Quentin Blake%E2%80%99s A Christmas Carol

Blake interprets Dickens%E2%80%99s Christmas classic with his characteristically droll ink-and-watercolor illustrations. The oversize format, large print, and combination of both spot art and full-page images create an accessible layout for those first becoming acquainted with the story. Blake%E2%80%99s loose style uses humor to temper the darker moments of Scrooge%E2%80%99s ghostly encounters: Jacob Marley resembles a disheveled version of The Simpsons%E2%80%99 Mr. Burns more than a frightening apparition. Yet his cloaked Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come honors Dickens%E2%80%99s silent figure %E2%80%9Cshrouded in a deep black garment,%E2%80%9D which leads Scrooge to his eventual redemption. Ages 7%E2%80%939. (Oct.)