moi, c'est Blop !

by Hervé Tullet

Welcome to the world of Blop! A Blop is a simple shape, somewhere between a flower and a butterfly, a sponge and a drawing of a little man -- above all Blop is whatever you want it to be. Using very few woods and handwritten text I AM BLOP! explore many concepts encountered for the first time by young children, including up and down, single and plural, individual and family, city and countryside etc. This single shape represents anything a child's mind can imagine. With 110 illustrations in varying colors and patterns, little or sometimes no words at all, each page has a unique Blop that brigs a whole new dimension to children's reading. I AM BLOP! is an invitation to discover and explore everyday life and hundreds of ideas through one simple shape.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Art, Fiction, Humor

Hardcover

First published October 6, 2005

About the author

Hervé Tullet is the creator of more than fifty children’s books, including Press Here, which has been translated into twenty-seven languages. He loves to provoke surprise with his books, as well as in the dynamic workshops that he takes part in. He lives in Paris and is celebrated internationally for his playful, inventive, and interactive storytelling.

Reviews

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page... · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an imaginative book by the famous Tullet. This book has 110 pages so you get a lot of content.

The book is fun, with no right angles.

There are clear plastic pages, regular pages, pages with Blop holes. Each page has different "Blops" doing different things.





The last pages of the book encourage children to answer questions about how they imagine Blops. My oldest tended to be more intellectual than imaginative when he was very young. This book was one way we enticed the creative boy within him to come out and play.


I highly recommend this one for your kiddos or for a gift to a kiddo you love.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes me.

[Nohemí González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed, this book it's so creative and helpful you can read this story to babys for all the colors, to kindergartens for all the counting and new things, and you can read this to older kids for the story really amazing, my daughter loved it

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Formatting the book as an irregular trapezoid was enough to pull me in - that can't have been the optimal economic choice though. I was so excited to see another book from Tullet after enjoying and sharing Press Here, but the letdown was the inverse of the expectation. I felt on my first read through that it was too directed and too long. Then my 3-year old grandson commented part way through, "How long is this?" and that sealed it for me.

[Cheryl A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would have been much better as an app. Let the child explore all the things that can be done with an almost formless shape; let the child discover all the ways to make colors and patterns on it; let the child make more and more of them of different sizes and in different configurations. This book is just bossy.

I think the most disagreeable page was the red dotted patterned blop that was defined as being 'sick.' Personally, I would have defined it as 'cheerful.'

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tullet has explored every meaning of blopness. The blop comes in many colors, patterns and attitudes, but always in the same shape. A very unusual, but fun book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooo I honestly thought this book was just okay. But it really speaks to the toddler, who has been nonstop talking about blops for weeks now.

[Katterley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful concept book! Learning that never feels like learning, we finish the book and make our own blops!

[Amie Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Illustrator: Hervé Tullet
Copyright Date:2013
Number of Pages: 110
Book Format: Hardcover
Grade or Reading Level: Pre-K - 1st grade
Genre: Fiction
Lit Requirement: Interactive
Topic Tags: shapes, colors, imagination

Summary & Review/Response:
Readers learn about a bubble-like shape that the author calls Blop. As the story continues, readers discover that Blop can be many different colors, sizes or even look like an animal. Through manipulating Blop, Tullet invites readers to use their imagination and learn about different colors, patterns, and animals.
I thought the book was creative and I enjoyed the interactive elements within it. However, I wish Tullet would have used a different, more realistic shape/character. It was very lengthy, with pages just full of different versions of Blop. By the end, I was bored and hoping for some variety or excitement. There are very few words on each page making it a simple read. I think this book would be good for very young readers as a fun independent read or read aloud.

[La Chronique des Passions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, je suis enseignante. Donc pour les albums, je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'avoir un double regard. C'est à dire que je suis la lectrice qui s 'émerveille (ou pas) d'un livre et je suis aussi l'enseignante qui de manière compulsive s'imagine le travailler dans sa classe.

Autant vous dire qu'Hervé Tullet, c'est juste une pépite pour la lectrice schizophrène que je suis .

La lectrice découvre toujours avec plaisir la malice de cet artiste aux mille facettes.
L'enseignante déborde de joie devant ce livre qui déborde de possibles pédagogiques.

Ce Blop, il parle aux enfants et à leur imagination.
Hervé Tullet est un artiste qui parle aux enfants et qui leur donne envie de jouer avec lui...

[Ashley Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband brought this book back to me from a conference he attended that Tullet also attended. At first you don't think the book is much but then my husband shared how Tullet read the story and it totally transforms it. I suggest searching Tullet to see how he digests the book and then I recommend reading it yourself. It is fun, silly, and simple.

[Michelle Farella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Went on a little too long

[Joy Cronje · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Perfect for my young kids.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and "fun shaped". This would be a great book for an art teacher to creatively motivate students!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely creative, and the colored see-through overlays are ingenious. They actually show how colors combine together to make new colors. But this gets long and repetitive.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto molto perché io amo i libri con i giochi

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some blop tales were intriguing, especially when it asked the reader to figure something out using the illustrations, and some were hard to understand.

[Jim Erekson · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I was engaged by the variety of concepts and ways of interacting with this simple design, I kept feeling bullied by the text. The text was fully corresponding with what I saw, and telling me how to interpret it. This book has way better potential as a wordless picture book to talk about with young readers as the pages are turned. I wonder what would be a good way to hide the text for a 'read-aloud' that is all kids' repsonses and talk about the visuals.

This would be a much more powerful multi-modal text if the words had been somehow in a counterpoint relationship to the pictures. For example, on the pages where the Blop is suddenly filled with textures of different kinds of animal skins, a question like 'Where is Blop?' would give away none of the answers, but still prompt the same kind of activation of background knowledge. Instead, he simply labeled it "Animal Blop". Boring.

