Cornelius-Neverland World's Masterpiece Picture Book 297

▶ A character with curiosity about the world and a sense of challenge
Cornelius Dreams of a Better Self
Cornelius is an un-crocodile-like crocodile. Instead of immersing themselves in the water and swimming with only their eyes visible like other crocodiles, they stand upright with both feet above the water and look down to catch fish. Cornelius, who was born with different body functions than ordinary crocodiles, used to brag about his uniqueness to his friends, but he simply looked down on other crocodiles. Cornelius, disappointed by his friends, leaves to preserve his identity and find someone who accepts him.
The monkey we soon meet is a being with unusual talents like Cornelius. Cornelius eagerly learns the monkey's amazing tricks and makes them his own.

Leo Lionni lovingly captures the spirit of explorers, thinkers, and those born to be different. _School Library Journal

Leo Lionni is a writer who always tries new things, like the main characters in the stories he creates. Through Leo Lionni, who was active in many fields, including as a teacher, writer, critic, editor, painter, sculptor, designer, author, and illustrator, we can get a glimpse of Cornelius, who longed for and dreamed of a wider world with a curious gaze and mind. The unique characters that appear in Leo Lionni's works, including Cornelius, find their own identity and strive to protect it. This provides a fantasy of hope to those of us who dream of a better version of ourselves in this harsh reality.

▶ New technologies and new beings affect the environment and culture
A picture book that captures the impact
Unlike Cornelius, the other crocodiles are not interested in change, new things, or things that only they can do. So even when Cornelius stands on his feet and looks into the distance and looks down at the fish, he just opens his eyes and says, “So what!” and ignores him. They pretend not to care at all when they see Cornelius, who has been learning the monkey's tricks.
However, as Cornelius was returning to the monkeys, upset and upset, he glanced behind him and saw that they were attempting to do a handstand. The crocodiles are finally starting to change! Come to think of it, the crocodiles' eyes also look a little different. The eyes, which had always been staring straight ahead, are moving back and forth.
The story of Cornelius and the crocodiles tells us how great an impact new technologies and new beings can have on the environment and culture. The appearance of other crocodiles that have begun to change into creative beings through new attempts, rather than living a life of conformity according to their innate temperament, makes us think about an active and creative attitude to life, while also conveying a message about challenge and courage.

▶ A picture that well depicts contrasting attitudes toward life.
In 《Cornelius》, like Leo Lionni's other works, various artistic expression techniques such as collage and marbling and efforts to utilize various materials are well captured in the painting. One of the fun elements of this book is the description of the various colors, textures, and shapes of natural objects such as tree trunks and leaves, as well as the well-expressed texture of crocodile skin.
And in this book, Leo Lionni created the scene by focusing on Cornelius' movements and movements. Cornelius, who strides out on two feet, and the other crocodiles who just watch from behind, clearly show the contrast in their lives.
Also, although it is difficult to describe the facial expressions of crocodiles, Leo Lionni expressed their emotions through changes in the crocodiles' eyes and corners of their mouths. From the cover, Cornelius reveals his positive attitude toward life with his wide-open eyes and slightly raised corners of his mouth. On the other hand, other crocodiles only have half of their pupils visible. Because I keep my eyes open. In addition, the corners of their mouths are drooped, clearly showing their lifeless and indifferent attitude to new things. This production makes the changed appearance of other crocodiles, with moving eyes and slightly raised mouth corners at the end, look more dramatic.