FORTS

FORTS by Katie West. Illustrated by Kenard Pak

Kids love forts. From built playhouses and treehouses to constructed hideaways of tree limbs in the woods or blankets in the living room, my kids spent (and still do) hours creating spaces they could call their own and defend to the last man standing.

FORTS is a book lovingly written by Katie Venit about this childhood fascination. Coming in all shapes and sizes and constructed of every possible material known to men, forts are safe spaces, wild spaces, retreats, snug spaces, and dusty spaces. There are a million ways to describe and a million ways to construct these places that grow to have so much meaning in our lives, and the book Forts pays honor to them in the best of ways.

About the illustrations - I have really grown to be a Kenard Pak fan! His beautiful illustrations are so worth the view time. He has this amazing ability to create gorgeous backgrounds of color and within those areas have eye-catching elements that pop off the page. With this technique, there is a movement that happens to the pictures that fits the movements in a child's world. It is an absolute delight to the eyes as you study the pages.