#132 of 1001 · December 10, 2020

Some days I’m a little bit lost, uncertain, adrift in the stream of life. I suppose, then, that I feel a bit like the title character of Koji Takihara’s Rolli. A little red dot, forgetful of its past and uncertain of its future, travels across the land, first rolling by itself, then carried aloft by a bird, then pushed through the ground by a mole. Eventually, Rolli settles in the soil, sprouts leaves, and gives rise to a beautiful flower, whose peaceful existence is soon threatened by a storm of lightning, rain, and wind. Takihara’s art, deliberately produced in a childlike style, serves as a counterpoint to the deceptive complexity of his plot, in which the stages of a flower’s growth stand as a metaphor for the cycle of life and death and the passing of generations. Finally, out of Rolli’s flower drops a brand-new Rolli, which begins traveling across the land, forgetful of its past and uncertain of its future... #seed #seeds #flower #flowers #bird #mole #storm #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks