People

by Blexbolex

Mother and father, dancers and warriors, gardener and farmer, hypnotist and genie. . . . All sorts of people appear in People, linked together in ways that begin to emerge page after page. Real, mythic, and imaginary types inhabit this extraordinary, gorgeously rendered world, referring to each other through form and function. Like Blexbolex's earlier book Seasons, this is a conceptual book, where the connections between the images are both clear and subtle.

Stunningly illustrated with retro-looking silkscreened images, People is a sumptuously produced volume, with a lavishly illustrated jacket that folds out into a poster. The manner of the realization and the quality of the book are so strong that People (as did Seasons) serves to reminds us once again what a book can be at its very best.

Seasons was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Best Book of the Year for School Library Journal.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Juvenile

208 pages, Board Book

First published October 8, 2008

About the author

Blexbolex is a French comics artist and illustrator. Born Bernard Granger in Douai, he studied screen printing (sérigraphie) at the School of Fine Arts (L’école européenne supérieure de l'image) in Angoulême. His first works were self-published, and later he contributed to Popo Color, Fusée, and Ferraille. His highly stylized, ligne claire illustration, inspired by the films of Jacques Tati and whodunits of the 1950s and 1960s, gradually gained an audience. In Germany, he directed an art studio at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weissensee (School of Art and Design Berlin-Weissensee) and he also worked regularly with a number of editors, including Thierry Magnier, Pipifax, United Dead Artists, Les Requins-Marteaux, and Cornélius. Blexbolex has contributed to the American publication The Ganzfeld.

In 2009, he received a prize for “Best Book Design of the World” for his L'Imagier des gens (2008) at the Book Fair of Leipzig.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Lu Benke · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance I didn't think I would like this book. I wanted to do my old style of looking quickly through to determine if/how I'd use the book in the future and move on to the next book. At a glance, it felt like a catalog of interesting but flat illustrations. Hah! Before I put it down, I came across the facing pages of NUDIST and INVISIBLE MAN and the connections, humor, layers and constantly shifting "mediating" of meaning on each set of facing pages overtook me. What fun this book would be to use with a kid where you had time to look at each page and let the associations spill out.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hideous color palette. I need more from a book that is 99% illustration.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of "People' drove me to this book. At first it looks like a great kids book - and technically it is, but alas, there is something being said here that is not obvious. Typically Blexbolex draws an image of a music "conductor" but then on the opposite page, with the same held baton he draws a "tyrant." So one" starts to make comparisons between the two pages. Another example is an illustration "party goers" and the opposite page is "hermit." And so forth.

There is something very Jacques Tati about it all. It maybe due to the retro look of the book, but also the commentary on the images where one thinks there would be no commentary. "People" serves many purposes. It can be an excellent book for a second language reader, or for those who need graphic design ideas, or..... there is the textural meaning what it means to be labeled and filed in a specific manner and form. Blexbolex is working on many levels here and this is an excellent book.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of visually juxtaposed stereotypes that hinge on deep and superficial connections, which, when not entirely cute and benign, fluctuate remarkably from uncomfortably serious to uncomfortably trivial. So, for instance, the chef and the DJ are both mixing! The sleepwalker and the cave explorer are both walking in the dark! The moonstruck girl and the emir both have, uh.... wait. Wait. Oh! Moon symbolism! Moons, as symbols. Right. The corpse and the retiree are both, well jeez, close to the grave. The secretary and the yeti are both.... unattainable? Yikes. Basically, this book is beautiful and odd enough to suit the beautiful, odd minds of children.

[Brent Legault · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book, I just held it like I would hold any big-eyed mammel I'd found lost in the woods while weeping softly (at its brilliance, at my own lack of talent) and trying not to drip tears on its lovely little pages.

[Laura5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was the art drew me to pick up this book.

This has the feel of an art book, rather than a picture book intended for young children.

That said, I sat with my 6 year old and we "read" the whole thing together.

Each page has a title and an image. He is a new reader and figured some of the words out. We read this book very slowly. I paused a bit before each page turn waiting for...
"Mom, what's a ________"
Fill in the blank with: corpse, contortionist, fugitive, vagabond, fakir, immigrant, monk, cyclops, hermit, executioner, centaur, tyrant, etc.

My 6 yr old is not a reader who gives his attention to books he is not interested in out of "readerly duty", and this book had his attention the entire time. It also sparked many interesting conversations. We looked things up when I didn't have a good way to explain something. We got out maps. And my son asked a lot of questions.

I really enjoyed the experience this book provided us.

I also liked the juxtaposition of people in the double page spreads. I didn't see the back of the book until we had finished, but it states: "All sorts of people are pictured here, linked in ways that begin to emerge page after page."

Pairings like...
Conductor (music) / Tyrant
DJ / Chef
Contortionist / Plumber
Homeless Person / Camper
...the pairings made more thought provoking with accompanying paired images.

It would be interesting to use this book with older students with writing.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun! Blexbolex continually sets us up to switch on us. Construction and deconstruction over and over. You think it's going to be the basic "there are people of all shapes and sizes and colors" kind of book, and then suddenly: CORPSE, RETIREE. Blexbolex is in control of the juxtaposition on every spread, but uses it differently in waves. Sometimes the pages are visually related (super multi modal!), and sometimes they are semantically related, and sometimes a little of both, and then sometimes NONE of these. The workup to the ending creates tension, and then there's a brilliant discussion to be had on the last page, because of all the workup. I'll be buying this one! Warning: Some daring Euro-style illustrations.

[Allie]

Another minimal, beautiful children's book from Blexbolex; but one that I can't really recommend. The book is structured as pairings of people, meant to juxtapose something about one with the other. Some of the associations are visual or superficial, others are quite deep. However there were only really about a third of the pairings that I liked. The second third I didn't like (boring, stereotypical, or racist!), and there was about a third of them that I don't think I got. Read Seasons because it's way more interesting and way less fraught.

[Joella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd book. The pairings are sometimes similar, sometimes opposites, sometimes strange. I don't know who the intended audience is. It seems like it is written simply for a young audience...but I don't believe they will always get the connection (are there only some connections?) between the two pairings of different kinds of "people".

For example some pairings are:
Puppeteer | Puppet
Team | Worker
Sleeping | Sick [pictures of two people asleep in a bed]
Hunter | Soldier [they both have guns]
Giant | Dwarf
Corpse | Retiree
Nudist | Invisible Man
Secretary | Yeti
Fairy | Marionette
Flight Attendant | Cat Burglar

Like I said...strange.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre and brilliant. Such pairs of people! And then the game -- what the heck are these two doing together? Sometimes it's obvious (Cop, Robber), sometimes it's through a visual thread (Station Attendant, Alien), sometimes a conceptual one (Bicyclist, Balloon Pilot). And sometimes --Secretary, Yeti -- I just don't know! Plus I wish my name were Blexbolex.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really not sure who the audience is for this.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

People is, like Blex’s Seasons, a conceptual book, to make you think about language and relationships, and a comparison or contrast between two facing images/concepts. Sometimes the relationship seems crystal clear and sometimes its elliptical and sometimes you have to work very hard to see the connections at all. Which sounds potentially frustrating if you are reading this with a kid, but I say it is interesting, if you have the time.

This is again a wordless book, maybe a picture book or children's book, but the images are not warm and fuzzy and cute. No stories here. The images are flat and unemotional, colorful, muted, block prints.

Philosophy of language stuff, really. Useful to look at with second language learners in an ESL class, maybe. Use it for creative writing. Have people write about the juxtapositions, which is sometimes what poetry is about. Surprising relations.

Such as:
*Nudist and Invisible Man
*(Musical) Conductor and Tyrant (both waving sticks)
*Chef and DJ (mixing!)
*Contortionist and Plumber
*Homeless Person and Camper
*Hunter and Soldier
*Cowboy and Actor (playing a cowboy)

So interesting what you can do with this book! Maybe sometimes it’s a book for older kids such as when we see paired images of Corpse and Retiree. But it's thought-provoking.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really adore these illustrations. I also love that you can't flip through this quickly- well, you can, but you'll miss out on some of the subtle juxtapositions, points made to give pause and think, and opportunities to engage with a child. My only reservation about this one is I'm not sure who it would be best received by. The little ones in my life would be kind of distressed by some of these "people" (the fakir with swords sticking out of him, the fugitive, executioner etc), but most kids are usually more hearty than I give them credit for. I guess if nothing else, it's one of those opportunities to have good conversations, but some kiddos may not be ready for some of them.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My edition gives the Caucasions ugly pink skin. I don't find the art style appealing, and I do find many of the images dated and/or stereotypical almost to the point of being offensive.

Nor is it a book, even though it is shaped like one.

It's an odd little work of art, or it's a game that could be called "Call the Relationship." I almost said 'guess' instead of 'call' but for a lot of the connections there is no one right answer.

If your library bought it, check it out. Otherwise, don't fret if you don't want to buy it, as imo it's not that special.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 1 out of 5]

!*->THERE'S NO STORY<-*!

Story = 0
I was fooled and don't appreciate it. I read another of his books that was wordless with a story but this one is a toddler book that helps you identify what people look like. The only words are the title on each page of what kind of person it is.

Art = **
It's simpleton stuff. Everyone has tiny legs. The colors are absurd. Lines overlap that shouldn't. Etc..

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great way to have complicated conversations with your kids. I love the sometimes subtle juxtapositions. I didn't love the use of some terms that have negative connotations or that are considered offensive (gypsy, oddball, hunchback, etc). Executioner was a tough one to explain to my five year old!

[Albanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Qué lástima los estereotipos.

[Charlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever. Reads on multiple levels.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many types of people, and this book attempts to introduce them.

[Kati Polodna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t “get” it.

[plachá srnka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jedna z najkrajších kníh, ktoré sa ku mne tento rok dostali.

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red 3rd

[S46354595 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand every pairing of types of people except "SECRETARY" and "YETI." Someone please explain what in the world a secretary has anything to do with a yeti.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creator of Seasons is back, with a collection of prints depicting every type of person imaginable. Professions such as flight attendant, miner, and doctor are intermingled with mythical creatures like a cyclops, centuar and mermaid, and many other interests, hobbies and personalities are represented as well. Though there is no overarching plot line connecting the images, some of them are clearly paired together intentionally, such as amputee and cyclops, nudist and invisible man, and (band) conductor and tyrant. The shape and color of each illustration is quite similar to the pages of Seasons, and I would argue that this time around, it is the connection between the prints that is more interesting than the prints themselves.

There were a few, however, that caught my eye and made me look at them a second time, more closely. The page for prisoner is a simple black rectangle in the center of the page, surrounded by white space. The rectangle is divided into thirds by two white vertical bars, and half a man's face appears in the center, with a hand wrapped around each bar. So little is actually on the page, but the effect of what is there perfectly conveys the understanding that there is a full prison cell and a full prisoner behind those bars.

The page featuring a swimmer uses the same simplicity to indicate the movement of the person swimming through the water. Only half a head and one full arm appear above a few splotches of blue, which convey splashes, but there is no doubt upon looking at that page that the swimmer is in motion.

I also really liked the paired pages for oddball and tall tale. The oddball is mismatched, right down to his shoes, while the tall tale character stands there holding his own head beneath his arm.

I'm not sure of the audience for this book. Most of it is appropriate and amusing for all ages, even right down to preschool, but some pages, such as "Corpse," "Executioner," and "Fakir," where a man has put swords into his skin, would be better saved for later elementary school. I can also imagine some parents worrying about the "Nudist" page, even though there isn't much to see, or to worry about.

