Young Vo (Gibberish) celebrates the creative power of cooperative friendship in his gorgeous, clever picture book, Makers, featuring two apprentice boat makers.
"Once in a town by the coast," Van and Minh "dreamed of sailing across the sea together." Both had their respective talents and challenges. Van was "always trying something new" though his efforts often didn't work; Minh sought perfection, which meant he rarely finished. "They learned what floated and what did not. They made boats apart and together." When they graduate, they exchange memorable gifts: Van gives Minh a golden chisel and Minh gives Van a golden hammer. Then Van sets up his shop on the west side of town while Minh opens his on the east. Unfortunately, success proves elusive for both: Van's original ideas don't float and no one would wait for Minh's perfection. Years pass. A brief reunion, alas, becomes a missed opportunity until, after another year, the duo realizes that the gift of friendship is the answer to making both their dreams come true.
Vo's dynamic art starts as pencil-and-ink sketches which he digitally renders to create wondrously saturated and immersive spreads. He dresses his boat makers in color-coded uniforms--an energetic orange western shirt and slacks for Van and a traditional, cooler aqua Vietnamese ao dai for Minh--which cleverly align each character with the east and west locations of their shops. Combining Minh and Van's strengths suggests a most rewarding melding of east and west and modern and traditional--a perfect read-alike for fans of Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat. --Terry Hong