I am going to do one more review and it is a positive one! Yeah! (I hated the idea of my last review being negative.)
That’s Life by Ame Dyckman is a goofy look at how wonderful, silly, and even hard, life can be. I do not know what Life actual is (A dust bunny? A hedgehog? A porcupine? Ame Dyckman in a furry gray suit?) but Life sure does have a good time in this easy picture book. And while it is simple, even a tad simplistic; and the illustrations also are minimal detailed and color (but good details and colors that are needed). The illustrations are by Cori Doerrfeld. And the subject is anything but simple. And even the simplistic nature of the illustrations is not a bad thing. There is just what is needed with color and detail usage to move the story along (like I said above).
The text, as said, is all the wonders of Life. The narrator takes you through all the things Life can give you or toss at you. We know that Life is mischievous, giving and so much more. Adults can relate to the theme and kids will love how bouncy, loveable, and crazy Life as a character can be. There is no real “action” in the sense of “shoot ‘em ups” or “car chases” but the action is there in its own way.
I read this picture book twice. The first time I read it the right way (as the author intended), the second time changing the word Life to Ame (and probably 8 out of 10 times, it fits!) To understand that reference, you need to know that Ame Dyckman is as wild as Life itself is. She really seems to enjoy creating her characters and seems to be one wacky friend. It is a sweet book, heavy on the humor that only Dyckman can give us. This is a book for a graduate, someone going through a change or just for a fun read.
(If anyone is interested in the gnome ornemanet: fantasyartandcrafts on Etsy and the Plauge Doctor is MementoCanada The army one is from a few years ago from my sister to our dad and I’ve no idea where she got it)
