Books like Crow Boy

At first, I really did not like the artwork in this book. It's fuzzy and the colors are dull and makes me feel it's messy. As the story went on, I think it is part of the story to explain the Tiny boy in this book. At least, I think that is what it's doing. Chibi who becomes Crow Boy is not from the village with the other children. He comes to school and he is scared. He hides under the building. Instead of listening to the teacher he examines the world around him. The ceiling fascinates him for hours or his desk or the little window. This boy sees the world through much different eyes. He does not learn in a straight forward way. He lets the world around him teach him. He didn't speak to the children or play with them. Everyone thinks he's stupid.A new teacher comes and begins to talk to the boy. The teacher is quiet and does his best to understand the boy. The ending is lovely and touching. We come to have a respect for the boy and understand that he has a different kind of intelligence. Isn't that what artist give the world, is a new perspective on life, many times from an outsider perspective. This is such a unique and different book. It is such an example of minimalism, I think. He uses simple images with simple sentences to tell this complex story. It was very well handled. Is this my favorite book - no. I do think there is a brilliance in this book that I greatly appreciate. The kids did not like this book which doesn't surprise me. It's not a book you love easily. It's like the boy, you have to be patient and let him show you something beautiful inside you never expected.