- Title: Skunk on a String
- Author(s): Thao Lam
- Illustrator/Photographer: Thao Lam
- Publisher and Year: Owlkids Books Inc., 2016
- Number of Pages: 38
- Genre: Fiction
- Analysis: Skunk on a String follows a skunk who is stuck to a balloon string as he tries to untie himself. The skunk floats through the city on a wild adventure in hopes of reaching land again. I believe that Skunk on a String is a neat children’s picture narrative that tells a story without the use of words. Through the picture illustrations, young children are able to still understand the context of the story even if they are not able to read. Moreover, the use of only pictures allows for children to develop their imaginations in creating a story for the skunk. When looking for certain picture book codes, I noticed that although many of the pictures told a certain story, some pages had pictures scattered throughout in no particular order. This allows for the reader to interpret their own version of the page and breaks the element of traditional storytelling.
I felt that the illustrations in Skunk on a String were beautiful. Many of the images in the book were filled with different patterns and looked as if they were cut from paper. The colors used in the book were bright, which I felt added to the happy narrative of the story. Something interesting I noticed was that the background on the pages was white; there were no detailed images of a sky, besides a few clouds on a page or two. I felt that this brought more attention to the illustration, reinforcing the fact that the images were the main aspect of the book. The illustrator also chose to only frame some pages; so, whereas you are on the journey with the skunk at times, at other times, you are viewing the skunk through a window.
Finally, in the back of the book, the author explains how when she first came to Canada from Vietnam, learning English was not easy, and it was picture books that helped her better understand the world she was living in as well as sparked her interest in visual storytelling. Moreover, the section explains her love for colored and textured paper, which stated previously, is reflected throughout the book’s artwork. I believe that Skunk on a String does a great job in showing how picture books can help children who struggle not only with reading, but maybe learning a new language, all while offering stunning visuals to keep children engaged.
