Exploring Book Forms

"What is a book?" That question is at the heart of my new book, Book Play ($19.95, Lark Crafts).

The answer, well, that depends on who you ask--especially in this digital age! My definition of a book is rooted in my childhood. I was a slow reader and books were often the last choice in a list of pastimes. While I loved listening to my mother read stories and books filled the walls of our house, the playroom craft table and the yard outside were bigger draws. If given the choice, I always picked movement over sitting still!

Yet books were treasured objects to me (and they still are). I have always been interested in turning the pages, looking at the illustrations, and studying the configuration of the letters on the page. I often imagined what I thought the text or images were referencing--they created a spark to ignite my own stories.

The idea that a book is an exciting three-dimensional object is what led me to create my own books and to push the concept of what a book can be. It's an intuitive process, but the outcome can be a "book" that includes physical action, a story, and a spark for the viewer's imagination.

Here are just a few examples: