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PICTURE BOOKS
Ukhova, Tatiana

Grasshopper

56 pp. | Greystone Kids/Aldana Libros | May, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-77164-692-5 $18.95
(2) K-3 In this wordless Russian import that explores themes of freedom, scale, and perspective, a girl rests on a backyard blanket under a bright blue sky. Ants wander onto her nose, leading her to discover an anthill, and then a caterpillar, a beetle, and even more critters. After she catches a grasshopper and places it inside a large terrarium jar, the book's perspective shifts briefly, with images shown in a hexagonal honeycomb pattern showcasing what can be interpreted as the grasshopper's memories of freedom. When another grasshopper is added to the jar, a fight ensues. A black cat appears and shatters the jar by knocking it to the ground while the girl distractedly swings on a tree swing. This frees the wrangling creatures and brings nature into balance. While the story spotlights its natural setting, elements of the human-made world (houses, an airplane in the sky, etc.) are ever-present. Vibrant blues and greens abound in the art, with lots of shadows and implied panels to pace the unpredictable and playful narrative. Lines are rendered in a variety of colors, creating a striking contrast between figure outlines and negative space; the bright white of the page, for example, is used for the protagonist's skin tone as well as the neighborhood structures.
Reviewer: Elisa Gall

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