I Am Smoke
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Named to the Evanston Public Library's Blueberry List: Kids' Book that Inspire Love of Nature and Action for Planet Earth
Selected for the Notable Social Studies 2022 list
Named to the ALA Notable Children's Books 2022
“Wowww!”—– Raina Telgemeier, #1 NY Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Publishers Weekly bestselling author/illustrator
KIRKUS STAR: Lustrous illustrations and meditative text reflect on the role of smoke in nature and civilization... Smoke dissipates quickly, but this poetic text will linger.
KIRKUS'S LIST OF 150 MOST ANTICIPATED FALL 2021 BOOKS
Smoke itself acts as narrator, telling us how it has served humankind since prehistoric times in signaling, beekeeping, curing and flavoring food, religious rites, fumigating insects, and myriad other ways.
Smoke speaks in mesmerizing riddles: “I lack a mouth, but I can speak…. I lack hands, but I can push out unwanted guests…. I’m gentler than a feather, but I can cause harm…". This rhythmically powerful narration is complemented by illustrations in which swirling smoke was captured on art paper held over smoky candle flames, and the dancing smoke textures were then deepened and elaborated with watercolors and Photoshop finishes. With this unique method, Merce López “let the smoke decide how the idea I had in mind would dance with it, giving freedom to the images.”
The resulting illustrations are astounding, and they resonate with the otherworldly text.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Smoke itself narrates this story about all the ways that humans have used the "swirling, roiling mist of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash" in this extensive treatment of the elusive material. Debuting artist López integrates photographic images of smoke into earth-toned spreads, creating realistic-looking effects. Incidents of people using smoke appear throughout: "I lack fingers, but I can nudge. Hundreds of years ago, I helped Huron farmers coax pumpkin seeds to sprout with my warmth," Herz writes. "I lack a mouth, but I can speak," the smoke says, as signals rise from fires blazing on hills and cliffs in different parts of the world. Smoke preserves food, makes spaces smell good—it even calms bees. A careful description of how smoke dissipates and how it breaks down chemically concludes the story. Though the affiliation of an Indigenous group in traditional dress isn't specified, the afterword supplies context for each page, with attention to smoke's part in climate change. Ages 6–8.
