Basak Agaoglu

The ideas that the book had were good in theory, but in reality, the way the book was written, didn’t make it a good story. The dream was supposed to be kept in a closed box, but it knew it had to be set free. It eventually became widespread to everyone. This teacher is a good lesson to children that they should allow their imaginations to run wild. However, the story would have been better if more plot was added to it.

A teacher could have his/her students write about a dream they had, state if this dream could happen in real life or not, and provide examples to justify their answer.… (mehr)

A little bunny dreams of flight after seeing a bird in the sky, and sets out to make her dream a reality in this debut picture-book from author/illustrator Basak Agaoglu. Persisting, even in the face of the incomprehension of friends and the seeming impossibility of the task before her, the bunny finally manages to take off, together with a number of her kind...

I loved the artwork - created using block print, gouache and ink - in The Almost Impossible Thing, finding it entertaining and (appropriately enough) imaginative. Agaoglu has an eye for color and shape, and a quirky sensibility that I greatly enjoyed. That said, although I liked the idea of the story here, I think the actual narrative veers a little too far into the self-consciously thoughtful/philosophical, rather than allowing deeper meanings to surface naturally through the story. In short, I found the text here a little too cerebral, which was a surprise, since I tend to enjoy more philosophical picture-books. Still, this is a debut, and I did enjoy the artwork quite a bit, so I will look forward to seeing what else this talented newcomer does in the field.… (mehr)