Review of "John Visits San Francisco" by O'Cyrus

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

Meet John. John is an adorable and adventurous pink bunny rabbit who LOVES to travel!
Being a curious bunny, he also LOVES to learn all about the exciting places he visits!

In this vibrant, colorful, fun, and educational children's book, John visits and tours one of America's greatest and most iconic cities: San Francisco!

First and foremost, the illustrations by Branillius are truly spectacular! This is particularly true when it comes to the backgrounds and settings, but the characters are cute as well.

From the very beginning of this book, we were in awe of the illustrations. They don't just capture your eyes and attention, they capture your heart!

Arguably our favorite illustration in the book is that of the Palace of Fine Arts. Yes, the text describes it as "golden and magical" but that comes across even more in the illustration of it. A picture speaks a thousand words!

This is easily an illustration you could proudly hang on your wall.

Another astonishing illustration is the initial shot of San Francisco with the Californian morning sunlight reflecting and sparkling off of window panes and the antennae of buildings as birds fly by. Gosh, it's marvelous!

Yet another amazing illustration is that of the aquarium. The curved glass tunnel places viewers “inside” the aquarium, surrounded on all sides by water, fish, coral, and marine life. The dominant colors are electric blues, pinks, purples, and greens, creating an underwater fantasy effect. Neon and pastel tones make the environment pop, giving it a lively, magical feel. The background is filled with detailed coral reefs, a variety of fish, and a prominent sea creatures (possibly a stingrays or manta rays) gliding above the tunnel.

And, while these three illustrations really stood out to us, that's not to say that other illustrations in this book aren't extraordinary and eye-catching.

Heck, the cable car ride through the Financial District is also marvelous.
What a colorful clash of happy, vibrant pastel colors!

Oh, and there's the scene in which the characters are zip-zagging through the flower-filled roads of Lombard Street. It's gorgeous!

This book also features Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, and more!

There's so much to see and be amazed with in this book, just like there's so much to see and be amazed with in real-life San Francisco.

And another charming aspect of this book are the characters. We've already introduced you to John, the pink bunny rabbit. This book also prominently features a character named Gabriel, likely a stand-in for the author himself, who seems to be John's friend and guide. John proudly sports an American flag-design shirt (which we loved, since it helps to celebrate the country in which this book takes place). One aesthetic choice that did kind of bug us for a while are Gabriel's glasses, especially when he's first introduced. They're these round tinted glasses that reminded us chillingly of Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. It was kind of unsettling, to be honest, especially when Gabriel's eyes peer out of them when he's introduced.

Gabriel is portrayed in the book as super enthusiastic and excited, often with dramatic poses (i.e. arms outstretched) that reflect John's. He almost came across to us as clownish or mime-like. We know that might sound weird, but that was our perception of him. Maybe it's the bright clothes and white gloves?

One thing that was a bit hit-and-miss about this book are the absolutely adorable side-characters (the other animals) like the alligator photographer, bicycling elephant, giraffe, bear, kangaroo, tiger etc. But what's really unfortunate in our opinion is that we rarely get to see these characters. Some of them are only on one page! What a big bummer! John and Gabriel, while cute and interesting in their own right, are not quite as cute as these other characters.

Like, how much cuter would this have been if John and Gabriel crossed paths with the cute bear, kangaroo, and tiger from the airport? It seems like a huge missed opportunity not to feature them more, especially since they're the best illustrated and aesthetically-pleasing characters in the book.

Oh, and by the way, why is there a random fruit walking around?
Like, anthropomorphic animals is one thing, but there's a veggietale in here! What's the lore there?

There are some very human and relatable moments in this book. For example, John wonders why the Golden Gate Bridge is red instead of being golden (like its name). Hey, good question!

Oh, and there's this surprisingly deep and heartfelt moment in which John decides to visit Japantown in honor of his friend who also loved anime growing up. That's sweet. And it's one of those things that if you blink, you'll miss it. It's just delicately placed in here.

This is an exceptional children's book that deserves a look!

Check it out on Amazon!