Zoom (Picture Puffin) (Paperback)

by Istvan Banyai (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"Readers are in for a perpetually surprising-and even philosophical-adventure," said PW in a starred review of this wordless picture book that begins with a close-up of a rooster's comb and ends in outer space. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3?This wordless picture book re-creates the effect of a camera lens zooming out. For example, one illustration shows a boy on a cruise ship, the next shows him from a distance, and the next reveals the whole ship. Finally, the viewpoint moves back farther and it turns out that the ship is actually a poster on a bus. The perspective continues to recede, revealing the bus as an image on a television screen. Three pages later, viewers see that the person watching TV is drawn on a postage stamp. The final picture shows a view of Earth from space. To heighten the effect, all of the full-color illustrations appear on the recto, while each verso is completely black. It's fun to watch the transition in perceptions as a farm becomes a toy, the girl playing with it is on a magazine cover, etc. The novelty soon wears off, however, and nothing else about the book is memorable. The paintings themselves are not particularly interesting and would not stand alone well. David Wiesner's Free Fall (Lothrop, 1988), David Macaulay's Black and White (Houghton, 1990), and Ann Jonas's Reflections (Greenwillow, 1987) use visual tricks, but also have richer artwork and more involving action.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Library, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140557741
• ISBN-13: 978-0140557749
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zee title, she do not lie, February 8, 2006

By	E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Though he's illustrated books for other authors before this, it was really with "Zoom" that artist Istvan Banyai first tried his hand at the wide world of children's picture books. Do a quick Google search of Banyai and you'll see that the man has dipped his toe in everything from book illustrations to pictures for Playboy. Now as a children's librarian I am always on the lookout for good wordless picture books. The wordlessier they are the better. My favorites up until now have been titles like "The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, and the Bard" by Gregory Rogers and "Anno's Journey" by Mr. Mitsumasa Anno himself. In light of his more recent efforts ("The Other Side" comes to mind) it's funny to see how simple his books were at the start. "Zoom" is not a particularly new idea for a book, but it is a fun concept and is sure to garner itself some solid fans throughout the years.

The very first thing you see, on opening the book, is a fleshy and pointed starfish-like creature, but with too many points. Turn the page and the next image is of that same pointy image, but we can see that it's actually the crest of a rooster's comb. Turn the page again and we back up even farther still. Now the rooster is seen perched on a fence while two captivated youngsters look on. You get the gist of the book. The thing is, Banayi keeps backing up, even when you think that there would be nowhere else to go. A farm scene suddenly becomes a toy farm set with a child playing with it. A city street becomes a television program. And a cruise ship resolves itself to be an ad on the side of a bus. As the book backs off farther and farther and farther, in the end the earth recedes until it is only a single white dot in the center of a very black page. Want your kids to grasp the concept of their own inherent insignificance in the face of a vast unyielding universe? Then "Zoom"'s the book for you!

It took me a little while to realize it, but the book that bears the closest resemblance to "Zoom" is Barbara Lehman's Caldecott Honor winner, "The Red Book". Of course, the advantage of "The Red Book" is that it actually had a plot of sorts. "Zoom", for all its charms, is plotless. In some ways, the best wordless picture books are the ones that dare to tell some kind of a tale. "Home" by Jeannie Baker, for example, told the story of a girl's life from birth to adulthood and how the world changes around her. As Banyai becomes more comfortable with creating children's books he begins to understand their purpose. Therefore "The Other Side" has an ending that summarizes nicely whereas "Zoom" simply drifts off into space.

Which isn't to say that the book is poorly done. It ain't. Using his customary thin thin black pen lines and a palette of all sorts of colors, Banyai brings to life everything from the hypnotic eye of a rooster to New York's Flatiron Building. Unfortunately for me, the version of "Zoom" that I am reviewing is the paperback edition. This is a real shame as I've been delighted by Banyai's small touches and flourishes made to his books' covers and bookflaps. If it comes down to purchasing the hardcover edition of this story or the paperback, I highly urge you to consider the hardcover. Though I can't vouch for whether or not there are any fun details attached to it, why take the chance? Besides, when it comes to viewing Banyai's books with true appreciation, only hardcover will possibly do.

As with most high-concept picture book, "Zoom" isn't aiming to be universally beloved. It will instead be enjoyed primarily by those children of the correct mindset. Some kids will get a huge kick out of the perpetually shifting realities captured in this minute little booklet. Others will be weirded out by the concept and clutch their "Dora the Explorer" paperbacks a little tighter to their chests. I sincerely hope your child is in the former category. "Zoom" certainly deserves to be looked at and makes a fine addition to anyone's wordless picture book collection.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bigger Picture, August 27, 2006

By	Miri (USA) - See all my reviews

The friend who shared this book with me had received it from a family member who bequeathed it to her as she lay dying of cancer. It is a very beautiful and visual way of internalizing the concept that our lives and everything that happens to us and that we see around us is part of a bigger picture.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent coffeetable book!, January 29, 2001

By	Elizabeth C. Hicks "EACH" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Zoom (Viking Kestrel picture books) (Hardcover)

I was introduced to this book last night when it was given as a gift to my 50 year-old cousin. All of the aduts present were intrigued with this near-wordless masterpiece. None of us read the inside jacket before 'reading' the book and that is the way it should be read to be truly appreciated. I think the book would be 'wasted' on very young children who would see it as just another picture book. Excellent gift. I'm ordering them for all my (grown) children this minute!