I read a picture book that is due in February 2024 via online reader copy. And it probably will take me that long to figure out how I feel about this book. At first, I was thinking it would be a good, cute book, after all the cover was nice and bubble gum pink and a dark soft power blue. Then I read it. Okay, the lyrics are a Bee Gees song, but fairly innocent. Oh wait, that’s a bit mature. Oh, that’s sweet. Well maybe that is adult. But what was really adult was that there are two bunny mermaid/sea beings tht are dodging traps, nets and other mature looking things. Overall, this is not for the youngest reader, and not just for anyone. You need to know your audience. The biggest issue I had was that the text could be crowded and not easy for me to read.
With that said, How Deep Is Your Love: A Children’s Picture Book (Lyricpop), is a lovely, illustrated picture book by J. L. Meyer. The colors are, well liquid. They float about the page. They look like paint that is running down, causing the images to be both there and slightly faded. Things are surreal, abstract, and oddly realistic. The colors are almost unearthly, and are simple, but allow much to pop off the page.
As I said, I do not know how I really feel about this book. I know it needs more than one reading, and a second reading needs to be in a quiet area, not rushed. Plus, a third reading would not hurt, either. First to get the feel of things; second to read the text, and a third to read the images. I would say this is best for adults, but the right child reader/listener could enjoy. There are other books in this series of titles and I am curious about hem as well. I did not see that a CD was attached, but I would love to see it be so and have the Bee Gees singing the story.
