donnamr's Full Review: Graeme Base - Animalia & 11th Hour
Graeme Base’s Animalia is a truly creative, wonderfully funny, and astoundingly beautiful picture book. A lot of superlatives, perhaps, but this book deserves every one. Base starts with the simplest of picture book principles: the alphabet. But his book is more than just another alphabet primer – it’s an intricate puzzle of words and gorgeous pictures.
The Text
For each letter, Base creates a silly animal description, using only that letter. Some examples:
• An armored armadillo avoiding an angry alligator • Horrible hairy hogs hurrying home on heavily harnessed horses • Richly robed rhinoceroses riding in rickety red rickshaws • Eight enormous elephants expertly eating Easter eggs • Lazy lions lounging in the local library
The descriptions show that sometimes a single letter can make more than one sound. This is clear in the “E” example above , which provides at least four different sounds for that letter.
The descriptions create humor. Who’s ever heard of a vulture ventriloquist? Or gorillas growing grapes? Or juggling jackals? These juxtapositions offer an opportunity not only for chuckles, but for conversations about the concepts. Who really juggles? Do gorillas eat fruit? What’s a ventriloquist?
Most of the animals are not of the usual “d is for dog” variety, either. You might find yourself explaining iguana or newt or yak to a younger child. So, in addition to the alphabet, children learn about animals.
Much of the language will be beyond young children, but the sheer fun of the sounds can still make them laugh. Imagine hearing things like, “vociferous verbosity” or “diabolical dragons” or “nautical newts” when the book is read aloud.
The Illustrations
The content and text of the book are interesting, but the fun really lies in the illustrations. Base’s drawings are exquisite. Detail is abundant. The scales are clearly visible on the iguana and the dragon. One lion is so finely drawn that it looks real. The “crimson cats” are beautiful shades of pink and red. No page is without striking pictures. There is great depth to the illustrations. The colors are vibrant and rich, with gorgeous golds, brilliant greens, vibrant yellows and reds. Even those pages with darker hues are simply gorgeous.
Now here’s where the fun comes in. Not only does Base create funny images based upon the descriptions, but he peppers the pages with a multitude of smaller images, all of which start with the same letter of the alphabet. For example, on the page that shows us the robed rhinoceroses mentioned above, we also see, blended into the fabric of the larger picture, a raccoon, a ring, raspberries, a rocking chair, a rocking horse, a razor, a raven, a reindeer, and 3 robots pulling the red rickshaws.
The creativity in these illustrations is terrific. Every time I look at one of the pages, I see something I missed before. What fun it is to find all of the objects that start with a particular letter. All of a sudden, the book becomes a game!
One of my favorites is this: “Kid Kookaburra and Kelly Kangaroo Kidnapping Kitty Koala.” The kookaburra (a bird, in case you’re wondering) and the kangaroo are dressed in 1920’s gangster attire, touting guns. Kitty’s keys and Kit Kat candy bar tumble from her purse. In the background are, among other things, the Keystone Kops, the Kaleidescope Klub, a kettle on a windowsill, and a Kiwi bird wearing kilts (talk about a juxtaposition!)
I especially think Base was creative in his approach to the letter X. Instead of struggling for words beginning with the letter, he chose the words ending with or containing the letter. The words are reflected in a mirror: “Rex Fox Fixing Six Saxophones.” Because the lettering appears backwards, the X appears at the front of the words. Very clever.
Overall Impression
This book is extremely creative in its approach to the subject matter. It serves a number of educational purposes, teaching about letters, animals, and a great number of new words and concepts. It’s funny. Once children understand the words, the jokes will come easily to them. Searching for the hidden pictures that start with each letter creates another dimension of fun.
This is a creative and visually beautiful book. It’s one of my favorites because of its creativity and striking appearance, as well as high levels of entertainment and educational value.
Graeme Base offers this challenge to readers of Animalia:
Within the pages of this book You may discover, if you look Beyond the spell of written words, A hidden land of beasts and birds.
For many things are ‘of a kind’, And those with keenest eyes will find A thousand things, or maybe more – It’s up to you to keep the score…
________________ October 2008 Update:
At a recent book signing I attended, Graeme Base talked about this book, as well as many of his others. He indicated that people have asked him to publish a complete list of all the items he has for each letter in the book. He claims he will not do that, because each time he meets with children to talk about Animalia, they inevitably come up with additional words relating to the many images in his story. I think that shows how this creative book can spurn active thinking and learning. One more thing that makes it as wonderful as it is!
Base's masterful illustrations will sweep readers into a world of richly colored and intricately illustrated animals and objects with the turn of ever...More at HotBookSale
Base s masterful illustrations will sweep readers into a world of richly colored and intricately illustrated animals and objects with the turn of ever...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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