Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is the story of how a blank page is more than just a blank page. This book is perfect for kids (and adults) who always want to know 'why' or 'how come'. I can't wait to read this to my children and bring it into my classroom.

This is a book that starts with a blank page, and with each page of our book, the reader learns that a blank page starts as a tree, and a tree is in a forest, and a forest needs water and sun and nutrients to live. The book goes on to tell the reader that what seems like a simple piece of paper is a part of a much bigger world and that everything starts with something else. It's a very simplistic representation of life cycles and how living in the world means we need to be aware of what we use in terms of resources.

I would recommend this book to kids who are learning about the world at large and need a simpler view to start with.

New agey, imaginative romp through the many facets of life that bring a piece of paper into one’s hands. The forest and sun and rain that help trees grow. Cutting down trees (carefully), bringing them to the mill to be processed, bringing them to the city for people to use. The “universe” makes it all happen so the next time you see a blank page, remember that.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Parallax Publishing/Plum Blossom for the digital review copy of this delightful, little book.

Okay. So if I had kids, this would be the type of book I would buy them. I would want them to read absolutely everything, but we would most definitely own this book. It takes a single object (a blank page) and traces its origins to trees and how paper is made, taking great care to constantly remind us how nothing exists in a vacuum and that we are all connected in everything we do.

I also really loved Rob Moss Wilson’s artwork. It’s a straightforward style that I often see in webcomics and that I absolutely love! Simple line work with colors that pop. I want more.

Since I don’t have kids, I’ll settle for telling my young library patrons and their parents about this one. They walk out of our library with stacks and stacks, and adding this to their pile will help them to think more globally about the stacks of books they carry out.

This one comes out on September 22, so definitely keep your eyes peeled for it at your local library or favorite indie bookseller.

I received an electronic ARC from Parallax Press through NetGalley.
The idea behind this book is interesting but the execution falls flat. The text offers information on how paper is made and all the elements involved in the process. The illustrations are different - brightly colored but cartoonish. This could be a read aloud but the structure doesn't flow well.

'The Blank Page' is a really unique and interesting children's book. Using simple, straightforward language, it explains what goes into making the paper and materials used to make the book the reader is holding. It also highlights the ways in which so many things are interconnected. This is a wonderful book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

I didn't like the art in "The Blank Page." The colors were bright and fun, but I wasn't a fan of the drawing style. This might be ok for nonfiction but I don't recommend it to people who enjoy fiction picture books. I was not the right audience for this one - I didn't finish it.

I loved the idea of this book: taking a blank page and teaching (children) that there is so much more to a sheet of paper. The life cycle of a blank page from trees to the sun and water was a unique tale to spin for readers.

2.5 rounded up. Mostly I really liked the concept of this book, but the execution didn’t quite nail it for me.

I am a big fan of books (for adults and kids!) that provide a zoom in and zoom out perspective. This one follows paper and all of the people and resources required to make paper. I just wish it had done a little more and been more dynamic because I think something like this would be so great for so many parts of the classroom (an elementary Econ unit?? social studies? natural resources convos? The list goes on).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book would be great for fans of Zoom by Istvan Banyai. It starts with a blank page, and the idea that it isn't really empty because it's paper and paper comes from trees, which are processed in factories, that are worked in by people, who eat food that is farmed and so on. It's a clever idea and the illustrations are brilliant with lots of detail as the book progresses.

Cute book and illustrations following the process of paper being made and shows children that it is not only a "Blank Page" , but started as a tree. I love books like this because it teaches children to think about the process that goes into making products we use everyday.

The Blank Page by Alberto Blanco is a beautiful little book that presents ideas about connectivity and taking a deeper look at things. It inspires curiosity and appreciation for where things come from and has engaging pictures young readers are sure to enjoy.
Many thanks to Parallax Press, Plum Blossom, and NetGalley for the advance copy.

A good way to get children thinking about what goes into everyday items. Many things are interconnected "behind-the-scenes" and only become obvious when you begin looking for them.

A cute book going deeper into where paper comes from and how all the things are connected. The illustrations were lacking a little for me but I loved that each page built on the last. It was cool how they go deeper into how paper is made and how community is needed to do everything involved.

