City Dog, Country Frog

Here is a book that's been putting a big smile on my face lately. I love that this book is a collaboration between two top contemporary children's book author/illustrators, but within each of their contributions, you see a different and new side to each artist. The book is written by Mo Willems, so well known for his very humorous and sharp writing and bold characters and dialogue. Here, his writing is more restrained but just as evocative, with a delicate gravity that is so complimented by the art. Jon Muth, so well known for his peaceful and so meditative "Zen" series of books, provides the art. I really appreciate his technical mastery of watercolors as well as his style, but in terms of only being familiar with the Zen series, though the books are lovely, I do find them to have a sort of cold, isolating feeling to them. So to be able to experience his picture book art in a different contextual world but still in picture book land was a revelation to me. I will now look at more of his books and will appreciate the new facets of his art that I am now aware of. These two are a match made in picture book heaven in their production of City Dog, Country Frog. I hope you will check it out.