#blogbookaday: Drawn Together

Summary:  “When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.

With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picturebook about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: A young boy visits his grandfather and their lack of a shared language is confusing and frustrating to both of them, until they find that they both share the love of drawing. They find that while they draw they don’t have to worry about understanding their spoken words, because their pictures do the talking. The story and art come together seamlessly in this story of family, art, storytelling and love.

Personal Reaction: Although I spoke the same language as my grandparents, they lived far away from us, so we only saw them once a year or so and I really didn’t know much about them growing up. After my grandfather passed away, my grandma and mom came to visit me, which was a HUGE accomplishment for my grandmother, plus it was the first time I could ever remember having time to just talk with her. Anytime we visited, there would be a house full of family all vying for each other’s attention. I guess what I’m saying is that even though this story, isn’t necessarily my story, it still resonated deeply with me. Bot Minh and Dan are masters at what they do and it can easily be seen in this book.

Title: Drawn Together
Author: Minh Lê
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: June 5, 2018

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!