Mural Island
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A young artist discovers a place to express themselves and the joy of an art community in this evanescent picture book.
Kengi drew.
Fast, busy, everywhere their hands could reach and feet could travel.
On the front steps, inside the fridge, across the bathroom mirror, atop the cafeteria tables, even on the roll of toilet paper. Kengi’s parents are frustrated, and their principal tells them they need to stop. But Ms. Beatriz tells Kengi there’s somewhere in the neighborhood that they should visit.
When Kengi arrives at Mural Island, they discover a place where people can paint safely, freely, and joyfully. So Kengi does. But they’re not the only one painting each day, and soon Kengi recognizes that their art doesn’t have to be permanent to be monumental.
With an electric, eye-catching new style from acclaimed picture book creator Katie Yamasaki, Mural Island celebrates art, expression, and the communities that cherish both.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Opening with a line of understatement, Yamasaki (Place Hand Here) begins, "Kengi drew." Kengi is first pictured at a small table with crayon in hand; the paper on the surface before them is covered with drawings, as are the table and the floor. They draw "fast,/ busy,// everywhere their hands could/ reach and feet could travel." Vignettes show their scrawls on a city stoop, grocery items, an unfurled roll of toilet paper, and more. After the school principal complains, another adult, Ms. Beatriz, tells Kengi about a nearby place—Mural Island—where the walls are just for painting. The protagonist finally has unlimited space to create, and does, delighted until discovering their work covered over by others. But another young artist introduces Kengi to a new way of thinking about the space: "None of it lasts too long so we just love it while it's here." Yamasaki paints in rainbow shades that seem like light sources themselves; the multihued characters and the city's walls burst with color and energy in this stylized celebration of art making and community building that offers a portrait of a resolute child who's clear about their path. Ages 4–8.
