Black Cat, White Cat
Silvia Borando
Walker Books
This is one of two Minibombo titles originally published in Italy and now released by Walker Books in the UK. They are the creation of a highly innovative visual designer and have a great deal to offer to the young and not so young.
Black Cat is just that – entirely black ‘from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tale.’ He is diurnal by nature.
White Cat in contrast is white all over from nose to tail; she is nocturnal.
Both however are curious creatures and decide to find out about the unknown. That is how they encounter one another and each agrees to act as guide facilitating the other on a journey of discovery. Thus Black Cat delights in the wonders of night such as the “glittery, fluttery fireflies’”

and samples the tasty snakes, bats and mice of the night.

White Cat is surprised by the day-flying “busy, buzzy bumblebees” and sees the beautiful daisies, doves and butterflies.
Ultimately, the two become inseparable

and two become …
A wonderful surprise ending ensues but I don’t want to spoil that.
Juxtaposition is key throughout this seemingly simple, visually striking book.
By using only black and white the focus is always on the visual play between the characters, their backgrounds, the placing of the images on the spreads and the contrasting space around them. Genius!

The White Book
Silvia Borando, Lorenzo Clerici & Elisabetta Pica
Walker Books
An endearing small boy stands before a white wall, large paint roller in hand. He then proceeds to paint the wall all over, first with magenta, then blue, green, grey, yellow ochre, purple and finally, orange. Each time the lad puts paint to wall he creates and gives life to, a series of animals.

These appear to leap from the background at first as white outlines and then take solid form as creatures that move away. In this way the protagonist emulates Crockett Johnson’s Harold (of Purple Crayon fame.) Thus the birds take flight, the fish swim off, a stegosaurus roars alarmingly, a large elephant lumbers back squashing the boy against the wall, one of the giraffes lifts him skywards,

almost by the scruff of his neck and a purple aardvark seemingly attempts to swallow the paint-roller.
After all this, the boy’s persistence and determination is rewarded when a sausage shaped-pup appears from the orange wall and

yippee! it wants to play.
It’s assuredly a case of ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again’ and so cleverly rendered in this wordless story.
The book is a wonderful starting point for encouraging children to use their imaginations to create visual narratives of their own. Its inventive ideas and ingenious use of white and single colours is sure to make a powerful impact.
I look forward eagerly to more Minibombo titles.

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