i finished the jungle a couple days ago & got around to the library today after class. i decided on the unbearable lightness of being. this led me into the czech republic section which has the most beautiful books both in size, shape, & cover design. i picked up valerie and her week of wonders solely because of the quality of cardstock the cover was printed on along w/ its pattern of tiny bright orange dots. it's a bizarre sounding story. the summary reads about vampires, girls coming of age, a modern gothic novel, surrealist dream elements. hm.

wandering sea horses. i decided i'd check it out because of the illustrations. from what i can tell the story is about a father looking after his young son. a stay at home father, like sea horses - ho ha. mundane, quirky, apathetic is the tone i get. i scanned some of my favorite images.
also, how beautiful is the way the page numbers are done?




so cute, so weird.


we're all the same.

adulthood this way.

vladimir jiranek did the illustrations. wikipedia tells me he is an illustrator, film director, cartoonist, animator, ect. he studied journalism in prague & was part of the 1989 velvet/ gentle revolution. i love non-violent, student demonstrations & revolutions! i didn't read up too much on it but basically it was to overthrow the communist government.