You can read this book by taking a stroll through downtown Olympia

Olympia artist Corinna Luyken is launching her new picture book, “Nothing in Common,” not with a book talk but with a book walk.

Luyken and Browsers Bookshop have arranged what they’re calling a deconstructed picture book experience: The entire book is on display this week in the windows of six Olympia stores, so readers can take a short walk and discover the story while rediscovering downtown.

The book, a collaboration between Luyken and poet Kate Hoefler, is about two neighbors who discover that they have a lot more in common than they thought they did.

“It is about this idea of whether or not we have anything in common with the people around us,” Luyken told the Olympian. “That does seem like something that’s really of the moment in many ways.”

She suggested the book walk after hearing about a similar event at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C., and only later realized how well the event fits with “Nothing in Common’s” story, in which the characters connect while looking for a lost dog.

“It’s kind of the perfect book to do this deconstructed event with,” she said, “because we have kids going around the city of Olympia looking for this book just like the kids in the book were going around looking for the dog.”

The event was a response to the prohibition on gatherings, but it also serves the purpose of showcasing downtown Olympia.

“It’s important to support and celebrate downtown businesses,” said Luyken (whose name is pronounced ka-REE-na LOU-ken). “I’m happy that we were able to come up with something to encourage people to come out as a family and walk around downtown.”

“It’s a creative thing families can do together,” said Andrea Griffith, who owns Browsers. “I have school-age kids, and it’s pretty bleak. They are at their desk, at their computer. This is a way that families can get outside and visit our downtown, and it’s a way to read something together, too.”

Though intended for children, “Nothing in Common” may appeal to adult romantics with its poetic text. “The tale reads as much fanciful rom-com as children’s story, but readers young and old will understand that love is what draws people together,” Publishers Weekly (https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-77478-0) concluded.

Luyken, who wrote and illustrated the bestselling “My Heart” and the award-winning “The Book of Mistakes,” used contrasting colors for the characters to emphasize their differences.

The girl dresses in blue and lives in a blue apartment building; even her long hair is blue. The boy, meanwhile, is all in red.

The colors call to mind the country’s political divide, but the artist said that was only part of her inspiration.

“They represent opposites on the political spectrum, and also, they are two colors that are quite difficult to make look good together, especially for an entire book,” she said. “I knew that was going to be a little bit of a challenge, and that’s kind of fun.”

The books Luyken has written, along with those on which she’s collaborated with other authors, share the theme of connection and perspective, she said. That includes her next solo effort, “The Tree in Me,” due out in March.

“It’s a celebration of our interconnectedness,” she said. “That’s an important part of the story in every book that I’ve illustrated so far.”

‘Nothing in Common’: A Deconstructed Picture Book Experience

What: Read Corinna Luyken’s new picture book while strolling in downtown Olympia. All of the books’ pages will be displayed in the windows of six businesses.

Where: The experience begins at Captain Little, 121 Fifth Ave. SE, and ends at Browsers Bookshop, 107 Capitol Way N. Maps are available inside the open stops.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 15-Sunday, Sept. 20, with a book signing from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday outside Browsers. Check Browsers website (https://www.browsersolympia.com) for updates.

More information: https://www.browsersolympia.com/event/nothing-common-deconstructed-picture-book-experience, 360-357-7462

This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:45 AM.