Ooh-la-la (Max in Love)

“It’s clever, and it’s silly and seems loony enough to attract children.. It was fun to read, and I also suspect a child familiar with Max’s adventures in Paris would recognize the city, should she visit.” –Linda Wertheimer, The New York Times

“Visual and literary jokes abound…while lighthearted digressions offer amusing first lessons in art appreciation….sophisticated fare indeed, but children and the uninitiated alike will find plenty of amusement nonetheless. Painstaking design integrates text and pictures, turns type upside-down or sideways, shrinks or expands type size-whimsical touches in perfect keeping with this fluid work.” —Publishers Weekly

“With a palette as subtle as the light on Montmartre and a notably free, sophisticated style, Kalman incorporates witty references to artists and their work in her own delightfully lively paintings….marvelously rich language.” —Kirkus Reviews 

“Ooh-la-la, c’est formidable! Or maybe weird and wonderful would be a better way to describe Kalman’s latest book about Max, the dog poet. Busy, surreal illustrations combine with a sophisticated, witty text to create a fast-moving, hip-hopping Parisian adventure of canine amour….Kalman’s creativity and inventive use of language show as much in the page design as in the story itself…Brilliant, bold, funny and obscure, this is definitely one of Kalman’s best efforts to date. Not every reader will be in tune with the jazzy style, but most large libraries will want this tour de force in their collections.” —School Library Journal

“The work of Maira Kalman offers up a very modern freedom and zest.” —USA Today