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Comparison

Christian Robinson and Julie Flett are very similar in many ways, and yet also entirely different. Both Christian and Julie are relatively new to illustrating picture books. Flett’s first book, The Moccasins, was released in 2004 (Joyful Threads Productions, 2016). Robinson’s first book, released in 2009, was Beware of Dug! a companion book to the movie UP (Danielson, 2012). They both like to experiment with different mediums, especially with the use of collage (Brightly, 2016; Paper Tigers, 2012). And they both come from diverse backgrounds that they strive to capture within their artwork (Flett, 2015; Robinson, 2016).

Several of Flett’s illustrated titles are board books. Her simple illustrations are great developmentally that age group. She often uses muted tones reminiscent of picture books from her childhood in the 60s and 70s (Cerny, 2014). Robinson, however, often illustrates narrative and biographical picture books, and uses many bright colors in his illustrations. The cover illustrations are done in the same style, and create a bright, eye catching stack when piled together.

Flett’s solid lines and color scheme lend a serious feeling to the stories, whereas Robinson’s style feels more light and playful. Flett illustrates almost all of her characters as members of First Nations, whereas Robinson includes characters of many different skin tones and abilities. These similarities and differences become more obvious when comparing the award-winning works of both artists, both of which are about a young boy and his grandmother.

Flett, J., & Cook, E. N. (2014). Wild Berries. Vancouver, BC: Simply Read Books.

This story chronicles a boy and his grandmother as they spend a day picking berries. This authentic story was chosen as the First Nation Community Read for the 2014-2015 year. The stark lines and characteristic muted tones, are a cornerstone of Flett’s artistic style. Watercolor scenes provide a depth to the natural scenery, making the trees and grasses appear more realistic. The boy and his grandmother are minimalist but realistic, and reflective of the Cree people. The images establish the setting for the story and reinforce the text, but do not extend the plot or offer additional information to the story. In close-up scenes, individual blades of grass are painted in watercolor, but when looking to the distance, the grass is a large field of green acrylic.

This book features text on the stark white verso pages, with all illustrations filling the recto pages. The end papers depict a bright red sun, indicative of the many creation stories found throughout Cree folktales. At the beginning of the story, the sun is just rising, and it gradually moves across the landscape, page by page, until the boy and his grandmother return home as the sun is setting. The inclusion of such subtle imagery helps show the passing of time and marks the pace of the story. The collage style brings the illustrations to life and makes them feel more realistic.

de la Peña, M., & Robinson, C. (2015). Last Stop on Market Street. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Last Stop on Market Street follows the story of a young boy and his grandmother as they ride the bus across the city. It starts with bright yellow end papers decorated with images that are found throughout the story. This serves as an additional way to engage children with the story, by asking them to look for some of these items later on. The illustrations are created with cut paper, acrylic, collage, and some digital alteration. Most of the illustrations span both pages, indicating the travel that is happening. When the characters are travelling to the bus stop and when the bus is pulling in, angled lines show the direction of movement. In contrast, when the characters are waiting - at the bus stop and riding the bus, lines are horizontal.

While the artwork is childlike, the depictions of city life are realistic. A wide range of people are riding the bus, young and old, black and white, blind and sighted, based on real people Robinson has seen on the bus (Gershowitz & Bircher, 2015). The illustrations reinforce the text, and provide additional detail to the setting. At the soup kitchen, graffiti mars the buildings, and there are people with shopping carts to carry belongings. As they get off the bus, there are four items laying next to the trash can. In the final illustration, while waiting for the bus, there are only two items next to the can, and the other two can be seen in the can, as if someone has cleaned up a bit. It is a subtle detail, but it contributes to the teaching moment of the grandmother.

This video from Scholastic features Christian Robinson and Matt de la Peña talking about the creation of the book.

References


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