[2] Billout's aesthetic style is described as clean, spare and precise, often incorporating some ironic element, with lush colors and exquisite craftsmanship.
[3] Born July 7, 1941 in Decize,[1] Billout grew up in Nevers, a small town in the center of France where he received a conventional education.
[2] The assignment consisted of a series of 12 small illustrations based on short stories under the titled Summer Fiction Bonus in the August 1969 issue.
Ciano would continue to call on Billout over many years to come as the art director moved on to work at The New York Times, Life, Travel & Leisure, Encyclopedia Britannica, and at other publications.
In 2010 a digitized version for DVD would be released with a musical score, produced by Label Frères and Patrick Couratin, titled Bus 24.
According to Connie Tyrrell in School Library Journal this book featured works "simple nearly to the point of austere yet meticulous in detail, with a bold use of color".
Paul Goldberger, writing in The New York Times Book Review, lamented that Billout's failure to incorporate much factual information in his brief text in Stone and Steel would frustrate young readers.
The New York Times review commented that "Thunderbolt & Rainbow convinces us that the Greek gods and goddesses have indeed taken up residence in Manhattan, and that like so many other immigrants they feel perfectly at home.
[6] More than ten years would pass after the publication of Squid and Spider before Billout's sixth book The Journey: Travel Diary of a Daydreamer in 1993.
Writing for School Library Journal, Susan Scheps wrote the book works best as "a collection of unusual illustrations that could provide inspiration for creative writers or daydreamers of all ages.
Writing for The New York Times, Bruce Handy commented "it’s lovely, with folk tale overtones and illustrations kids and adults can lose themselves in."