4.5 stars.

Lovely picture book! Nature is depicted in vivid, stylish designs, while humans are white voids given detail through embossing. This is utilized very effectively to depict aging and death, as first lines (and slices) in the paper add wrinkles; then the pages become smoother as the person fades away.

Half a star off because I'm not sure who the audience is supposed to be. The "plot" is a big, somewhat subtle metaphor for being born, growing up, and finally passing away to make room for new life. The words are minimal but the vocabulary is somewhat advanced. It's primarily driven by pictures but the art is also sophisticated -- more than a young child would appreciate for sure. I'm not sure an older child would appreciate the picture book style even if they were more receptive to the message. Is it a picture book for adults? Almost feels that way!

This adult was impressed, anyhow. ( )