Dreaming outside the box

For a general American audience, I suspect there isn't anything obviously Asian about Ayano Imai's The 108th Sheep. But those of you in the know have a special place in your heart for the number 108, right? In Buddhist practice (and possibly in that of other religions, too), the number has significance, a kind of supreme, utmost quality, which returns us to the beginning that is 1. The 108th sheep is the one that marks the end of Emma's sheep-filled, but sleepless night. And that is when she must dream outside the box. Imai's illustrations are a little Tim Burton, a little Shaun the Sheep, and altogether her own. I don't think any expense has been spared in producing the richly textured, generously sized pages in this sparingly gorgeous book.

Ayano Imai
The 108th Sheep
ME Media, 2006