I shared my love for Carson Ellis’ picture books back in July (here) but since she has since come out with a new children’s book, I thought I’d talk about her again.
Du Iz Tak is a creative and unique story, beautifully illustrated in Ellis’ distinctive style. What really sets this little story apart though is that it’s written in a made-up language. It’s the tale of a group of insects who find something unexpected growing and how they interact with it.
The action, as far as it’s seen through the illustrations is fairly simple and easy to follow and the dialogue is fun to read out loud. It’s short and repetitive and the meaning isn’t difficult to figure out but the made-up language means it can really be whatever the reader wants it to be. It’s a unique idea and one that lends itself to endless story-telling possibilities.
Pearl is a little young to understand the concept of a fictional language or to offer many of her own suggestions but she likes looking at the pictures and seems to enjoy the various accents I’ve put on while reading Du Iz Tak to her so far.
Karissa Reads Books 