The Duel

September 1, 2024
This Portuguese import contemplates war and peace by upending a planned duel. Two men decide to settle their disagreements by dueling. In a barren landscape, each begins the 100-pace walk away from the other, weapon in hand. Yet one, who narrates, simply walks on. He ambles through increasingly vibrant vistas in a pulsing city, witnessing a parade, a circus, and a puppet show. Skin tones, where discernible in the tiny figures, appear pale. With each page turn, the errant duelist encounters fewer people and more animals. In increasingly bucolic scenes, he trades his pistol for a walking stick. Narration--its meaning at times elusive--takes the form of a letter written to his dueling partner, the "Esteemed Mr Rodin Rostov." Oliveira's Klee-esque illustrations are stunning. Monochromatic early scenes metamorphose in successive palette shifts: saturated primary colors accented by neutrals for the cityscapes, then greens and ochers as the narrator treks through a village and a pasture. When he ponders his fate, constellations frame images of animals in an ink-blue sky. Over land and water, in fair weather and rain, he finally descends a mountain into a lush, flower-filled meadow. There, he pens his missive, posting it in his top hat. His note implores his friend to "put down your weapons and come on over / to see me, would you?" A migrating white bird takes up the envelope, even as the narrator himself seemingly metamorphoses, achieving unity with nature. Subtly beautiful, with a message of peace.(Picture book. 4-7)

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September 9, 2024
Against a shadowy, loosely painted landscape, two figures in top hats stand back to back, pistols raised. Viegas Oliveira, making her English-language debut, narrates in formal translated prose: “Your insults pierced and injured my ears, my eardrums, my heart.” The duo, both portrayed with pale skin, turn and begin pacing away from each other. But instead of turning around and firing, as in a duel, the book’s speaker keeps walking on and on, shown in front of a military formation, ahead of a brass band, traversing a great city, and more, painted in colorblock shapes that shift in saturation. Brooding lines survey the figure’s thoughts about the adversary, until, sitting among gigantic flowers in the countryside, the narrator writes a letter of reconciliation to the former enemy, inviting “my friend, my companion” to “put down your weapons and come on over to see me, would you?” On a round planet, hints this wry story about moving on from violence and toward peace, two warring parties who walk away from each other will inevitably meet again, perhaps after journeys that offer new perspective about the dispute. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones, some fanciful. Ages 4–7.

October 1, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Written in letter form, this takes readers through the feelings and emotions of one adversary to another. An ongoing argument between two old friends culminates in a duel, represented by two sparse watercolor males in a muted palette of grays and browns. The illustrations become more robust, filling each page with brighter and more saturated colors with each step the dueler takes, eventually filling the entire page. The feelings and emotions of the letter writer are expressed through the volume of illustrations and color saturation on each page. With each step the letter writer takes in the duel, there is the realization that the reason for the fight has been forgotten. This coalesces into a request for forgiveness and disarmament. VERDICT This beautiful book about the healing of distance and reflection is recommended for all libraries where picture books circulate.-Misty Schattle

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