I think I’ve passed on my dream of going to Paris, to Sayer. He told me that he’s taking me to Paris this month (for my birthday) even. I introduced him to the movie “The Red Balloon” when he was 2 or 3 along with many books about Paris – so Paris was in his imagination & vocabulary at an early age. I learned about Henri’s Walk To Paris, by Leonore Klein (a former librarian) a while ago from a blog called Grain Edit. At the time, the book was really hard to find – originally published in 1962, you would be lucky to come across a copy.

One of the cool things about the book is the illustrator, Saul Bass. He’s a rock star among illustrators & designers & this appears to be the only children’s books that he has illustrated.  His amazing body of work includes many film title sequences including one of my favorites, Vertigo (we have the poster in our dining room). I was thrilled to learn that this book was reissued & I got my pre-ordered copy last week on Valentine’s Day. Check out a few of the gorgeous & colorful illustrations….

Henri’s Walk to Paris, is a story about a little boy who dreams of going to Paris & is always telling his friends about how he imagines Paris to be. One day, he decides to pack a picnic lunch & start walking from the little, rural city called Reboul (where he lives), to nearby Paris. He has a charming journey involving a little bird & a pencil. Needless to say, he learns that he’s just as at home in Paris as he is in Reboul. This book will appeal to kids & design loving parents- it’s stunning.

Here’s a little peek into some of the most celebrated work of Saul Bass if you are interested.

The Title Design of Saul Bass from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next week…

Blog Post by Kristin Loffer Theiss