Joanne Liu

Author/illustrator Joanne Liu, who made her picture-book debut in the 2017 My Museum, returns to the form with this second title. Like the earlier book, this is mostly wordless, save for the first and final pages. The story follows Max as he sets out to find the mailbox and mail a letter for his mother. His adventures in the city are chronicled in the artwork, which follows him as he experiences many different aspects of street life - people waiting for the bus, crossing a busy street, and so on. Eventually he reaches the mailbox, which turns out to be right next door to his house...

Although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the earlier book - something about the setting at the museum, and the interaction with famous works of art, made My Museum special - I did still appreciate My City. Despite the text at the beginning and end of the book, I have added this to my "wordless" shelf, as it is a story told mostly through the artwork. And what artwork it is! I feel that Liu really captured the sense of motion and activity in a city setting in this one. I particularly enjoyed the scene with the blowing leaves, which was very reminiscent of autumn, and I also liked the occasional perspective shifts, from the larger scene to the boys-eye view. Recommended to anyone who enjoyed My Museum, and to those who appreciate (mostly) wordless picture-books.… (mehr)

A young boy visits the museum in this wordless picture-book from talented debut author/artist Joanne Liu. He looks at the world-famous art, he looks at the people looking at the world-famous art, and he hangs on benches and plays with shadows, in imitation of the world-famous art. In short, he has a wonderful time at the museum...

I found My Museum quite appealing, with striking artwork that is more than capable of carrying the narrative interest. The publisher, London-based Prestel Publishing, seems to specialize in these well-designed, graphically interesting picture-books. My favorite moment, in the book, was the one showing the back and then the front of a line of people looking at a Jackson Pollock painting. The expressions on their faces were immensely droll! Recommended to fans of wordless picture-books, and to anyone looking for children's stories set at museums or addressing how we look at art.… (mehr)

I loved this picture book because the main character in "My Museum" is much more fascinated in the natural beauty and joy, rather than the art on the walls. This picture book has no words, but instead uses its illustrations to show the reader the more exciting things in life. My favorite part of the story is when the little boy walking through the museum stops in front of the window and plays around with the shadow he is casting on the floor while everyone else around him just stares blankly at sculptures. The main idea of this story is that sometimes the most beautiful things are the most simplistic.… (mehr)