"... debut talents Revah and Zagnoli unspool a stylish story of opposites attracting ... Zagnoli takes a disciplined approach to her crisp, modern illustrations, which use simplified shapes and a focused palette of primary colors. As a piece of design, it's impeccable."
Publishers Weekly "Smoothly translated from the original French...The illustrations emphasize iconic, black-and-white figures on solid backgrounds, emphasizing ... Read morethe eerily wild and fun contrast between two radically different personalities...The original, inspirational photograph is on he final page of this just-plain-fun read-aloud picture book."
Midwest Book Review "Witty, clever, elegantly designed..."
Kirkus Reviews "the predilections and personality traits we glean from all this go directly against gender stereotypes in a remarkably unforced way. With these two characters Revah and Zagnoli have somehow, amid all the abstraction, evoked actual, believable people, making you realize how ridiculous sweeping gender assumptions are ..."
The New York Times "How parents shape our own becoming is the premise, explored with remarkable subtlety and ingenuity, behind Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical by French writer Noemie Revah and Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli
a conceptual, minimalist, maximally delightful graphic book that calls to mind Norton Juster's vintage classic The Dot and the Line in its geometric metaphors for temperament, yet is completely original in both substance and style."
Brain Pickings "the artwork and witty narrative work well enough together that your kid just might start to look at some things differently. Even if the abstract stuff isn't quite their thing, it's still a win if Mr. Horizontal convinces them that napping is cool."
Fatherly "the graphics are presented in such a way as to offer a unique perspective ... and large font combined with the spare colors and simple graphic shapes makes for a book that is likely to find its way to museum shop shelves and libraries. "
New York Journal of Books "With wonderful combinations of bold designs in primary colors by Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli and text by French writer Noemie Revah, it's a fun conceptual book for children
one of those books of opposites but it goes beyond the simple comparison of abstract ideas. It's a story of different personalities, adventures, a family and a chance for a child to reflect on how she became who she is."
Mr Printables "More than just a concept book about horizontal and vertical, this is a book about opposites, and a fabulous mentor text for writers of all age and experience who need to practice describing their characters in a variety of ways."
A Year of Reading "The passion that went into creating this book in both words and pictures is what makes it shine. The story is so charming, and children will delight in the adventures these two peas take. As they follow them through the garden, readers discover the many plants and critters that live and thrive there and depend upon each other for survival. And the simple, sparse text is ideal for young children who are just starting to read."
Smart Books for Smart Kids Show Less