Squall
By: Brett Aube & Marija Stefanovic
Publisher: Little Pudding Press, USA, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Love, loss and adventure at the open sea
A "squall" is a sharp increase in wind, connected with heavy precipitation and thunderstorms. Squall is also the title of a brand-new silent book from the USA. The book touches on subjects of love, recilience and the losses that, just like sharp winds, have the power to turn our lives around.
With silent books, you can actually judge a book, at least partly, by its cover. Because silent books have little or no text to guide the reader, the illustrator/author and publisher need to work together to make the whole book a meaningful object that reinforces the story. The publisher of Squall has done an amazing job with the cover design. Unlike most picturebooks for children, it does not reveal any of the illustrations. Instead, the cover shows the outline of deep sea currents, a lighthouse and a fishingboat, embossed in gold on a midnight blue background. It is a beautiful and tactile introduction to this nautical tale
Brett Aube has authored the story, which is illustrated by Marija Stefanovic. She is both an illustrator and an art therapy practitioner and works specifically with symbols, and themes like emotional healing. With a muted color palette and a very skillfull use of perspectives, Stevanovic creates a rugged, nautical setting for the book. The reader is introduced to high mountains and vast seas surrounding what seems to be a small coastal town, where the protagonists, an old fisherman and his beloved and faithful dog, travels by boat from his small, wooden house to the large ocean. Squall has a vintage feel to it, transporting us to a time when we were not constantly surrounded by screens and techincal gadgets.
Stefanovic's subtle use of symbolism gives the reader ample space to read their own experiences and feelings into the pages. Her masterful use of light - the single candle, the harsh winter morning, the beautiful sunset, the aurora borealis, the complete lack of light in the middle of the storm - has multiple functions: It sets the mood for each illustration, reads as a running comment to the actions and emotions involved, and can also be read as symbols for the different stages of grief.
The fisherman and the dog sails through a terrible storm. When it quiets, a beautiful hummingbird appears. Birds are powerful symbols in many cultures, and hummingbirds are often seen as the spirits of loved ones coming to visit. This symbolic use of birds is a common trait of many great silent books, like the red robin in Mania Eghrarian's Il pettirosso and the blue isis in Migrantes by Issa Watanabe.* In Squall, the hummingbird appears as both a live visitor and as a motif on a painting in the fisherman's home, which makes room for many interesting interpretations.
Squall is a wonderful example of a silent book that gives the readers ample space to create their own stories. The rugged, nautical surroundings are beautifully portrayed by Stefanovic, in a way that lets you smell the salt in the air and feel the harsh coastal winds against your skin. For the youngest children, Squall might read as an exciting adventure of a man and a cute dog at sea in rough weather. For older children and adults it is a perfect opening to reflect on feelings of loss, loneliness and hope and how they affect us. The publisher has understood the importance of a silent book as a complete object: The cover, paper quality, format and illustrations of Squall all work together to guide the reader through the multiple possibilities for storytelling this book has to offer.
*Both books to be reviewed soon!
