My wife and I are reading through Scott Nash’s fantastic book The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate.
We read a chapter a night.
This book seems completely uninformed by what I perceive to be conventional publishing wisdom. It doesn’t feel all that contemporary. It’s a mix between Treasure Island and Wind In the Willows. It possesses a perfect mix of whimsy and seriousness. You get the sense that Scott Nash is writing a book he wants to read. He’s not trying to appeal to kids. He’s trying to appeal to human beings and I can only imagine that kids appreciate being treated like human beings and not like narcissistic, self-interested, non-curious, rebellion-mongers.
Scott Nash’s illustrations are also a delight, and I am burning with admiration for Candlewick Press. They steadily put out a stream of books that treasure Timelessness over Timeliness and I think that’s gutsy and profitable for children and adults alike.
I did an old-school take on a Blue Jay Brigand in admiration for this charming book. My wife and I are only half-way through (she forbids me to read ahead, though I have glanced ahead at the pictures), still if the second half is anything like the first, this book deserves the widest possible readership.
“Crayeee!” Looks great!