We have some picture books from the library this week that are very beautifully and originally illustrated and all three of them are about creatures in nature.
Secret Seahorse by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Clare Beaton is a simple story with verbiage designed to encourage the reader to find the hidden seahorse in each tableau. Even at five, the Lone Star Baby quite enjoyed finding the seahorse in her different hiding places. The illustrations make the book, though. They are pictures of colorful textile creations - felt and lace and fringe and buttons - all cut and arranged in seascapes. It is creative and adorable.
Over in The Ocean In A Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jeanette Canyon and its companion book by the same author and illustrated by Jill Dubin, Over In The Arctic Where The Cold Winds Blow, are both variations on the song Over In The Meadow, but are about animals in the coral reef and the arctic respectively. The illustrations in Over In The Ocean are pictures of polymer clay seascapes and the illustrations in Over In The Arctic are pictures of cut paper arctic-scapes. They are exquisite.
The Lone Star Baby didn't immediately understand what I meant when I explained what the illustrations were - she kept trying to touch them and I had to explain that they were only pictures of the cloth and clay and paper. They certainly do evoke that tactile need. All three books also provide additional information about the creatures in the story. These are lovely books.
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