Artie and Julie by Chih-Yuan Chen.

The author of the great Guji Guji returns with a very clever picture book that follows the stories of Artie and Julie.  Artie is a lion who is taught by his family to walk without making a sound, roar loudly, and to eat rabbits out on the grasslands.  Julie is a rabbit who is taught by her father to listen carefully, run quickly and jump high to escape from lions.  The book is split in two, literally, with Artie’s story on top and Julie’s below.  Each story can be read on its own until they merge, or readers can read both stories in tandem.  The illustrations bridge the cut pages, turning into complete page illustrations when matching pages are open. 

The playful physical design of the book is far more than just a design trick.  It allows readers to create their own experience in the book, then start again and read it an entirely different way.  This sense of free will is such an integral part of the story itself that the design is really the theme of the book brought into reality.  The book’s themes of family allegiance, stereotypes and prejudice are softened by the use of animals as characters, but still stand strong.

The book is a joy to share with children.  It may take some wrestling with pages to use it with a group of children, but a small group would work very well.  It is a great picture book to start discussions even with young children.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.