. As in Happy, Van Hout's scribbly, childlike creations are set against a pure black backdrop, letting his neon palette shine all the brighter...Van Hout expertly conveys the emotional peaks and valleys of each friendship...Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

05/01/2014
Gr 2–4—The Dutch illustrator uses brightly colored birds painted on black pages to present pictorially various parental actions and feelings—yearning, expecting, encouraging, listening, etc. This graphically interesting and beautiful book will have special appeal to adults, especially those who will recognize and cherish the different stages of parenthood, but the concepts and ideas portrayed are often too abstract and/or mature for young children, the presumed intended audience. Yet in the hands of a patient adult who enjoys discussing art with kids, the book could be used to encourage children to explore the stunning illustration and the handwritten (and decorated) text as well as the concepts included in single words on a page, save for the final "letting go."—Maralita L. Freeny, District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

★ 2014-02-26
Extraordinary colors and single words describe the journey of bird parents and children. Each spread has a single word on one page and an image on the other. For "expecting," chalklike on a red background, little bundles nestle inside the central "e" of that word, and one leg of the "in" has little bird toes. Opposite, on a black background, a rounded, fluffy red bird sits on three eggs, whose inhabitants echo the shapes in that "e" and who look fully ready to come forth. On the next page, a blue, confetti-speckled bird greets a tiny fuchsia birdling just emerging from its shell: The word on the blue page opposite is "marveling." "Cherishing" happens when a little creature sleeps nestled between the green-y wings of a similar-shaped bird; "listening" finds a green and blue arced neck curved entirely around a bright yellow chick so not a note or word would be lost. First published in 2013 in Dutch, the book's surprise comes not only in the obvious delight in each word, but on the last page, where a bevy of brightly colored chicks fly off into the deep blue, and a contented looking blue bird gazes upon them, "letting go." While certainly a work that will appeal to parents, it will also delight children with the profusion of color and the single words illustrated with so much energy and imagination. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews