One Sentence Summary:
“Re-Zoom” by Istvan Banyai is a wordless picture book that tells the story of a series of zoomed in and out illustrations, challenging readers to think outside the box and see the bigger picture.
Book Genre:
Children’s picture book, wordless
Main Topic of the Book:
The power of perspective and the importance of looking at things from different angles.
Key Ideas:
- The concept of zooming in and out to see the bigger picture
- How different perspectives can change the way we perceive a situation
- The importance of thinking creatively and outside the box
Main Parts of the Book and Short Summary:
- Introduction: The book starts with a small, zoomed in illustration of a jungle, hinting at the idea of zooming out to see the bigger picture.
- The series of zoomed in and out illustrations: The main bulk of the book consists of twelve intricate and detailed illustrations, each one zooming in and out of the previous one.
- Zooming out: As the reader progresses through the book, they are shown that the zoomed in images are actually part of a bigger picture.
- Zooming in again: Each illustration then zooms in on a smaller section of the previous one, revealing even more detail and a different perspective.
- Final zoom out: The last illustration is the biggest and most zoomed out, showing the entire world and all the previous images fitting together to create it.
- Conclusion: The book ends with the reader zooming in on their own eye, emphasizing the idea of perspective and that everything starts from our own point of view.
Key Takeaways:
- The importance of looking at things from different angles to gain a different perspective
- How we all have a different view of the world based on our own experiences and perceptions
- The power of creativity and thinking outside the box
Author’s Background and Qualifications:
Istvan Banyai is a Hungarian-born graphic designer and illustrator, best known for his wordless picture books. He has written and illustrated numerous books for children and adults, and has won several awards for his work.
Target Audience:
Children, educators, and anyone interested in the power of perspective and creativity.
Publisher and First Publication Date:
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers in 1995.