Review: Flood by Alvaro F. Villa

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

When a flood threatens to destroy a family’s home, they must leave. What will they return to once the waters recede? This intense, beautiful look at a flood’s effect on a family carries a simple message of hope and recovery.
For ages 6-8
* Unique concept: a wordless picture book illustrating the struggle and aftermath of a flood from a family's perspective
* Explains the event of a flood in a non-threatening way
* A creative way to: start kid-friendly conversation about traumatic events; practice prediction and storytelling skills; encourage individualized storytelling
* Contemporary, rich art highlights natural elements
About the Author/Illustrator:
Alvaro Fernandez Villa lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has a degree in fine art. He became interested in art as a very young child, and has developed skills in both digital and traditional art forms.

MY TAKE:
This book is the first one I've read and reviewed that doesn't have any words.

In Flood, we get to see how one family deals with a flood, before, during and after the flood itself.

Given that there are no words used for this book, the only thing I can review here are the illustrations and the narrative of the drawings.

The drawings are beautiful. The coloring, in particular, is gorgeous. The landscape, in particular, was rendered quite well and looked like paintings you would see in a gallery. The feathery quality of the clouds and the grass appear as though they were done using watercolor, but the other drawings, particularly those that were set inside the house or included the family looked like they were rendered using a computer.

The story itself was pretty compelling, and living in a country that sees a lot of typhoons a year, I can say with confidence that its portrayal of how a family prepares before a flood and rebuilds afterwards is quite accurate.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers for the e-ARC. Publication date of Flood is on February 1, 2013.

THE GOOD:

1. It doesn't need words to tell the story.
2. The coloring is beautiful.
3. It's an accurate portrayal of families that experience flooding in their homes.

THE BAD:

1. The way that the family is drawn might not appeal to everyone. 

READ IT IF:

1. You want to show your child how families deal with floods.
2. You are looking for a picture book you can narrate to your child in any way you want.
3. You like beautifully illustrated children's books.

RATING:


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