ACHUKA Book of the Day 29 Jul 2022
Times Children’s Book of the Week 18 Jun 2022
“The art is sometimes spare and monochrome before shifting to a bright and striking palette as Griffin deploys aesthetics that enliven the rich flow and rhythm of Reynolds’ words. The two skillfully go back and forth like rap duos of old, each with a distinct voice that enriches the other. The result is an effective critique of the ways we’ve failed as a society to care for one another. By “Breath Three,” however, a complicated optimism shines through for a family that perseveres through closeness and connection despite what is broadcast from their TV. While grounded in 2020, many of the issues touched on explicitly are very much not over and not even new, making this remarkable work both timely and timeless. Artful, cathartic, and most needed.” KIRKUS
“A strength unique to visual storytelling is its ability to enrich and unpack the text, building on minor variations in observed details. Through art and words, “Ain’t Burned All the Bright” looks at how we measure time — the book’s stretched-out sentence echoes the reality of waiting indefinitely for justice, for progress, for a fulfillment of hollow promises. Insisting that possibility survives, even as every possibility now carries an asterisk.” Washington Post
“Destined to become a classic.” The Times
Published as Ain’t Burned All The Bright in the U.S.
Intimately set within the walls of a family home, this book is an incredible artefact of the historic year we have all lived through. We travel from the depths of despair but not without hope; the mundane details contained within four walls becomes our sanctuary.
This is a gift in commemoration of a time and place, of a world wide pandemic, of loss and of the murder of George Floyd. It is a reminder of how, in uncertain times, we can cling to the simple things for respite, for hope. A reminder of how comforting books and artworks are in times of extreme stress.
There is a fascinating dialogue between author and artist at the end of the book in which we learn that the two of them were originally collaborating “on a whole different book idea”. The title for the UK edition is taken directly from the conversation.
The friendship between the two Jasons goes way back. You can follow them both on Instagram:
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