All in all, though, I like Blexbolex's style, and his sense of humor. This collection may not be as strong as Seasons, but it's a wonderful concept, and enjoyable to flip through.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book for which the audience is not at all obvious. The book consists of cartoony images of people in various professions and environments. The images are paired, so that the left and right images in most spreads are related in some way. The relationships between the images are sometimes clear [Movie Watcher vs. Movie Director, or Couple vs. Bachelor] but sometimes weird and a bit creepy [Retiree vs. Corpse or Hunchback vs. Beauty]. Some of the images are so far out-of-date that it will confuse the reader. The image for "Fisherman" is that of a fur-covered Eskimo sitting with a spear, by a hole in the ice. The image for "Treasure Hunter" is of a man in a 1950s diving suit. I'm still not sure why Secretary and Yeti are paired, and in some cases, the pairing is clearly meant as a joke...like Seamstress and Fakir, where the Fakir is sticking big needles in himself.
The book might work for older children, but the format may not appeal to those. The format might appeal to younger children, but the contents are more than a little strange.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork that has an old-timey feel. A HUGE picture book that is an inch thick but is very simple. Each page features a word and a picture. The 2 page spreads are loosely related and will keep readers from breezing through this book as the people contained in this volume are quite unique at times. Part of me wonders if this will receive some challenges in the coming year as a mermaid is depicted bare-chested, and a nudist and some terrifying people such as a demon are included in this book. Overall, this book is full of words and concepts worth discussing (some words may need to be looked up like muezzin, which was a new word for me). I can easily see a young child and an adult sitting with this book across their laps and the child inquiring about the different people in this book and the adult stopping to tell a story about each one. Take a look at this one and before all the copies are checked out of your neighborhood library!

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book, with awesome silk screen pictures. On each page is the magnificently ultra cool silk screen of a person, and a descriptor name of that person. MAN WOMAN COUPLE BACHELOR... very normal, everyday words and then a whole passel of words and illustrators that reflect the French writer/artist (SMOKING, MODEL). Every illustration is mid-century mod groovy -- COUPLE looks like they could be lesser Kennedy's or perhaps from Mad Men. The pages more often than not match (SOLIST and LISTENER for example; LISTENER looks like she just came back from a casting call of Edward Hopper's Nighthawks -- how cool is that?). Sometimes, though, the opposite pages jar in the most interesting way (SECRETARY and YETI, for example). EXECUTIONER was deliciously creepy; BUTCHER, with a dead pig slung over one shoulder, was hilariously over the top. Definitely not a typical picture book (if it can be called a picture book at all).

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed looking at all of the different pictures in this book. I could easily see children spending hours imagining the other different people and making up stories to go along with the illustrations. The graphics are old fashioned and yet modern at the same time. I'm not sure how he managed to do that, but it's pretty cool. There were a couple of pictures that some people might find annoying (topless mermaid, nothing graphic), but most people shouldn't have a problem. I also liked how the author created parallels between the pictures on each page and let people make the connection as to why they had been paired. Some pages I had no idea and some I thought were exceedingly clever. I'd probably recommend, it was fun.

*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have seen to use with a writing class for just about any age group, including adults! It's basically a side by side comparison of nouns, verbs and adverbs with simple retro block print illustrations. It would be great for discussion, writing prompts, comparisons, vocabulary building (think SAT) and all sorts of creative art uses. An example 2 page spread has Diva on one page and Teenager on another, isn't that brilliant? It does have one double page spread with "Invisible Man" on one side and "Nudist" on the other. I personally think it's an amazing example of word comparison, but parents might not want it shared in a classroom. You decide,the nudist's private parts are not seen. Man without the clothes, clothes without the man...funny stuff.

[Neven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just a collection of simple illustrations of different professions and characters ("teacher", "warrior", "homeless man") done in the 1960s-schoolbook style. There's no reason this should be entertaining, but it is in fact charming and addictive. The interpretations are just interesting enough to poke your imagination, but not so quirky they lose their dictionary quality. Pairings on opposing pages are often quite clever, and sometimes touching. A surprisingly rich and likeable book.