Corner by Zo-O

Corner by Zo-O, translated by Ellen Jang. Owlkids Books, c2020, 2023. 9781771475327






Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4



Format: Hardcover picture book



What did you like about the book?  This eye-catching tall and narrow picture book follows the activities of a lonely crow who makes a home in the corner of a room. Zo-O cleverly utilizes the gutter of the book as the “corner.” On the first few pages, all we see is Crow standing on a gray triangle surrounded by white walls. He looks at the corner, sits in the corner, and even lies in the corner with his feet propped up on the walls. Gradually he brings in interesting objects: he pushes a large cushion into the corner, adds a bookshelf, a reading lamp, a throw rug, a potted plant, and, of course, a watering can. Then we get our first bit of dialogue as he wonders aloud, “Hmm. What else?” Using a cheerful yellow crayon, Crow begins drawing on his white walls, sketching interlocking geometric shapes that resemble windows. Something is still missing, so the clever bird grabs a circular saw and installs an actual window, happily making a new friend (a contrasting white bird) on the other side of the wall! The charming illustrations look as though they are done in colored pencil, with lots of texture and homey, hygge details. This would be a great book for discussion and predicting. With so little text, it’s fun to wonder aloud about what our hero will do next and maybe even think about how you’d personalize your own corner!



Anything you didn’t like about it? The book was very tightly bound and it’s a little difficult to open it up (especially in the beginning of the story) to see the crow investigating the “corner.”



To whom would you recommend this book?  Picture book readers ages 3-6. I really liked Crow’s minimalist approach to comfort and think it could prompt some back and forth about what you really need to be happy and make a comfortable space for your stuff.



Who should buy this book? Elementary school and public libraries



Where would you shelve it? Picture books



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No



Reviewer: Susan Harari, Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA



Date of review: April 25, 2023