Nestled between the genre of picturebook and graphic novel,
the Bink & Gollie tales by Kate
DiCamillo and Alison McGhee are geared toward young children and yet the
artwork and unique storytelling make these books so interesting to adults. This means they are perfect for those of us whose
children require them to read a story aloud every single evening. While Bink and Gollie entertain children with
stories of friendship, community, and imagination, they transport the adults
back to the type of world created by those master-craft comics of our youth
such as Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. So far, the authors have released three
books, but I will focus this review on the original, simply titled Bink & Gollie.
Characterization
The story is set in a world that is just slightly different
from our own. Two friends, whose relationship
is rather sisterly, live at the top and bottom of tree just outside of
town. Bink, the younger one, lives at
the bottom in a cute ramshackle cottage.
Like her hair and clothing, it is decorated haphazardly. At the top of the tree lives the adolescent,
Gollie, in a tree house that looks like it was designed by Frank Lloydd
Wright. Inside it is decorated with
mid-century modern artwork and furniture.
Midway between the two, on a branch, is a park bench where they
sometimes meet, perhaps symbolically, in the middle. At the bottom tree, they share a mailbox. In this world, neither Bink nor Gollie seem
to have parents.
Bink is all of the unbridled passion of childhood. She is obsessed with food, and she does not
regulate her emotions. If she is lonely,
she tries to do something about it. If
she upset, she expresses that without shame.
She is quite simple… however, according the authors, she has dreams
about Andy Warhol.
Gollie, on the other hand, is slightly more
complicated. She exists in that weird
place in which older children find themselves, between adulthood and childhood. As her short haircut indicates, she is attempting
to look grown up, however the tiny bow shows that she still retains some juvenile
qualities. As we see in Gollie,
throughout the book she tries to appear mature and wise, but inside she is
attracted to kid’s stuff. When she is
alone we may find her sitting and reading like an adult, and other times she find
her playing a game of pretend. This blend
seems to explain her attachment to the youthful Bink. Around her, Gollie can both exercise her
adulthood by providing sisterly guidance, while indulging her childhood by
taking Bink to the fair or sharing a giant stack of pancakes.
Young children are likely to connect to both
characters. They can identify with Bink’s
behavior while taking comfort in the older sister appeal of Gollie. I imagine that many children will connect
with both characters as they resolve conflicts and solve problems.
Images
The images, by Tony Fucile, are perfection. There is a sort of minimalistic clutter to
each image. Fucile incorporates
incredible detail in ink sketches, yet only colors certain elements in
each. This gives the reader an
impression of a very busy world, while showing us that only certain elements in
each image matter to the story. Some of
the pages are arranged like comic book panels, with white gutters framing the
pictures. Others are full page spreads
which allow the reader to dive into this world.
At least half of the story comes from the pictures. In fact, the authors do not spend any time at
all explaining the setting or the characters inner thoughts and feelings. That must be inferred from the pictures. Everything from fashion sense, to facial
expressions, to body language in the images keep the readers informed about
each character.
Text
The text also employs this sort of complex minimalism. The story is told primarily through snippets
of dialogue. Notice that every line is
surrounded by quotation marks. Sometimes
we are told who is speaking, and other times we must use the picture to
infer. The text hovers inside each
picture, almost like a comic dialogue bubble, only the does not exist. As a writer myself, I find myself delighting
as much in which parts of the story are not included as much as those that
are. The stories can span only a few
hours, or even an entire season, and the text provides no explanation. However, the tension between the modes of
text and image are so balanced, that the reader can infer everything important. This keeps the story moving, and forces the
reader to participate in the creation of Bink and Gollie’s world.
I don’t think I could like a picturebook more than this.
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