Halibut Jackson [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Sometimes I like to believe that the truly great picture books out there are the ones written by author/illustrators that have studied children's literature for years and years. I would imagine that they slaved to make the "good" picture book after many attempted (and failed) tries. Then finally, after years and years of effort, a picture book would come into fruition that epitomizes everything that the picture books of the past have led to. Then an author like David Lucas comes along and, in his first picture book, creates something as deeply original and wonderful as "Halibut Jackson" and my entire theory goes ka-blooey. "Halibut Jackson" is, to my mind, one of the finest picture books that I have had the pleasure of reading in a long long time. Simultaneously beautiful and detailed, the story is reminiscent of older picture books some forty years back. It's well worth a peek.

Halibut Jackson is a shy fellow. When he finds himself in a public situation where he must interact with other people, Halibut freaks. To avoid this problem, he has constructed clever clothing that blend into any situation. If he wants to go a-walking amongst the daisies, he merely slips on his flower covered poncho. If it's a trip to the library on his mind instead, on goes the book covered clothing. Everything is going perfectly well until one day Halibut gets an invitation to the palace for the very first time. Halibut wants to go, but the idea of being around so many party guests doesn't appeal to him. That next day he constructs a suit covered in silver, gold, and jewels, assuming he'll fit right in and never be noticed. But what Halibut didn't reckon with was that this was a garden party. Suddenly he's the center of attention, and everyone wants him to construct clothing for them. With this encouragement, Halibut goes into business, creating crazy clothing for every person's needs. Says the book, "And although he was still a little shy, it seemed not to matter so very much at all".

The story may not blow you away after reading it, but the illustrations in this puppy are to die for. Halibut Jackson himself walks around wearing clothing that, at times, look as if the author/illustrator was simply tracing a protractor for a design. I loved that despite the somewhat old-fashioned feeling of this tale (it's something about the use of lines and colors, I guess) the cast of characters that Halibut encounters is wonderfully raucously multi-racial. Heck, the king's black and the queen's white cementing this tale as definitely a twenty-first century picture book. I also loved the intricate details that fill the pages. Every spread features pictures that fight and contend with one another for the reader's attention. My favorite scene was of Mr. Jackson's clothing store at the end. By this point the shy tailor has truly let his imagination run wild. There's a suit that resembles the sun, a dress (with matching swan hat) of Monet's waterlilies, and a cot that's filled with a million different people.

Nostalgia is selling quite a lot of picture books these days. Adults are looking wistfully at their own favorites and trying to find modern creations that look and feel like such books as, "Make Way for Ducklings" or "Andy and the Lion". I think what "Halibut Jackson" does so well is that it captures the feeling we get from reading older picture books, but not the unfortunate stereotypes of the time period. Though steeped in old-fashioned storytelling techniques, this is truly a modern concoction that kids today will adore.

David Lucas tells through an elegant line and color scheme, an intelligent story about an adorable little boy -the shy and fashion oriented Halibut Jackson- in very few lines, which prove to be essential and enough to the narration. The book has an early 50's design throughout and is reminiscent of Bemelmans children stories, which just add to the overall charming narrative. A must!

"Halibut Jackson was shy...Halibut Jackson liked to blend in to the background." So begins this highly original tale of a boy who undergoes chameleon-like clothes changes so that others won't notice him. At first, I didn't quite get the book, thinking the illustrations so cluttered that I didn't even know where to find Halibut. However, that's part of the fun: Jackson blends into the early 20th century background in a series of clever disguises that work as a trompe d'oeil. On wondrous page one, he wears a suit colored exactly like the brick wall against which he stands, as a dirigible, a soldier on a might blue horse, a musician, a lady in a giant green hat, and various colonnades decorate the two-page color illustration. IF there were a book award for set decoration, this would win it.

On the next few pages, we see him in a garden-patterned shirt and hat that perfectly matches the flowers in the park. Again, the other objects in the scene are both intriguing and function as distracters in the reader's effort to find Halibut: There's an odd tree with gigantic peanuts, a pineapple plant, and assorted birds, mushrooms, and flowers. Watch for Jackson's environment matching suits in a grocery store, a library (an especially tough one), and his house (which shows a photo of Jackson covering his eyes!).

One day, he receives an invitation to attend the Queen's birthday party. Although he longs to see the Palace, he doesn't want to go to a grand gathering. However, "that night he dreamed of the Palace. HE dreamed of glittering towers, of silver stairs, of a golden door...And when he woke, he had an idea." Halibut Jackson, believing that the fete will be held inside the ornate periwinkle and gold castle interior, creates a suit to match, right down to the jewels on a crown like hat. In yet another magical picture, Halibut is shown amongst musicians, dancers, a peacock, and elaborate decorations-outside the castle! "Everybody noticed Halibut Jackson." But Jackson learns that being noticed isn't always bad, even when you're completely different from the rest of the guests. The happy conclusion features yet more clever pictures and costumes, and when I finished the book, I realized this was among the most original picture books I've recently seen.

It takes great talent to pull off a relatively simple (though satisfying) story mostly through illustrations, but Lucas completely triumphs. His pictures have a definite Matisse influence, and the low-tech production indeed recalls picture books of 50 years ago (thin non-glossy paper, no computer-aided drawing, colors right out of a crayon box). A complete joy to behold, this book is an inspiration for budding artists, a fun "search" book, and a lightly told message all in one. Very highly recommended!