Author and illustrator Mark Pett has released his second picture book today entitled The Boy and the Airplane. It’s a wordless story about a boy who receives a toy airplane as a gift. He plays with it. He loves it. He throws it. In throwing it, he finds it stuck on a nearby roof. The rest of the story takes a lifetime to unfold.
Mark received a nice write up from the Salt Lake Tribune, mentioning the influence of Lio, and Heart of the City creator, Mark Tatulli.
Mark Pett was skeptical when a fellow cartoonist suggested he try writing a story using only illustrations.
That fellow cartoonist wasn?t just any old illustrator. It was Mark Tatulli, award-winning creator of the internationally syndicated “Lio,” a “pantomime” comic strip drawn without words.
Pett took the challenge, albeit gradually. Settling into the small artist?s studio in the basement of an Avenues home he shares with his wife and two daughters in Salt Lake City, Pett sketched out a multitude of “warm-up” illustrations until he felt confident enough to embark on a story told through actions, but no text.
Tonight, if you’re in the Salt Lake City area, there will be a launch party at the Kings English at 6:30 pm.
Mark’s a great artist, and storyteller. Looks like a charming book. I’m sure he’s do well with it.
This book is really beautiful and Mark’s artwork and wordless storytelling is very touching! I highly recommend this if there is a little one in the family