It was too bad, because this book felt a lot like Blexbolex' People visually. But Blexbolex was much better at creating a readerly experience and not just a set of concepts to deliver didactically.

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have adored every book from Herve Tullet and this book is no different!

Using a puffy X as a character (as seen on the cover) Tullet teaches many many concepts. He teaches colors, big vs small, counting, perspective, up and down, color mixing, distinguishing shapes, spacial concepts, as well as art concepts.

Each page brought a smile to my face as I discovered another adventure of Blop. I love how Tullet uses something so simple as a puffy X to teach many concepts all in one book. And yet this simplicity is in no way boring. Even I could read this book over and over and enjoy it. There are exciting bits such as the mirror page and the color films that sit on top of the page to mix two colors together making a new color. There is also a page of punch out Blops that can be used with activities throughout the books. This book is very interactive. The text is very very simple.

A warning is issued with this book as a choking hazard for ages 3 and under. This is possibly due to the Blop punch outs at the end. This book could easy become torn up if left out with the little ones even though it is mostly a board book. As with all of Tullet's books, I would buy it for any age, but keep it on a high shelf and bring it down to enjoy together. You cannot possibly be disappointed with this book!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read several of Hervé Tullet's books to my son and this is probably one of his favorites, along with Press Here.

What I like about this book are the different concepts that are presented, such as: reflection, counting, blending two colors together, blops being substituted for other objects such as animals or flags, questions about blops that children can answer, and more. There is even a page with perforated blops that you can punch out and use in the book or for whatever you like.

At first I thought this book was not as good as some of Tullet's other books, but after reading it a couple of times to my son, I ended up liking it more and more. There isn't a real story or plot to follow, but, it is a beautiful and artistic book that is engaging to young children.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of Press Here returns with another simple and charming book. Here the entire book is based around the shape of a “blop” which is something like a four-leafed clover, or a flower, or a butterfly. With just a few words on each page, the youngest readers will discover a world of blops between these covers. There are blops of different sizes, different colors, and they do a variety of things too. Concepts are taught cleverly, such as mixing colors, what appears in a mirror, and opposites.

While there are punch-out pages at the end of the book, this would still make a great pick for libraries to circulate. I was particularly pleased with the mirror page and color mixing pages that add a special twist and fun to the book.

Another great pick from Tullet, this book belongs in library collections and would make a great toddler read. Expect to be drawing and seeing blops afterwards! Appropriate for ages 1-3.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique nearly wordless book! Reading this was almost a Seussian experience for me as there's so much going on both at the surface and on a much deeper level.

This book is an introduction to some basic concepts, it's a look at art, it's a series of wordless stories that are up to interpretation by the readers, it's an invitation to create an original story (complete with prompts), it's all of these things at once and more.

Tullet is in a class of his own. His books are fresh and inventive, super appealing and in the case of this one: thought-provoking.

Though not a great book to share with an audience, this book is perfect for sharing one-on-one.

[Vitani Days · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro che trovo geniale, tant'è che pur essendo per bambini me lo sono preso anche per me.
In primis la grafica: colorata, accattivante, surreale. Sembra un libro di design più che un "semplice" libro per bambini.
Aiuta i bambini a capire i colori, il piccolo-grande, su-giù, il riflesso allo specchio, a contare eccetera, in una parola li aiuta a scoprire il mondo e i suoi concetti di base e diverte anche gli adulti perché la grafica e il concept che c'è dietro sono seriamente irresistibili.
Geniale, ripeto.

[Fjóla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started well and there are many nice ideas in there, obviously very reminiscent of Hervé Tullet's other books. It just goes on for too long. The shape of the book is very interesting, and it's bound to catch children's attention. Older kids will probably be more likely to stick with it to the end.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, let me start by saying that this is a weird little picture book. It is oddly shaped so it will stick out of the shelves and the covers are made out of cardboard without the ends finished. That being said, the actual content of the book is fun and colorful. It is great for the youngest of listeners (there is even a mirror for baby listeners). There are not a lot of words, but it works as a shape book, even if that shape is called a blop. Good for imagination too.

[Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is magical and has almost infinite potential for use in different contexts. The pictures are big, bold, and simple enough to work with a group, and the subtle way in which Tullet introduces art concepts, modern art movements, and color theory creates grounds for discussion accessible to children of all ages. The overarching theme of the book - Blop's flexibility - is wonderful for encouraging creative young minds.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Press Here and couldn't wait when I saw Herve Tullet had a new book out. While I enjoyed I am Blop! I don't think it was nearly as successful as Press Here. It is missing the interactive element that made Press Here so much fun. However, I liked the creativity of one shape being so many different things.

[Rachel Rouleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is fun on many levels. You can breeze through it quickly or really take your time encouraging your child to interact with the book as you read. All kinds of topics come up - counting, patterns, colors, animals, countries. My one-year-old could participate by yelling "bop!" and pointing to the blops, while I could talk to my four-year-old about how she could tell which shape is a blop and which isn't. Worth owning, I'd say!

[Marissa Elera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore and admire the talent that is Tullet. Press Here is dazzling. I Am Blop is similarly unique, though, I'd argue, not as successful. Readers/librarians/publishers alike will be befuddled as to where this book belongs and what it is, but to me this is Tullet's greatest strength. We need books that shake things up, and this is one of them.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children who are learning shapes and colors, or who happen to be interested in art. It’s about a shape called a “blop” and many different stories about how its color changes and how it travels the world. It’s an unusually shaped book and it’s pretty lengthy. There are different textured pages and different patterns to talk about throughout the story.