This is a very strange but good purchase I made at the Presspop table at the book fair last week. It’s a board book full of spreads of the craziest pencil drawings I’ve seen. They look like they are children’s book illustrations with anthropomorphic fairy tale animals engaged in different activities. Then you take a closer look and things aren’t so sweet- a fox is smoking a big cigar, an elephant has amazing cleavage, seals are passed out next to empty beer glasses, a lobster sitting on a platter ready to be eaten, is himself pouring gravy on something next to him on the table. What is this craziness about? I’m not really sure but I like it. The drawings are really intense and packed to the edges. They show some serious illustration rendering and shading skills. Each has a title listed on the back — Grandma Octopus’s Organic Knitting Factory, Beer Party Interrupted by an Ice Cream Store, An Invitation from the Handsome Horse to Miss Elephant, the “Star”. This book is a limited edition of 500 and it looks like you can still get a copy here. Check out Kyotarow’s site here for more amazing drawings plus all the images in this book.

© Julia Rothman 2007