A few months back I wrote about children’s books that designers love (great type and awesome compositions). I was stoked about the reprint of Paul Rand’s Little 1 and Sparkle and Spin. And now the reprint of Rand’s 1956 I Know a Lot of Things is also available. It’s charming and clever—you don’t have to be a kid (or a designer) to love this one either.

Another big hit here in the design office is Big Rabbit’s Bad Mood, with art by French illustrator Delphine Durand. The story of how this big bunny is essentially stalked by a nasty and pesky Bad Mood (monster?) is pretty silly, but told in a straightforward way. Our rabbit’s deadpan reactions to the absurdity of his situation should earn great comic genius acclaim. (Think Daniel Auteuil in The Closet). With hilarious expression and playful compositions, it’s one children’s book that I’m dying to get for my personal collection (it’s available after March 18).

The hottest thing to hit the world of contemporary children’s book design has to be the undeniably striking and prolific Marc Boutavant (also French). He is a graphic designer and illustrator with a huge body of work in France that’s quickly spreading to the rest of the world. He is the author of the Mouk series and coauthor of the Ariol series (neither yet available in the US). Bouvatant is illustrating For Just One Day for us. It hasn’t gone to press yet, but the buzz is already growing. Here’s a sneak peak:

Boutavant’s work is retro-cute, but also timeless. Full of humor and sweetness, he quietly and brightly captures little details of everyday life—real or imagined. His compositions play with denseness and sparsity and amazing colors. How he escapes from saccharine overdoses or ironic clichés is beyond me.

And ta-da!: We’re also printing the first Mouk in America! Above is the French version. Both Boutavant books will be released in the fall. Visual candy for adults (and children).

Suzanne LaGasa
Designer

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