June 2, 2014
The Spanish team of Cano and Aguilar introduces an exuberant girl named Camille in a small-format paper-over-board title first published in Spain. That version also featured a French “hello” in its title, and that dash of linguistic flair hints at both Camille’s cross-cultural charms and her innate sense of fashion—after awakening on a Sunday morning, Camille “puts on her battledress: a tutu and a top hat.” (The emphasis on attire makes sense: Aguilar cofounded a children’s fashion label, Bobo Choses.) Camille has a full day planned, and Cano catalogues her exploits, envisioned by Aguilar in bold, graphic scenes that have the impact of graffiti. Among Camille’s activities: “Hiding away all the umbrellas” (Aguilar shows a panel van with a repeating umbrella pattern on the side), “Choosing a new favorite color” (a blank yellow page appears opposite the text), and “Looking for something unexpected in a map” (top hat–wearing faces are drawn onto a vintage world map). Although Camille herself, drawn in hasty scribbles of black, is only seen a few times, her energy and personality are felt on every page. Ages 6–9.
July 15, 2014
A free-spirited girl celebrates the morning in so many ways.Camille arises on Sunday morning and "puts on her / battledress: a / tutu and a top hat." She jumps on her bed, eats two pages' worth of cherries ("loads and loads") and then follows up with even more unconventional activities, such as giving names to the ocean's waves and listening to a story told by the wind. She also decorates a huge number of balloons, melts an oversize ice cream cone and selects a "new favorite color" (pale yellow). Camille also has a map left over from the days of colonial Africa, which she adorns with men in top hats. Her whimsical dreams are finally interrupted by her mother, who is outside her bedroom and admonishes her to behave-for the second time. Written and illustrated by a Spanish duo, this small volume presents a very nontraditional sensibility with a graphic design that is similar to Aguilar's fabric designs. Free-form black lines and shapes suggest objects rather than depict them. The color palette, in muted tones, is quite different from the typical, brightly rendered digital efforts in many picture books published recently.Active and artistic young girls are not unknown in picture books, but Camille certainly makes herself heard among the others in the pantheon. (Picture book. 4-7)
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