*APT.3 by Ezra Jack Keats (1971) is another succinct and powerful book. How does EJK combine strong minimalist visuals with just enough text to draw one into his scenarios? As I write this, I think, maybe his strategy is to demand readers fill in the details. Keats makes readers work. It’s the reader who decides how scenes look and feel as they turn the pages. Readers must draw upon their own lives to fill in gaps. When Sam looks out at a page of blurry rain beating against his windows, we remember what raindrops actually look like as they have fallen outside our own windows. This particular story focuses on sound. We’re guessing what “Crunch, crackle, crunch!” could be before turning the page and learning it’s the sound of someone eating potato chips. We remember how salty and crunchy they feel. When Sam hears arguments behind closed doors, our insides tighten at the memory of arguments in our own lives. The ending of this book is a satisfying surprise. Sam is someone we like.
