November's Book of the Month--Paradise Sands

PARADISE SANDS, by Levi Pinfold, is exactly the kind of picture book that drew me to this art form in the first place. It’s beautifully illustrated, and hints at the existence of a world—or worlds—beyond ours. Of magic and possibility. Of the chance to prove and be proven, amid outsize danger and heartfelt consequences.

A cryptic poem, one with the feel of a premonition, sets the mood even before the book’s title page. “White roses we follow, towards Teller’s Hollow/Dead earth to a spring, the house of a king.” Sure enough, the narrative commences with a girl and her brothers driving to visit their mom, when the group decides to stop and pick flowers by the side of the dry, dusty road. One brother recites the first line of the poem, but the girl calls it nonsense. By the time they’ve picked their flowers, however, the heat becomes too much, and when a “quiet and still” building appears, the brothers head over to ask for a drink. Now the girl wants to get away, but her brothers, who imbibe deeply from the building’s spring, become trapped. The rhyme unfolds. The girl is tested. And the ending completely satisfies.

A passive yet poetic voice lends the text an air of unreality. Haunting, atmospheric, glorious mixed media illustrations, predominantly in darkest brown, tans, blues, and greens, bring this tale to life, and give credence to the work as they “realistically” portray the fantastical elements. Reminiscent of Chris Van Alsburg’s mysterious works (like my much-loved copy of The Wreck of the Zephyr), PARADISE SANDS should inspire thoughtful readers to look beyond what they see, and begin to imagine the immensity of what they don’t.

--Lynn