Is it a matter of art imitating life, or life imitating art? That question is up for debate at Books of Wonder in New York City, where the story behind Alex London’s picture book Still Life (Greenwillow) is played out in a life-sized window display this month.
Designed by the book’s illustrator, Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky, the three-dimensional diorama takes the words of the main character, an artist, quite literally, defying the meaning of a still-life painting “where nothing moves.” Visitors to the children’s bookstore will be delighted by a windowfront scene in which a princess bobs back and forth, a dragon swings to and fro, and other colorful elements come to life in a large format.
Many Moving Parts
The idea of creating a window display for Still Life came about organically for Zelinsky. Having fashioned a display of The Wheels on the Bus for Books of Wonder back in 1990, the artist hadn’t created any other book-based dioramas. A few months ago, Zelinsky asked the bookseller how they choose which books will be featured. “All of a sudden, I had a commitment to deliver a window in the fall,” he told PW.
Zelinsky’s initial idea was to transform the entire storefront window into the book’s cover, but he wasn’t sure how to bring his vision to life. Visiting the store to take measurements— even building a small model—didn’t provide much help, and the clock was ticking. Three weeks before the display was due, Zelinsky went to an art store to buy supplies ad hoc: a bunch of foam core, different kinds of tape, glue, and cutting tools. With less than one week to go, the artist began printing, glueing, slicing, and cutting. “Despite some shocking mismeasurements, I managed to fix up my mistakes and put together something that looked exactly as I had hoped,” he said, also crediting his wife for helping to get the project completed in time.
The next part of the process—carefully transporting his display—was destined to be equally challenging, but Zelinsky had help from fellow author-illustrator Brian Floca (Locomotive), who convinced Zelinsky not to cut up his diorama into pieces. Instead, the two wound up carrying the unwieldy yet lightweight display onto the subway, much to the amusement of passengers and bystanders.
“We did get a lot of attention as we lugged it down the sidewalk and into the subway,” said Zelinsky, noting that people snapped photos and that, at one couple’s request, he and Floca posed for pictures with their display. “I requested that if they posted the photo anywhere, they should tag me,” he added. “I was very proud because I never remember to ask people to look me up on social media.”
How to Jiggle a Dragon
Once at the store, Zelinsky assembled the display in stages, raising the frame to the proper height, hanging the “floating” books to fill the empty space on one side of the window and finally, covering the background with black drapes. “I spent a lot of time standing in the window, so I saw plenty of people walking by and looking in,” he said, earning thumbs up from passersby and compliments from the staff.
In addition to such positive public feedback, Still Life’s author is also thrilled by Zelinsky’s ability to articulate his story in an engaging format. “Not only did he capture the depth and complexity of the still life in the book, but the moving dragon, the princess popping up and the artist in front of it all… these elements imply the story of the book in one perfect snapshot,” London said.
Zelinsky’s editor, Martha Mihalick, concurred. “In Paul’s window display, the loosely rendered artist is a larger-than-life window cling, and the painting is an elaborate, intricate model behind him, bringing the concept to brilliant three-dimensional—and not completely still—life,” she noted.
Zelinsky himself said he is most pleased with the dragon hanging from two threads that allow it to swing. He attached a stick to a piece that holds up the dragon and attached a string, then positioning it alongside the cash register. “I’ve heard that [the staff] has been having a great time yanking the string, especially after telling kids in the store to go out and look in the window,” he said.
For those who don’t catch the Books of Wonder display, they’ll be able to see a smaller model on display at Books Are Magic in Brooklyn Heights. Zelinsky will be also hosting storytime on October 6 at that store, where he’ll be reading Still Life.
