Animalium curated by Katie Scott and Jenny Broom, 112 pp, RL: 2

-

Animalium, curated by Katie Scott and Jenny Broom, is the newest, biggest book from the fantastic Big Picture Press and is the first in their "Welcome to the Museum" series of books. It has also made many "best of 2014" book lists. There are hundreds of books about animals out there for kids, but Animalium is set apart - and far above  -from the rest because of the museum concept employed in this book. Honestly, regardless of the concept and text, Animalium is a book that you/kids will find yourselves poring over again and again. Eventually you will get around to reading the words . . .


Animalium begins with a preface from Dr. Sandra Knapp of the Natural History Museum in London, and moves on to the "Entrance." Here we learn that each chapter of Animalium "represents a different gallery of the museum, focusing on one class of animal" with the classes arranged in "evolutionary order to show how the animal kingdom has developed over time. See for yourself how the tree of life evolved from the simple sea sponge into the diverse array of animals found on Earth today."
The illustration style looks like old engravings and lithographs but are actually pen and ink drawings that have been digitally colored. Animals are presented as above, with a paragraph of general information then keys to the plates and labels that add to the details, providing the Latin names and size. Animals are shown in their habitats museum style, under bell jars, which often makes you look at them and think about them in a new way. 

Endpapers and chapter dividers add to the museum feel as well as the idea of passing from gallery to gallery with the animals drawn in white on dark backgrounds. Of course, there is an index, followed by a short but solid list of resources for where readers can learn more about the animals seen in the museum and information on the "curators," both London based artists. Animalium wowed me from the start, but repeated readings, especially while writing this review, reminded me of just how unique and completely absorbing this amazing book truly is. Animalium is the kind of book that is perfect for almost any gift giving occasion - it will engage kids the minute they open the cover and impress parents, who will most likely end up poring over it as well.

The illustrations are so amazing, I just had to include a few more here along with photos of window displays Katie Scott created for the book at Waterstone's and the Natural History Museum in London!





Source: Review Copy



Popular posts from this blog

Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala

-
Image
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari illustrated by Felicita Sala Review Copy from Abrams Kids I picture-walked Be a Tree! three times before I actually read the words. Felicita Sala's illustrations for Maria Gianferrari's poetic text are mesmerizingly immersive and richly colorful within a palette of earth tones. Throughout the text, Gianferrari, who shares her inspiration for this book in the author's note ( Peter Wohleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ), gently maintains the human connection to trees and the connections (and communications) trees share with each other.  Be a Tree!  begins exuberantly, inviting the reader to "Be a tree! Stand tall. Stretch your branches to the sun. Let your roots curl, coil in the soil to ground you." From your spine/trunk to your skin/bark and your heart/pith, the words carry you inward and then zoom outward and up to the canopy and ultimately, the forest. "You are one of many trees," and our roots "twine with fung
Read more

Fox + Chick: The Sleepover and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

-
Image
Fox + Chick : The Sleepover and Other Stories  by Sergio Ruzzier Review Copy from Chronicle Books Friends. Opposites. Inhabitants of a pastel-hued, water color world that is vaguely surreal, Fox and Chick are back for a third installment of their inviting, if curious, easy-to-read stories. In "The Sleepover," "The Hammer," and "The Surprise," Chick's odd logic is once again upending Fox's life. Happily, Fox responds with patience and even wisdom at times. To these unforgettable characters and luminous illustrations, Ruzzier brings a sublime simplicity that makes this series perfect for emerging readers, adding books with character and intelligence to the often dull world of beginning reader books. If you aren't familiar with this delightful duo, definitely check out my reviews of the first two books (links below) where I put the greatness of Ruzzier's work into historical ( Frog & Toad ) context. Then check out ALL of Ruzzier's p
Read more

Under Earth, Under Water by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński, 112 pp, RL: ALL AGES

-
Image
Under Earth , Under Water by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel  Mizieliński is their fourth book I have reviewed here and their fourth book with the marvelous Big Picture Press , a publisher of oversized, highly illustrated, gorgeous books who believe that books should be "visually intelligent, surprising, and accessible to readers of all ages, abilities and nationalities." BPP definitely achieves this with every book they publish and, if you are a book lover, you will want to seek out all their titles. Under Earth , Under Water will appeal to anyone who likes to look inside things and understand how things work. With Under Earth, Under Water , the Mizielińskis, who have an illustration style that is filled with tiny details and a unique palette, take readers on a detailed journey, from the top of the page to the bottom, over and under land and then sea. The endpapers serve as the introduction and table of contents, with images scattered across the spread, page nu
Read more