Crescendo

Crescendo is a visual and poetic celebration of the transition to motherhood, featuring 47 gorgeous watercolour illustrations from Alessandro Sanna (The River, Pinocchio: An Origin Story) and a corresponding poem by Paola Quintavalle.

Sannas illustrations follow the transformation of a mothers shape throughout her pregnancy, artfully and gracefully delineated not only by images of a mothers profile, but by rich, sweeping scenes from nature: the curved wingspan of a seagull in flight, the arc of a whales tail as she swims with her calves, the peaks of verdant, moonlit hills, among others.

At last, there is an image of a mother embracing her newborn child, at once lilting and reverent a vision of joy and rest at the culmination of an incredible inward journey. Quintavalle's poem, written as a response to Sannas illustrations, weaves delicately throughout the book.

An ode to mothers everywhere, Crescendo is a book to share and to treasure.