People by Blexbolex; trans, by Claudia Bed rick; illus. by the author Primary, Intermediate Enchanted Lion 208 pp. 9/11 978-1-59270-110-0 $19.95

First published in France in 2008, a year before Blexbolex's Seasons (rev. 7/10), People is another graphically distinguished compendium of two hundred or so creatively paired words and phrases in block capitals. The accompanying poster-style art here - flat areas of color on near-white grounds enlivened by subtle stippling - is less complex than in Seasons, with a lighter palette that centers on bright medium blues, variants of tangerine and fuchsia, gold, and milk chocolate. Again, simple pairings (mother/baby) are succeeded by subtler distinctions such as "creators" (children) and "inventor" (a bearded man). Visual similarities are paired with conceptual differences (someone "smoking" versus someone "shivering" and breathing out a cloud of vapor) or discussible contrasts (conductor/ tyrant - both wielding sticks). Moral implications (bystanders/rescuer), startling juxtapositions (woodcutter/ executioner), opposites (partygoers/ hermit), and other provocative comparisons (an ancient Egyptian "hunter," a contemporary "vampire") are joined by a couple of obscurities (secretary/yeti; flight attendant/cat burglar). Conceptually, this isn't as creatively organized as Seasons; still, wrapped up with a final trio of a "fairy" waving her wand at a Pinocchio-like "marionette" and a real boy who is "drawing" a boy, it makes a visually and intellectually stimulating companion. JOANNA RUDGE LONG