Missed Connections

Gosh, what with one thing and another I haven't done one of these Friday art book reviews in a long time. But now I am! And today's art book is Missed Connections by the delightful Sophie Blackall. (Full disclosure: Ms. Blackall is also the illustrator of the beloved Ivy and Bean series of chapter books for children, which is published by the same fine publisher that employees me, but I do not know her personally).

So, long story short--I love this book and I really love the illustration style. So charming and delightful. She somehow manages to make the whole "missed connections" personal ad thing seem dreamy and romantic and bittersweet rather than just sad and pathetic (which is how we mostly all viewed it before she came along, wasn't it?).

Not to quibble, but the only thing I do not love about this book is the cover. I can see why all those great and important things--the title, the author's well-known name, the subtitle which makes sure you get what the book is about, the great blurb from one of the best selling memoirists of the century--need to be prominently typeset. But, in my view, the most wonderful thing of all about this book is the art. And a cover hierarchy that relegates Blackall's art to the bottom half of the page just seems like a missed opportunity to me. I wish they'd splashed a lot more, bigger, dreamier art all over that cover.

All that said, I still do totally love this book. And here's why: