Each bookstore will act as a concierge, recommending "the book you should read now" to FASHION HEADLINE readers. Every Thursday, each branch of the art bookstore "NADiff" will introduce a book they recommend. This time, we'll be looking at the flagship store in Ebisu, Tokyo, the NADiff Apartment (1-18-4 NADiff A/P/A/R/T, 1st floor, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo).

■ "Elephants, Whales & Kangaroos" by Tomi Ungerer

Born in France, Tomi Ungerer is a designer, illustrator, and picture book author who, after wandering around the country, is now primarily based in the United States.

His picture books, such as "The Three of Us" and "I Don't Like Kissing," are popular in Japan, and many people will remember his illustrations. Some may be more impressed by "Phoenikon," a collection of erotic illustrations that offers a cynical look at sexuality, a state of near-mechanization in today's information-overloaded society.

Although a picture book author who won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, he continues to create illustrations that satirize human activities in modern society, which he considers one of his most important themes.

This work is a compilation of "elephants," "whales," and "kangaroos" from the many animal illustrations he drew in his sketchbooks during the 1960s, when he was working primarily in advertising in New York.

His cynical yet humorous and warm illustrations, which calmly observe human behavior and personality and replace them with animals, are heartwarming. The three slim volumes are housed in a simple and beautiful slipcase, making it an ideal gift.

【Book Information】
"Elephants, Whales & Kangaroos"
Author: Tomi Ungerer
Publisher: Nieves
Language: Japanese
Set of 3 books / Slipcase included / 195 x 260 mm
Published: 2015
Price: 2,600 yen