Review by Booklist Review
Mixing wildlife and poetry is a good way to get children thinking about animals or anything they might see in a new way. This engaging picture book showcases 13 wild creatures, including a lion, sloth, panda, tiger, wolf, and polar bear, whose section concludes with a subtle ecological message when that animal is seen disappearing into the snow. Meade uses woodblock prints and watercolors, and the effect of the portrayed animals, sharply etched in black, is arresting. Meade also captures the scorched beauty of the African savanna and the intricacies of jungle foliage. Elliott's short poems focus on what the illustrations cannot: animal movement (as when the lion shakes his mane) or sounds (as when the wolf howls). The poems give tiny, pleasant surprises; when pointing out the rosettes on the jaguar's back, Elliott warns readers: Beware of jungle-raised bouquets. Beware these hidden thorns. Beautiful and thought-provoking.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Elliott and Meade follow the attractive pattern of their On the Farm (Candlewick 2008). A lion standing alone on a grassy plain leads off the assortment of 14 mammals introduced in short, reflective poems and bold, energetic woodblock scenes. Elliott's spare verses vary in length and form with bits of humor, some lovely use of language and imagery, and an occasional thought-provoking reference. The poet addresses the orangutan as a cousin-"How nice to have someone like you/sitting in our family tree"-and he reminds readers that the mighty and long-suffering buffalo "once was sixty-million strong." Meade's woodblock prints, striking dark forms washed in watercolor, have just a hint of humor and capture the powerful wild nature of the creatures as well. The poems are read-aloud gems, and the book is versatile in both audience and potential uses.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Thirteen animals -- a worldwide selection -- are featured in full-spread woodcut-and-watercolor art. Meade captures both essence and habitat of these favorites: a jaguar prowls the jun-gle floor, up front in the picture plane; a margin-exceeding buffalo ruminates on his fate; a kangaroo leaps into the dis-tance; an evanescent polar bear is im-mersed in a blue-green sea. Elliott's verses, though deftly composed, are somewhat less dynamic than these handsome portraits. There are paradoxes ("Big, yet moves / with grace. / Power-ful, yet delicate / as lace... / When peaceful, silent; / when angry, loud. / Who would have guessed / the Ele-phant / is so much like a cloud?"); wry thoughts ("I wish we had, / for Zebra's sake, / a different alphabet"); predictable rhymes (preposterous with rhinoceros); and a nice reference to William Blake's "Tyger" ("fire, fire, burning bright -- "). Elliott seems to refer to the polar bear's endangered status in his final poem, with the bear swimming "from / floe / to / floe. / Oh! / Look! She's / disappearing..." but then pulls his punches, with the bear, apparently safe, "disappearing / in the snow." A beautiful book, not quite as lighthearted as it first appears. joanna rudge long (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A stunning combination of poems and illustrations celebrating some of Earth's wildest and most beautiful creatures. Meade's woodcut-printand-watercolor illustrations fill page after page with striking images of each featured animal in its habitat. Every page spread is saturated with vivid colors and shapes, simultaneously drawing attention to the boldly rendered animal at its heart and making space for a poem, printed in large, clear type, that pays further tribute to the creature pictured. Elliott's poems, with their spot-on rhythm, playful rhyme and precise use of language, capture something essential about each animal. The jaguar, for example, grows on her back delicate rosettes "and yet / there's danger in the jaguar's gait, / a soundless step that warns: / Beware of jungle-raised bouquets. / Beware these hidden thorns." The poems, though they employ some sophisticated vocabulary, are short and direct, a feature that will demonstrate to verse-averse young readers that poetry can be powerful and pleasurable without being too complicated or threatening. (Picture book/poetry. 4-10) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
