Saul Bass (1920–1996)

The illustrations by Saul Bass echo (or rather foreshadow) Blexbolex’s Seasons, but this book has a sweet and funny story to go along with the pictures.

Henri lives in the tiny town of Reboul, but he feels like his heart is in Paris. One day he cannot wait any longer and sets out to walk there. After falling asleep in the woods along the way, his walk takes him to a Paris very different from what he expected.

The story and illustrations are reprinted from 1962 and make for a book that’s just as charming now as it must have been when it was originally published.… (mais)

An incredibly visually pleasing book. The illustrations are very geometric and simple but the colors are rich and the pictures, though simple, are original. The illustrator uses words to make pictures as well, great for young children learning to read as it enforces visual association. The story itself is also fun and sends the message that there is no place like home (except Paris, in Henri's mind). I liked the use of dramatic irony (the bird and the pencil), and the fact that in the end, Henri is in his own home and yet STILL believes he's in Paris. Adorable.… (mais)