Thanks to netgalley, Alberto Blanco and Parallax press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I understand what this book was trying to do, I found it uninspiring and rather bland.

The reader is basically asked to look behind the sheet of paper to the processes and materials that go into it, from the trees and workers to the sun and rain and the planet itself. The idea that a piece of paper contains the whole universe is, while lovely, a little abstract for a children's book.

I'm not loving the illustrations here, either. They're colourful but rather flat and basic.

My favourite line in the book is probably the last one ("Where nothing happens, there is a miracle that we are not seeing.") and despite what the blurb says, it's not even Blanco's line. Attribution is given on the copyright page.

Overall, this is a forgettable book. While the message is laudable, the execution is just plain boring.

The Blank Page is a children's book about looking deeper and appreciating the community of people and things around you. It starts by having a dialogue of nothing on the page, meanwhile it dives deeper into showing that everything has a place in this world and that everyone/everything is appreciated. Great cross-curricular for science with a focus on trees and forests and the water cycle.

I enjoyed the fact that the illustrations are simple and that new things get added on each page. I really enjoyed how the narrative goes along with the story and points things out in the illustrations that I probably wouldn't have noticed before, like the dirt and sky behind the trees.

This story begins with a page that is blank except for the words “There is nothing here.”

And the story goes on to tell the story of how even when a page might be blank, it isn’t nothing, because it is paper, and paper is indeed something even if there are no words on it at all. Something that has a story to tell of where it came from, beyond just knowing it is made from. And if paper is made from wood, how does a tree turn into paper.

This takes the reader on a journey from simple illustrations of a tree to pointing out all the things that help the tree grow. The soil, the sun, the sky, all of nature, and time all help the trees grow. And if we keep looking, we may see more trees, a forest. The clouds above that bring rain that falls in the mountains and flows downstream, fills the rivers, and rivers that bring water to the trees. In order to make paper, some of those trees need to be cut down, but thoughtful people take only what they need. At the bottom of the hill is the mill where the trees become paper. And if you follow the road you can see the city where lots of paper is used in all kinds of businesses. Beyond there, you can see the workers tending to fields where fruit, vegetables and grains come from, which also need all the same things, the rain that brings water, the sun’s rays, the earth’s soil, and clean air.

This closes with one more thing you can see when you see a blank page...”you, reading this book.”

So the next time you see a blank page, look closely… ”Because it contains the whole universe.”


Pub Date: 22 Sep 2020

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Parallax Press / Plum Blossom

#TheBlankPage #NetGalley

The Blank Page by Alberto Blanco is an unexpected story for me. As a writer I thought it will tackle on how I could overcome my fear of starting a story. But nope. And yet, this story offers more. It's a book about a blank page, yes. More precisely, it's a children's book that teaches how paper was made. It reminds us not to waste this product that we can often easily throw or shred. And that we should use it well because we will not have an infinite supply. It offers the understanding of giving importance to things we are used to having and to look around because we are all part of a cycle. I love the line at the end that says: "Where nothing happens there is a miracle that we are not seeing." But it could have been more impactful if it also offers the readers the effect of staring into a blank page. I am rating this book 4 stars.

The simplicity of this book, but the complex message within it, it what is most appealing about this book. I really, really liked the message of the book. At first glance, it is the story of all of the processes behind how paper is made. It makes one realize how much work goes into getting a single piece of paper, and I think it would encourage children to appreciate what a process it really is. I think it will inspire them to cherish books. It was also the story of looking beyond the page, and how there are many things going on behind the scenes that you do not always see or notice at first. A message of how things are connected. I think this would be a superb read aloud for primary classrooms. While young readers can easily connect to the story and learn about all that goes into making paper, I think this message will be equally appealing for older readers. It will really encourage them to think about things more closely and see the bigger picture. The simplicity of the text and simplistic artwork mesh well together, however, I am not certain that I loved the illustrations in this book. Because of the concise and precise message in the text, and the overall message that there are bigger things that you don't always see working in this world, I think I would have preferred to see more realistic artwork. I did enjoy seeing the owl pop up throughout the book, and I think that would be an appealing activity for young readers, to look out for the owl. I would have liked to see more blank pages in a book called The Blank Page. The text was very conversational, and though provoking, and I liked that.