Zero Local: Next Stop: Kindness

Description

Board the train for a story of art, diversity, and community in a near-wordless tale told through masterful, sumptuously detailed black-and-white illustrations. Train riders are used to stressful delays on the Zero Local line. But when a new passenger shows gratitude to the driver on their daily commute, tensions begin to ease. Eventually the artistic traveler stops riding the Zero Local line, and discord begins to creep back into the train car. Will the regular passengers find a way to restore the sense of camaraderie they once felt? Inspired by a true story, Ethan and Vita Murrow share with us a tender ode to the power of art and its ability to foster friendship and community in the most unlikely of places.

Ethan and Vita Murrow work collaboratively on a variety of artistic projects, including writing, video, film, drawing, and photography. In addition, Ethan Murrow shows his illustrations in exhibitions internationally, and Vita Murrow is the director of a literary project in Massachusetts. They live in Boston with their two children.

Where words so often fail, the wordless breathes life into people's smallest actions and deepest impacts, as the Murrows' spreads uplift the mundane. It's a positive love letter to community (even among commuter-train regulars), diversity, and paying it forward...Timely and timeless, as kindness always is. -Kirkus Reviews The artwork is the star of the piece. As in the Murrows' The Whale, the photorealistic pencil drawings are expertly detailed and textured, while the gray palette creates a subdued tone, initially fitting to the theme. The illustrator later adds hints of bright yellow to characters who are literally touched by art-which will help younger readers unlock the meaning behind the story. A touching addition. -School Library Journal Taut pencil drawings by married collaborators Ethan and Vita Murrow (The Whale) show how art can forge community in public spaces. Meticulously drafted spreads capture the action on an urban train...Detailed portraits of passengers by the Murrows value each one as an individual. The initial artist, cued as gender fluid, is portrayed as a hero whose powers depend on creativity and loving-kindness. -Publishers Weekly The second collaborative wordless picture book from the Murrows (The Whale, 2016), this evokes city life through beautiful pencil drawings...The amount of detail in each illustration is astounding-one spread features the artist's arm and hand drawing a picture, and careful crosshatching gives it an impressive photorealistic effect...children will continue talking about the artwork long after the book is closed. -Booklist