If you are an aspiring artists, you probably watched the video of Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech at the university of arts (you did not? Go watch!).
Like practically everybody else, i fell in love with Gaiman’s vibe. I like to go on Youtube and listen to him talk. Recently I listened to readings from parts of his books, and although I thought I won’t have the patience to follow (because I’m not great at English and because i’m a restless, anxious, twitchy rodent), I found myself hooked.

The truth is i never read Neil Gaiman’s books before. it was one of the videos that made me wanna try them out. Not only because of Gaiman’s sense of humor and witty phrasings but also because of the way he thinks. The guy does what the hell he wants. He gives his book unconventional titles, he is not afraid to insert thrilling murk into children’s books, he playfully mixes fiction and realism and all in all reminds me of that freedom we had when we were kids.

Since i’m currently working on children’s books of my own, I am very curious about how experienced writers do it. I like to read, and hopefully write, books which I would have enjoyed reading as a kid. I liked some creepiness and gloom in my book. I liked some sarcasm in them (yes, kids can love sarcasm). i liked to find real emotions in them, from the wide range of emotions that people have even when they are very little. I could never truly enjoy books which looked as if they are there just for mere amusement. Somehow it never entertained me enough.

So now I have the best excuse to read many children’s books: they are my educational materials! Also, I try to read them in English because my English is poor and sad.
Back to Gaiman – his talks sent me straight to bookdepository.com, where i got myself two of his books: “Coraline” and “Fortunately, the Milk”.

I bought “Coraline” because it looked mercilessly spooky and yet directed to young readers. Is that not a fascinating combination to investigate? Don’t you need to be a bit courageous to enter this niche?
I generally love books that don’t sugarcoat things for the sake of children. I liked such books in my childhood, too.

I didn’t start reading yet, so I can’t give any opinion yet, but the design of the book looks promising. The illustrations are quirky and creepy indeed. Love it.
I’ll read the book soon and probably have some more to say about it.

Right now i’m enjoying “Fortunately, The Milk”. I get some laughs and i like the way it’s written, but my biggest joy is the delightful illustrations of Skottie Young. How can something look so scribbled and so precise at the same time? and the characters design, and the expressions! fun! <3

I’m also curious about the book’s irregular layout, with the play of the fonts inside and the integration of illustrations in the text. It’s like a mixture of picture book and adventure book. It’s pretty cool, definitely mind opening.

Once I go through the books I will probably have some more thoughts and notes that I might want to share. And even if i don’t, I will probable enjoy the reading 🙂