Ike's Incredible Ink

"Ike — an inkblot with chickeny legs, a dome head, and an eager smile — is also a blocked writer. Like many before him, he procrastinates ('A bit of cleaning was also in order'), and then he decides that his story demands ink made from exceptional ingredients: shadows, the feathers of a booga-bird, and the essence of the dark side of the moon (which requires building a rocket ship). After some chaotic concocting ('He mashed, he bludgeoned, he crushed, and he steamed'), Ike sits down to write and, sure enough, a story inspired by his ink quest materializes. The structure of Farley's debut feels a little like Ike's journey: well-intentioned, but convoluted and somewhat repetitive. However, Farley is a genuine talent, playing with detail, scale, and texture like a seasoned pro, giving her images a sweet, eccentric, comic rhythm. And there are some marvelous individual spreads, including one that definitively and spectacularly answers the question, What happens when you mix ink in a blender and leave the lid off? Ages 4 — 8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Brianne Farley is a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her freelance work has been selected by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. And while her work has appeared in McSweeneys, the New York Times, and elsewhere, Ikes Incredible Ink is her first book. Brianne Farley lives in Brooklyn.