The Art and Illustration of
Evelyne Laube & Nina Wehrle
and
Eunyoung Cho
Suzanne Peterson ~ 17:610:590:90 ~International Children's Publishing and Literature ~ Spring 2014
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava
The Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB) is a juried exhibition of illustrations for
children’s books, sponsored by UNESCO in cooperation with the IBBY. It has been held in
odd-numbered years since 1967 in Bratislava, Slovakia. There are eleven awards and a
grand prize for unique and outstanding illustration:
1 Grand Prix
5 Golden Apples
5 BIB Plaques
1 Honorary Mention Certificate (awarded to a publisher)
Over 6000 illustrators from more than 100 countries worldwide have presented at BIB,
with more than 50,000 original illustrations (http://www.bibiana.sk). Receiving the Grand
Prix entitles an artist to mount his or her own individual exhibition at the next BIB.
In this presentation, I will focus on the art and illustration of two recent BIB winners: the
team of Evelyne Laube and Nina Wehrle from Switzerland, and Eunyoung Cho, of Korea.
These illustrators have been the recipients of the BIB’s highest honor, The Grand Prix.
It’s Raining
Elephants
BIB Grand Prix Winner, 2013
Illustrators Evelyne Laub (b. 1982 in
Lengnau, Switzerland) and Nina Wehrle
(b. 1984 in Willisau, Switzerland) formed
a working partnership in 2008
(http://www.itsrainingelephants.ch/). As
an illustration team, they are known as
“It’s Raining Elephants.” Their 2011
collaboration, Die Grosse Flut (The Great
Flood) won the highest honor at the
2013 Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava,
The Grand Prix. It was the first time in
BIB’s 46 year history that a Swiss
contribution took the top prize
(http://www.wetterreporter.ch/).
Die Grosse Flut/The Great Flood
The Great Flood is a retelling of the story of
Noah’s Ark. The artists “were fascinated with
the archaic force and absurdity of the bible
text.” (http://www.itsrainingelephants.ch/)
The book is illustrated on unfolding pages of
text from Genesis 5.1 to 9.1, in which the
flood is described.
In addition to winning the Grand Prix at Biennial Illustrations Bratislava, The Great Flood
received a Special Mention of the Jury at Illustrarte, Portugal in 2011, won in both
Publication and Illustration categories at the CJ picture book festival, Korea in 2011, and
the International Prize for Illustration at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy in 2012.
You may have seen some of Laube and Wehrle’s work in person, at the 2014 Bologna
Children’s Book Fair where they exhibited their work at the Illustrator’s Café. They also
created this year’s cover for Illustrators’ Annual, the official publication of the fair.
Quetzal Léon Calixto, Art Director at
Ediciones SM Mexico, was one of the
three judges who chose The Great
Flood for the Fundación SM
International Award for Illustration at
the 2012 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
In Varoom! magazine, 2012, Quetzal
stated “the images of Nina and Evelyn
have a particular and uncomfortable
atmosphere to assist their story, and
the story talks about a dark and
disturbing future.” He praised the use
of graphic pencils to evoke dark,
uncomfortable imagery.
Asked whether Laube and Wehrle’s illustrations will appeal to children, Quetzal replies
“It’s a difficult question. I think we have a strange idea about what a child likes, a
market idea, an educational idea, etc. But in my experience…what a child likes is always
open to many kinds of images.” (Varoom! 2012)
Eunyoung Cho
BIB Grand Prix Winner 2011
Eunyoung Cho was the Grand Prix
winner at the BIB 2011 for Run Toto!
Cho worked drawing illustrations
commissioned by publishers before
becoming frustrated with the lack of
artistic freedom. She decided to try
her hand at creating picture books.
Run Toto! was inspired by her love
of horses and childhood memories
of going to horse races. (Kim, 2012)
She utilizes color and line to reflect
how children see galloping horses.
Cho exhibited her work at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2012. Like Laube and
Wehrle, Cho also had a turn at designing the cover for that year’s Illustrator’s Annual:
Run Toto!
