Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical

by No mie R vah, Olimpia Zagnoli (Illustrator)

Overview

This story was inspired by a René Maltête photograph in which a father wears horizontal stripes, a mother vertical stripes, and their child sports a checkered shirt. This boldly graphic concept book is built around lines and their direction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592701612
Publisher:	Enchanted Lion
Publication date:	10/28/2014
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

Editorial Reviews

Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical uses a famous photograph as a springboard for an illustrated story that riffs on the graphic patterns in the photo. So if it's not precisely a photography-based picture book, it's one that makes the case for using photography as a spur to the imagination…With these two characters Révah and Zagnoli have somehow, amid all the abstraction, evoked actual, believable people, making you realize how ridiculous sweeping gender assumptions are (men, upward and outward-directed; women, inward-tending) when you consider anyone in all his or her intricacies.

The New York Times - Maria Russo

09/08/2014
Inspired by a lighthearted photograph by René Maltête (reproduced at the end of the book), debut talents Révah and Zagnoli unspool a stylish story of opposites attracting. Mister Horizontal is an enormously long-legged man with a horizontally striped black-and-white shirt and a love of all things close to the ground (“He likes ants and other insects that march in long lines”). Miss Vertical has a large triangular dress, a vertically striped top, and an appreciation for dizzying heights (“She is crazy about rockets”). His arms are frequently pictured as a circle, hers outstretched above her head—together, their bodies recall the XO symbol of kisses and hugs. Zagnoli takes a disciplined approach to her crisp, modern illustrations, which use simplified shapes and a focused palette of primary colors. As a piece of design, it’s impeccable, with vertically and horizontally striped elements extending to the endpapers and book jacket. As a romance, though, it’s cerebral and cold; the two never appear together except in the final pages, where it’s revealed that they have a child—whose preference for plaid shows exactly where he comes from. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

“. . . debut talents Révah and Zagnoli unspool a stylish story of opposites attracting . . . Zagnoli takes a disciplined approach to her crisp, modern illustrations, which use simplified shapes and a focused palette of primary colors. As a piece of design, it’s impeccable.” — Publishers Weekly

"Smoothly translated from the original French...The illustrations emphasize iconic, black-and-white figures on solid backgrounds, emphasizing the eerily wild and fun contrast between two radically different personalities...The original, inspirational photograph is on he final page of this just-plain-fun read-aloud picture book."— Midwest Book Review

"Witty, clever, elegantly designed..."— Kirkus Reviews

“the predilections and personality traits we glean from all this go directly against gender stereotypes in a remarkably unforced way. With these two characters Révah and Zagnoli have somehow, amid all the abstraction, evoked actual, believable people, making you realize how ridiculous sweeping gender assumptions are . . .” – The New York Times

“How parents shape our own becoming is the premise, explored with remarkable subtlety and ingenuity, behind Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical by French writer Noémie Révah and Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli — a conceptual, minimalist, maximally delightful graphic book that calls to mind Norton Juster’s vintage classic The Dot and the Line in its geometric metaphors for temperament, yet is completely original in both substance and style.” – Brain Pickings

“the artwork and witty narrative work well enough together that your kid just might start to look at some things differently. Even if the abstract stuff isn't quite their thing, it's still a win if Mr. Horizontal convinces them that napping is cool.” – Fatherly


“the graphics are presented in such a way as to offer a unique perspective . . . and large font combined with the spare colors and simple graphic shapes makes for a book that is likely to find its way to museum shop shelves and libraries. “ – New York Journal of Books


“With wonderful combinations of bold designs in primary colors by Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli and text by French writer Noémie Révah, it’s a fun conceptual book for children – one of those books of opposites but it goes beyond the simple comparison of abstract ideas. It’s a story of different personalities, adventures, a family and a chance for a child to reflect on how she became who she is.” – Mr Printables

“More than just a concept book about horizontal and vertical, this is a book about opposites, and a fabulous mentor text for writers of all age and experience who need to practice describing their characters in a variety of ways.” – A Year of Reading

“The passion that went into creating this book in both words and pictures is what makes it shine. The story is so charming, and children will delight in the adventures these two peas take. As they follow them through the garden, readers discover the many plants and critters that live and thrive there and depend upon each other for survival. And the simple, sparse text is ideal for young children who are just starting to read.” – Smart Books for Smart Kids

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Mr. Horizontal and Miss Vertical are an adventurous pair. He "loves everything that glides," while his female counterpart "loves launching herself into orbit." On alternating pages, the particular preferences of each character are highlighted. Mr. Horizontal likes activities such as rollerblading, boating, or cycling, that take him across the land or sea toward the horizon. On the contrary, Miss Vertical prefers activities that will take her up high, such as climbing stairs, washing the windows of a skyscraper, or blasting off in a rocket. Intriguing images within the text of the characters' favorite pastimes, like floating in the ocean, doing yoga, climbing trees with koalas and riding in hot-air balloons, contrast sharply with the simple but striking illustrations. On each spread, the predominantly black-and-white figure of Mr. H or Miss V, dressed in appropriately corresponding stripes, stands out against a solid background in which the large, bold text complements the spare, geometric design of the illustrations. The story ends with a question, "Now what do you think their child will love?" and the accompanying picture of a child wearing a checkered shirt provides the answer. Inspired by a photograph of a French family dressed in contrasting geometric patterns, which appears on the last page, this clever concept book will capture children's imaginations.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

School Library Journal

2014-09-14
Inspired by a photograph showing a family of three, the man wearing horizontal stripes, the woman vertical, and the child a checkered shirt, this whimsical debut picture book challenges the limits of ultradesigned books for children. The characteristics and preferences of the pinheaded protagonists are illustrated in bold geometric black and white on strong, flat background colors. Mister Horizontal, predictably, loves the smooth, gliding motions of rollerblading and sailing. Miss Vertical prefers dizzying aerial adventures; she "loves launching herself into orbit and looping through the air." Mister Horizontal likes to bend and stretch, (which action confusingly causes his stripes to be vertical on the page.) Miss Vertical, the thrill seeker, loves high-wire acrobatics, elevators, bungee jumping, rockets, skyscrapers and balloons. Mister Horizontal, more down-to-earth, prefers the desert, the ocean, ants marching in straight lines, lounging, napping and gardening. The book's ulterior motive is suddenly revealed at the end, in a question: "Now what do you think… / …their child will love?" And there is their child, wearing a checkered shirt, just like the boy in a closing photo. Witty, clever, elegantly designed but certainly not touchy-feely, this book is a somewhat strained synthesis of graphic illustration, seemingly designed to teach the concept of orientation in conjunction with an analysis of personality traits. Eye-catching though it is, it is unlikely to displace more traditional, warmer offerings on this subject. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews