Recently I learned that author (of such titles as The Lost Colony of Roanoke and It’s All about Me-Ow: A Young Cat’s Guide to the Good Life) and illustrator (such works as Into the Woods by James Lapine and Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson) Hudson Talbott, had passed away. I was, of course, saddened to hear of the news, but was basically unaware (with a few exceptions) of his work. And, yes, I was sorry that it took his death to put him on my radar, but I knew that it was better late than never and went looking for copies of his work.
One title I found was A Walk in the Words which is a poetic look at how learning issues can be overcome with a bit of creativity. Talbot has written about his learning difficulties in other books. He uses this book to show us how words got scrambled, but he found ways to open up his world to them with his own coping skills. The words of the actual will float around the pages (sometimes metaphorically, sometimes less so), but also will stick in the right places. The symbol of learning issues comes alive in a less official and technical way. There is not a lot of stereotypical action to the story, so an adventure is not going to really happen in the usual sense, but there is a “what next” feeling.
They are also wonderfully illustrated with bright, busy, but not overwhelmingly detailed images. Things are bold and solid, but also whimsical in ways. They are nice and work to keep you moving along with the story. I think the artwork will capture the child reader and/or listener as much as the words themselves.