In addition to portraying the race track as a
place of excitement and fantasy for a child, Run
Toto! shows disappointed adults seeing their
hopes dashed as the horses they have bet on do
not win, creating a stark contrast between the
different viewpoints.
Some critics questioned whether illustrations of adults smoking, gambling, and fighting
were appropriate for inclusion in a children’s book. However, Cho believes that the
essence of the story lies in the love between a child and a horse. (Kim, 2012)
Dark imagery, adult behaviors…it isn’t difficult to image these books causing U.S. parents
and teachers concern over whether children should be exposed to them. However, critics
have embraced these books. List Magazine called Run Toto! “a masterpiece that appeals to
readers of all ages” (Kim, 2012) In 2012, Italian publisher Topipittori said of The Great
Flood “it is one of the best presentations we have ever received in the publishing house.
Few words…reveal[s] that talent, expertise, understanding of narrative and inventive.”
(http://pozarozkladem.blogspot.com/2012/07/run-toto-z-seulu-cd.html, via Google
Translate)
But what will children think? Are these books really that different from kids’
books published in the U.S.? Darker? More disturbing?
Maybe…
Maybe not…
Perhaps the child reader is the best judge of what makes an appropriate children’s
book. Some children are capable of handling disturbing themes and imagery at
earlier ages than others. As Quetzal Léon Calixto said in regards to The Great Flood,
“what a child likes is always open to many kinds of images.” Furthermore, “children
have a great capacity to comprehend the “other.” (Varoom!, 2012)
Sharing the Stories
Since they are not yet published in the United States, it may be difficult to track
these titles down. However, there are a few sources from which they can be
purchased and shipped overseas.
The Great Flood may be purchased
directly from the publisher, SJW, at
http://www.sjw.ch/index.htm
Han Books in Los Angeles, CA, a seller
of Korean books, CDs, and DVDs
(http://www.hanbooks.com/) states
that they can obtain virtually any book
available in Korea. This is a likely
source for the award winning Run
Toto!
Once we’ve obtained the books, we might want to pair them with more
familiar titles as a way of introducing them to readers who might otherwise
pass them by. Displays of similar themed stories are one possibility…
Read about
Noah’s Ark!
Horse Racing Stories
For Kids!
We might also group them with wordless picture books, to emphasize the
unique artwork the illustrators have created.
Imagination…
Enjoy!
Whether our patrons choose to read these books or feel that they are too far out of
their comfort zone for children’s literature, the works of Cho and Laube & Wehrle are
unique, beautifully crafted masterpieces that deserve a place in our libraries for easy
access by an audience who will enjoy them – whether they can read the text in the
original language, or simply admire the artwork. It doesn’t much matter in what way
they are used, as long as they can be enjoyed.
References
BIBIANA site: Archive BIB 2011. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bibiana.sk/index.php?id=274&L=2
Biennial of Illustration Bratislava - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2014, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennial_of_Illustration_Bratislava
BolognaFiere - Bologna Exhibitions and Fairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bolognafiere.it/en/home
CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATION: Cho Eun Young. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://picturebookillustration.blogspot.com/2013/09/cho-eun-young.html
Hwang, D. (2012, March). Korean children’s books entice European readers. Retrieved from
http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=99543
Kim, J. (2012). LIST Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.list.or.kr/articles/article_view.htm?Div1=8&Idx=847
Laube, E., & Wehrle, N. (n.d.). it's raining elephants. Retrieved from http://www.itsrainingelephants.ch/
Poza Rozkładem: "Run Toto!" (Z Seulu c.d.). (2012, July). Retrieved from
http://pozarozkladem.blogspot.com/2012/07/run-toto-z-seulu-cd.html
Varoom 18: Children’s Books. (2012). Varoom!. Retrieved from http://www.varoom-mag.com/?p=1357
«Die grosse Flut» in Bratislava mit dem GRAND PRIX BIB 2013 ausgezeichnet | Wetterreporter. (2013, September). Retrieved
from http://www.wetterreporter.ch/?p=2104