I love a good artistic book, especially the sort of illustrated novels that Nick Bantock and Barbara Hodgson are so good at crafting. (Quick recommendations - Bantock's The Venetian's Wife is a great combination of history and modern romance, very lush and sexy. Hodgson's latest, The Lives of Shadows, is an excellent look at one man's love affair with a house in Syria which takes place during the Syrian war for independence against the French, after WWI. In light of current events, this lovely story is a nobrainer as necessary reading and the collage style art is amazing!) I was quite excited then to come across a picture book style title from Egyptian illustrator and writer, Mohieddin Ellabbad, in the catalog for Groundwood Press. After spending some time going through it I was more than happy to add it to my "review immediately" pile. It's gorgeous and unlike anything I've come across.

Ellabbad is a well known author/illustrator in the Arabic-speaking world but westerners are likely unfamiliar with his work. In The Illustrator's Notebook he provides full color collage style drawings of his work and then explanations as to what the work is about, why certain things were included there or the sources of his inspiration. He includes all sorts of found images here - from postcards to postage stamps and even Superman and Alice in Wonderland. Ellabbad adds to them with his own ideas and artwork, thus prompting discussions about not only what he started with, but why he started there and how he ended up. I particularly enjoyed what he had to say about his creative process and would very much like to read more about him and his work. If you are the artsy type though, or know someone intrigued by the creativity in others, The Illustrator's Notebook is very much an overlooked gem. It's my "Cool Read" for the September column.

(One last note - Bantock has a new book due out next month, Windflower.)