Myra here.
I am happy to join the Poetry Friday community this week (hosted graciously by Wee Words for Wee Ones) with a discovery from the International Youth Library in Munich.
I thought that this title shows how even the ordinary can be transformed into something quite fantastical “with the sun in my eyes” and as such still fits into our current reading theme.
With The Sun In My Eyes (Con El Sol En Los Ojos)
Written and Illustrated by: Jorge Luján and Morteza Zahedi Translated by: Janet Glass
Published by: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016 ISBN: 141971872X (ISBN13: 9781419718724)
Bought a copy of the book. Book photos taken by me.
There is something special with Jorge Lujan’s picturebooks. There is a simplicity to them that is never really simple, a subtlety that is quiet, with a childlike truth that is often stark, inviting, and true.
I also found Zahedi’s art to be compelling, matching the playful quality of Lujan’s verse. I selected this one in particular as there was a mention of a “dragon kite” – perfect for our current reading theme.
One of my constant peeves about bilingual picturebooks is that there tends to be too much text that they clutter the pages – not in this book, though. As you can see above, there is enough space for the eyes to rest, with only four lines usually per translated text, and a “silence that is louder than noise.”
The poems are also fairly simple and I enjoyed the fact that they do not rhyme. I think most picturebook poetry for kids overemphasize the rhyme but go less on the imagery, which I find to be tragic. Here, each poem characterizes a young child’s musings of a hen’s golden eggs as “tiny walking suns” or a doll who is not paying attention (see image above) because:
She must be thinking about
someone who once loved her.
My favourite poem, though, happens to be the book’s title – and my Poetry Friday offering this week. I took a photo of the page and edited it using an iPhone app:
I also tried looking for a book trailer on Youtube but found this Bee Gees song instead of the same title. Enjoy!
“With The Sun In My Eyes”
Strongly I heed you. But ev’ry promise seems to fade away.
Who is the clown that walks in the steps of my shadow?
Is it the man who does what he can but never does it right?How can I prove? There is no reasoning or asking why.
Only to prove. I love you deeply with the sun in my eyes.
Who is the clown that walks in the steps of my shadow?
Is it the man who does what he can but never does it right?How can I prove? There is no reasoning or asking why.
Only to prove. I love you deeply with the sun in my eyes.
I love you deeply with the sun in my eyes
I love you deeply with the sun in my eyes.
Gathering Books 
Well that was fun – and you managed to elevate the Bee Gees, too :)!
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Yes, I, too, love the poem you chose, Myra, each receptacle getting smaller and smaller until you carry it “in nothing”. Thanks for the introduction to this book and for flash of the past with the Bee Gees. =)
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What a unique and distinctive illustration style! It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever come across – really wonderful.
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That sweet poem “wear the sun in your eyes” is one to enjoy more than once, Myra. It’s such a happy poem. The illustrations are lovely too. I’ll look for this book!
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The book looks fabulous. I agree with you about bilingual books. I like that this had white space. I feel like you have time to think and react with your own thought with more white space.
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