Today is the official publication day for Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion, written by me, illustrated by Victo Ngai, and published by Millbrook Press.

I’ve posted a lot about the book recently, and you can see those collections of Dazzle Ships interviews, reviews, and articles here.

There’s still more about the book that I haven’t yet mentioned here, so how about if I correct that?

For starters, here’s this peek at the printing process for Dazzle Ships.

Then there’s my editor’s post about the element of surprise in Dazzle Ships and other picture books.

And for your listening pleasure, how about three minutes and 43 seconds of me telling (via TeachingBooks.net) the story of how this book came about?

Shelf Awareness reviewed our book about naval camouflage and saw (GET IT?) a lot to like:

Paired with Barton’s welcoming language and accessible story, Victo Ngai’s illustrations sparkle. Using mixed analogue and digital media, she re-creates historical map templates and incorporates her own dazzle, creating overlapping and interconnecting patterns with strong lines and bright colors. Ngai’s illustrations are inviting, drawing the reader in and slowing the pace of the narrative, each double-page spread an abundance of color and texture and shape, demanding time and reflection.

Finally, for any of you who landed on this page expecting something related to Dazzle Ships, the 1983 album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), I don’t want you to go away disappointed. The album included a track called “Dazzle Ships (Parts II, III & VII),” which left four parts unaccounted for. Well…

“First shown at the Dazzle Weekend at the Museum of Liverpool, November 2014,” explains the band. “We were initially asked to create something visual to accompany Dazzle Ships (Parts I, IV, V & VI) just in case of inclement weather and for those who may struggle to access the ship’s engine room.”

For more context, see OMD to ‘dazzle’ at Museum of Liverpool:

Our interest in Dazzle Ships began in 1983 when artist and sleeve designer Peter Saville showed us a Vorticist painting by Edward Wadsworth entitled ‘Dazzle Ship in dry dock at Liverpool’ and asked if we could write some appropriate music as he wished to create an album sleeve inspired by the fractured imagery. We duly obliged with a record that not only contained a title track Dazzle Ships, but also reflected the dark and fearfully disjointed mentality of early eighties geo-politics.

Here’s hoping that the Dazzle Ships created by Victo and me will be just as appreciated 34 years later as OMD’s “Dazzle Ships” recordings have been.