The Wizard of Op

by Ed Emberley

A slightly inept wizard casts his spells which are demonstrated to us through the techniques of optical art.

Genres: Picture Books, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

American artist and illustrator, best known for children's picture books.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing croquet one day, a prince accidentally hits a passing witch with his ball in this visually arresting picture-book from 1975, finding himself cursed into the form of a frog as a consequence. Seeking answers first in the library, the prince then hunts down a princess, determined to receive his kiss and be restored to his original form. When this doesn't work, he visits each of the kingdom's wizards, all to no avail. When all else fails, he finally visits the Wizard of Op, whose spells all involve optical illusions and art. Will this somewhat bumbling magic-maker's visual tricks do the job, or is the prince doomed to stay in animal form...?

Although quite familiar with the work of author/artist Ed Emberley, both through picture-books like Go Away, Big Green Monster! , and through his many instructional drawing and art-making books for children, The Wizard of Op is only the second of his titles that I have actually read. I sought it out because of my interest in witchy picture-book fare—a perennial pet project of mine—and am glad I did! It is really quite fascinating, from a visual storytelling perspective, alternating between comic-book-style pages in which the story is told through sequential panels, and full two-page spreads devoted to optical art, each of which represents a different spell undertaken by the eponymous Wizard of Op. This book was immense fun to read and peruse, even if some of the optical art made me rather dizzy, and I think young children who enjoy this sort of thing will be likewise entertained. It is to them that I would recommend it, as well as to fans of Ed Emberley.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Op art with a little story on which to hang the illustrations.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, this is just about the best book that ever was. It's a kiddie book full of Op Art wonder. It's black and white but its magic makes your eyes feel funny. Wizard of Op, see? Shame there isn't a cover image so you can appreciate its glory.

[Erika Mulvenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally forgot about reading this book as a kid and being amazes by the optical illusion illustrations until I saw a copy online. I just love Ed Emberley’s hand drawn illustrations and charming story in this book. It’s just as amazing as I remembered!

[Anne Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super fun story about a prince who is turned into a frog and seeks a cure that will change him back. He gets a princess to kiss him, but that doesn't do it. He tried many cures from different wizards, but none of them work. then he goes on a journey to find another wizard. The path creates the illusion of obstacles in his way that he is told not to step on. When he gets to the wizard, he is given many spells which turn him into various animals. To obtain each cure he needs to look at something and "see the magic". The "magic" is always an optical illusion that readers can have fun with. Finally, one of the spells works and he is turned back into a prince. However, the wizard has disappeared and is implied to have been turned into a giant frog with magic eyes as a side effect. Again, readers can look into the eyes and see movement that isn't really there. This is a really cool book with the story designed like a comic book and with many optical illusions that kids can explore and enjoy.

[Vi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In honor of the 50th anniversary I bought this book again. My mom owned a copy of it when I was a child and I loved looking through the pictures are the optical illusions in this book. The copy did burn in a fire I believe and I had been hunting this book since but it was just so expensive. 50th anniversary dropped the price and I snagged a copy for my mom and I. This book will hold space in your dome.

[Bart Everson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since there's no cover image here I felt obliged to add this link.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

the art was v. cool, but the story didn't work for me.

[Darlene]

The artwork is amazing. I would buy it today if I could find it. The few times we went to the library as kids I would check this one out every time.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's geared toward kids but the black & white geometrical optical illusions were fascinating.

[Sam W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prince is turned into a frog, he tries everything and every wizard until the last the Wizard of OP, using optical illusion to cure the Prince.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super trippy and my eyes hurt a little now, but it was a lot of fun to look at. Impressive line illusions.