The art often exhibits signs of the paints being pressed between sheets, Caldecott honoree Harris’ bold colors and simple shapes popping from the pages. The author/illustrator also plays with the possibilities that lie within the gutter of a physical book. . . . Harris’ text is equally slick. . . . He also ratchets up the read-aloud tension as the duelists grow closer and closer to each other on their steeds. . . . Delights in duplicate; expect this title to double everyone’s pleasure at the next storytime.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Suspense is built through illustrations full of action and energy, with symmetrical images mirroring the queens, the crowds, and the knights as the confrontation begins. . . . Children’s expectations of a clear winner will be challenged by the solution, which may create thought-provoking discussion.
—Booklist (starred review)
Bright endpapers highlighting a pair of butterfly wings fittingly encapsulate this clever picture book. . . . Colorful, blotchy art, created with tempera and acrylic paint, has a fairy-tale quality. . . . The unyielding structure of using only mirrored images works brilliantly to heighten the duel’s visual tension. . . . Though the amusing crowd scene provides a break from the tension, the symmetry demonstrates that both knights are truly equal competitors. . . . The situation is resolved with lots of room for reader interpretation and re-readings to explore how the effective visual structure works in the story.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
The pressure and exaggerated caricature style applied to thick acrylic paint make for an absolutely explosive mirror-image battle, which feels as dynamic and exciting as any real-life rennfaire joust. Scale and composition are deployed with magnificent precision to create page-turning tension. . . . Meanwhile, the text engages the reader with a playfulness that belies its stealthily delivered lessons on number recognition and phonics.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
Caldecott Honoree Harris takes blot painting . . . to new heights in this inventive, Rorschach-reminiscent fable. . . . In support of the story’s message about pointless division, every fold suggests that the two symmetrical sides were always one. The joyfully hands-on method behind this playful work of artistic discipline beckons readers to squish some paint of their own.
—Publishers Weekly
The arresting mirror-image illustrations build tension and drama, while the text adds slightly tongue-in-cheek commentary to the proceedings. . . . Creative constraint and clever storytelling make this a unique and versatile addition to any school or public library collection.
—School Library Journal
Symmetrical storytelling at its finest. . . . Harris . . . has a fine ear for readaloud picture books. . . . Beautiful. Inventive. Awesome.
—Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production
Shawn Harris’s books make me happy. DUEL is so fun, unique, and clever. I loved it!
—Colby Sharp, 5th Grade Teacher