De Boomhut is a wise, clear, even poetic, example of how an established topos of the collective imagination may be revisited with a fresh eye to reveal a continued relevance to modern times. Marije Tolman and Ronald Tolman return to the “house in the trees”. Their house, however, is rich with subtle cultural references ranging from symbolist painting to the most refined 20^th century graphic art. The book’s message is not declaimed, but is conveyed quietly. It pleads for an enlightened ecological stance in which an intense awareness that we are part of nature does not forego our need for elegance and intellectual enquiry.

Nadia Budde’s narrative skills allow her to pull together a jubilant medley of images plucked from the collective imagination of a multitude of cultures. Iconographic references from a variety of media interplay within a frame designed to contain them all. The strong line work recalls both our Expressionist heritage and the more recent forms of Comic Art. Rhythm is imparted to a narrative where alienation is laced with irony and our collective anxieties are relieved with a hearty laugh.

The exquisite artistry of Katsumi Komagata has produced a beautiful book. Its pictorial minimalism has an elegant, dream-like quality. True to the traditions of Gutenberg and Bodoni, the very paper itself is of utmost importance, a refined element of a delicate, nuanced Ars Poetica that animates the whole work. In a society of wastefulness, excess and bad taste, Katsumi Komagata offers us this quiet story told in muted elegant tones.

An acknowledged master of her craft, Anne Herbauts has here produced a multi-facetted book that ranges through informal pictorial art and the great humorist tradition to an iconographic universe where experimental cinema and expressionism blend with traces of decorative art, Arte Povera and some of the most courageous testimonies of the 20^th century. Its fresh, uncluttered pagination lends this book its unmistakable character.

Choe-Mi ran’s mastery of shading and nuance is the first thing that strikes the reader. The shadows on the page hail from ancient times; they flit across walls and buildings evoking time-honoured texts and codes. Yet the shadows of the past dialogue with figures from the present, depicted, in contrast, in the festive colours of recent Comic Art. The encounter of these two different worlds generates a gentle dialogue between Then and Now and triggers reflections on the history of a civilization and its customs.

Connoisseurs of Fabian Negrin know how much this artist loves to experiment, exploring new worlds using the most appropriate technique for his subject matter. Here Negrin portrays Darwin the boy as he first discovers the marvels of nature. The dream-like quality of the illustrations captures the awe with which children gaze on the world. Negrin conveys this intricate, dazzling world to perfection. Styles range from a meticulous precision in the scientific plates to the delicate strokes in scenes depicting the many stimuli that fire Man’s thirst for knowledge.

The joyful yet complex style of Jim Poitras is the vehicle for an enjoyable lesson in cultural anthropology. The clear contours of the foreground figures dialogue effortlessly with the landscapes in the background whose colourful, complex and material quality is rendered almost tangible. This novel illustration technique is particularly suited as a book for children since it highlights to great effect how man’s customs, lifestyles and traditions take on significance only when seen against the backdrop of the skies, hills, rivers and natural world that gave rise to them.

Emilie Vast has created an authentic, scientific herbarium. Hers is a clear, almost stark, style infused with poetry. We are shown the leaves of European species and at the same time learn much about Art Nouveau. We see how Western culture was, and remains, imbued with Japanism and how blending the two can produce exquisitely spare illustrations. Each plate is a typographical pearl, uncluttered and austere. Yet the herbarium also alludes to the enormous complexity behind the art of classifying the natural world. As well as recognizing plant species, children here learn respect for the environment around them.

Bursting with bright clarity, this book illustrated by Ramesh Hengadi and Shantaram Dhadpe employs an extremely refined use of colour. Paper and figures are embroidered with a lace like precision. There is a wealth of narrative in the details that beg to be explored at length. The exceptional elegance of the ochre and white colour palette together with its multi-facetted narrative potential makes this an exquisitely crafted, eminently readable book.

In Hoda Haddadi we find that verve of experimentation so dear to the 20^th century where objects, leaves, seeds, tree trunks or snippets of paper become part of a single narrative while retaining their original identity. This intense and innovative system of expression is here applied to a profound examination of how the natural world inspires and becomes an integral part of artistic expression. The grammar and syntax the reader discovers have all the fascination of an ancient herbarium found in the meanders of a fairytale.

A true follower of the Gutenberg tradition, Alejandro Magallanes’ character is constantly moving out of sight only to return once again. This is because letters, characters, fonts, graphic flights of fancy, lines, signs and underlinings that form the labyrinthine world of the written word have to be explored in depth if we are to appreciate in full the constant, almost surreally fascinating heritage that has been ours since the invention of writing.

Tchibum! by Daniel Kondo owes its originality to its ability to make an art book fun. The child reader can truly play as he watches this fascinating, joyous gallery of Pop Art. It is a book to be handled again and again. It can be leafed through like a flip-the-page animation book. Tchibum! is destined to become one of those favourite objects that you always want to have to hand to look through; one that you never want to lose.

This book is a testament to Jeremy Holmes’ genuine devotion to books and the making of books, to the world of libraries and the value of their content. His work carries numerous allusions that the expert eye will pick up on and point out to young readers. The book is a consistent typographical delight that ranges from humorous, surreal 19^th century references to the imaginary world of Alice, Holmes’ willing accomplice, in an exercise that makes learning fun.

The poetic, otherworldly quality of Cécile Boyer’s artistic style meets the arcane universe of the written word. Her compositions have a vibrant freshness that brings out the essence of each letter and at the same time turns the written sign into a world of objects. This assembly of lines, signs and things is a feast for a child’s eyes, starting them on the adventurous journey of learning.

In Susana Reisman’s world, lines vibrate, triangles sing and numbers recall metaphysical clocks counting out the hours of eternity. Echoing Klee, Matisse and other 20^th century artists, the artist aims to mesh music and painting. The result is so convincing that the pages seem to come alive. The tone, however, is always light-hearted, the medley of references and citations is always a source for enjoyment. The meticulous style provides an elegant framework for this delightful composition.