By Leanne Shapton. Published by Enfant / Drawn & Quarterly. Hardcover, 44 pages, B&W, 2017 Leanne Shapton gives voice to the toys on our shelves in this wry yet tender children’s bookAlways there to comfort and listen, stuffed animals provide a reassuring presence in many a childhood. With Toys Talking, acclaimed illustrator and author Leanne Shapton explores their inner lives, to reveal that their thoughts and feelings are just as complicated as our own. The concerns of these bunnies, bears, and ducks range from the mundane to the existential, and with each new pairing of character and text, we see a deeper portrait of their pensive, quiet world. Shapton holds a mirror to our own lives, to our insecurities and concerns, by revealing that the objects who comfort us have worries of their own. This book brings Shapton’s gorgeously minimal brushstrokes to a younger audience, and will leave children and parents alike brimming with the beauty and melancholy of self-reflection. "An offbeat illustrated board book of stuffed animals speaking in non sequiturs. A class menagerie."—Globe & Mail“Those toys are always listening so politely; we want to know what they have to say.”—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker“Shapton has created a charming, funny and off-beat book that will no doubt fire the imagination of her youngest readers.”—Creative Review“This is an extraordinary book — remarkable, but also odd.”—Financial Times
