Zero Local: Next Stop: Kindness

Praise

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