The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang

Rating: 2.5 stars

Ever look at a piece of artwork and just wonder... Huh?


That's what I think about this, a Caldecott winner from a few years back.  It's a wordless picture book (hey, I was just talking about those the other day...click here if you missed it) full of eerie, odd, spooky pictures.  It reminds me of the magical realism that Isabel Allende uses in her novels, but just doesn't seem to work here.  For us, anyway.

I just don't get it.

The Grey Lady gets strawberries from the market and walks home to share them with her grandchildren.  Along the way, a spooky, blue creature tries to steal them away, but the grey lady morphs into different objects in order to hide from the strawberry snatcher.

At least that's what I think happens.

We've read a bunch of Molly Bang books, and I expected a step out of the normal from her.  We especially appreciated her When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry with its vibrant pictures and unique spin on what to do to regain control of yourself.

But this one?  I'm sort of dumbfounded.  I'm going to return it to the library and check it out again in a few months...maybe I'll get it a little more then...?  Or, like that crazy artwork, I'll leave it to The Experts to fully get and appreciate.