Van Dog

by Mikolaj Pa, Gosia Herba (Illustrator)

Overview

A hybrid comic and seek-and-find book that contemplates art and creativity

Van Dog rides to the countryside to paint a landscape one day. As he mounts his easel, mixes his paints, and contemplates the scenery, the landscape slowly unfolds in weird and wonderful ways: a snail nibbles on a mushroom, ants gather to work, and a giant lizard monster sets off on a journey to Tokyo. As the landscape becomes busier and busier, Van Dog struggles to finish his painting—but is he overwhelmed by his subject, or is the richness of the countryside precisely what inspires him?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781990252129
Publisher:	Milky Way Picture Books
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	50
Sales rank:	1,182,588
Product dimensions:	9.85(w) x 11.80(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Mikołaj Pa (Pasinski) is a book designer based in Wroclaw, Poland. He is a graphic novel and children’s book author who is mostly interested in children’s literature, book design, typography, and print. His clients include HarperCollins, Egmont, Matilda, and Dwie Siostry. Gosia Herba was born and raised in a small town in southwest Poland. She started drawing as a child and never stopped. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw, she started her career working for various publishers, magazines, music labels, and agencies. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, in particular at the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava, the Tallinn Illustrations Triennial, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Her clients include The Quarto Group, Penguin Random House, Andersen Press, the New York Times, and The New Yorker. She lives and works in Wroclaw.

Editorial Reviews

Robots, vampires, giant lizards, and every color of the rainbow populate the playful illustrations of this delightful book.“ Starred Review

Foreword

"This wonderfully silly read will tickle readers with its details and unexpected twists.

Booklist

"A wacky, immersive picture book about artistic inspiration... A busy book with a heart for art.”
—Kirkus

“Robots, vampires, giant lizards, and every color of the rainbow populate the playful illustrations of this delightful book.“ Starred Review—Foreword

"This wonderfully silly read will tickle readers with its details and unexpected twists.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

PreS-Gr 3—In this visual feast of a book, a cavalcade of color and creatures cross the pages as Van Dog goes out to create a masterpiece. He goes into the countryside to paint—but the story isn't traditionally written. Words come from sounds, either from the array of bugs and small woodland animals, or the appearance of strange creatures talking. The pleasure comes from seeing the pages become increasingly absurd. The scene fills up with knights, aliens, and even a surprise appearance from Godzilla. It's not linear. It begs readers to linger, discovering hidden corners in the illustrations. Throughout it all, Van Dog calmly paints, until the viewers are treated to his unveiled masterpiece at the end of the book. VERDICT An additional purchase, but an artsy delight, well suited for close observation.—Cat McCarrey

School Library Journal

2022-08-31
A wacky, immersive picture book about artistic inspiration.

Van Dog is an anthropomorphic canine who loves art. On the first spread, details in the protagonist’s home, such as painting supplies and books about artists like Monet and Van Gogh, indicate this passion. Van Dog sets out by bicycle to paint en plein air, finding a spot in an open meadow and declaring, “What a beautiful day to paint.” The colorful, cartoonish scene soon becomes abuzz with bugs, worms, and other creatures whose speech balloons invite readers to pore over the pages and take in the visual details and running commentary. Strategic use of perspective denies readers a view of the protagonist’s canvas for most of the book, instead focusing attention on Van Dog and on the many characters, fantastic and otherwise, who show up and provide inspiration. The overall presentation of this story, translated from the Polish, is a bit chaotic and may make for a better individual or small-group reading rather than one with a large group. A culminating reveal of the painting at book’s end may disappoint some readers since its style is so similar to the art they’ve seen on prior pages; others, however, may enjoy playing an I Spy sort of game to find characters they observed while Van Dog was painting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A busy book with a heart for art. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews