I'm usually drawn to more stylized illustrations, but this book jumped off the shelf for me. Brian Lies is a master of making animals so realistic, yet so full of individual character and personality. Every spread is an exciting surprise: whether it's a unique perspective, interesting composition, or juxtaposition of landscape and animal (see the snake spread, at bottom).
The lyrical, rhyming text by Donna M. Bateman is so fun to read aloud to little ones. This book reminds me of why picture books are so important for all ages - that magical combination of words and images has so much impact. I loved learning about the land and life in the Okefenokee Swamp!
For further reading:
Brian Lies' website,
Donna M. Bateman's Goodreads page,
Deep in the Swamp on Charlesbridge's website
1 comment:
I see what you mean about them having personalities. It's true, and that's a hard thing to accomplish with realistic illustrations. Great review Ggina! :)
Post a Comment