Klassic Koalas: The Book of Valentines and Other Loves by Joanne Ehrich Softbound; 80 pages, 8.5' x 8.5'; (21.5cm x 21.5cm) February 1, 2009; Category: Art Journals; $24.99

Artist Querida DiGiovanni comes from a family of artists: her grandfather was a sculptor, her grandmother once his model. Querida finds her grandmother's old photo album, populated with images of the things she had loved most in life: her sculptor husband, the ocean, and the koala, captured in a series of photographs.

Querida, whose name means "beloved" in Spanish, is inspired by the sweet faces of these kindly creatures to turn the treasure into a sketchbook about love, enhanced with quotations, and with letters once written by her admirer, Englishman Rowan Blair, who always signed his correspondences "RB." The letters detail his many travels abroad, with the desire to reconnect with his dearest.

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Worn parchment pages come to life with quotations and captions, didactic sketches containing hidden messages throughout, and the many faces of romance and life itself. The content spans six generations, beginning with daguerreotypes of her great-great-grandparents and concluding with sketches of friends; the overriding message is that love is eternal, transcending race, gender, even the earthly plane and time.

Reviews and Testimonials

Andrew W., Berkeley: "On first glance, this book appears to be a romantic scrapbook collection of personal drawings and love letters -- but it really is much more than that. The selection of images, combined with loaded phrases and quotes create rich layers of meaning; some mysterious, others poetic, and all thought-provoking. The way the author/artist stages each set of pages draws out the reader's imagination and personal experiences. I found myself looking deep into each spread of facing pages, as if walking into an art gallery and admiring all of the works in a room..."

Denis Sweeney, San Jose: "Klassic Koalas: The Book of Valentines and Other Loves captivated me in a similar way the Griffin and Sabine letters books did. As a guy, this feels a bit like reading through a girl's diary, except this time you know it isn't forbidden. This book will appeal primarily to a female audience, but it is really well done, with rich visuals and interesting letters and old photographs to peruse. I bet anyone knows a girl or woman for whom this would make a great gift."

R&L, a loving couple California: "Joanne Ehrich's personal and unique look into love's treasure box, is a fantastical and special journey, touching upon the quintessential nature of romantic love. We agree that it is an extremely sensitive and sweet exploration of creativity on the phenomena of love, leaving us with a feeling of freshness. This feeling swims in us as we are inspired by her visionary expression of the invaluable essence of intimate relationships."

Jasrene Amaoui, Frankfurt: "In this modern-day world time is money, speed is achievement. The struggle of strive and drive sometimes causes us to drift away from the simple wonderful moments of life. No emails, SMS, and online activity can replace the happiness of taking time out, waiting not to miss and to open a love letter revealing the heart beat of someone from afar you long so see again. Each page of Klassic Koalas: The Book of Valentines and Other Loves stirs emotions of pure love all over again, from the depths of my heart. A wonderful gift."

Anya Bosina, California: "I enjoyed the book immensely. Intensely personal, visual narrative with beautiful honesty, engaging and provocative letters, and mesmerizing artwork, the book captures our hearts and the minds. I'm already looking forward to the next book."

Kiran Ramaiah, Artist, Bengalore: "The book is really interesting, very different and I like the overall styling. All the pages look fabulous and are very unique. It is tough to choose which pages are my favorites."

Jennifer Kahal, California: "The Valentine book is wonderful. I love how you added your art drawings, amazing how everything ties all together. It is magnificent!"

Leslie Hung, Vancouver: "It is so beautiful! It is fabulous! Quirky, with touches of history and emotional notes and well koalas! So much fun. And it will make a great gift book too. I think I will buy several and give them as gifts to people next year... And I will recommend the Vancouver Public Library to buy some copies too..."

Marlene Satter, New Jersey: "What an extraordinary book! I am thrilled to hear it got out for Valentine's Day;... because this book is truly amazing; I have never seen anything like it. It's gorgeous! Compelling, hypnotic, entrancing... I think it's wonderful."