Counting Lions
Love these illustrations! Drawn using charcoal, these illustrations really make this book. This oversized book is really worth getting your hands on and savoring. It is a counting book, a number book for just about anyone, I would say. The only drawback is that there are only a few pages tucked inside. Beginning with the number one and ending with the number ten, each two-page spread has a specific animal drawn on it, whether that is ten zebras, seven penguins or eight turtles. With each animal, the author has written in contrasting orange color, details about that specific animal. These details are written in poetic form, some of it informational, not overwhelming but done with grace and style. These words feel like they were hand-chosen to reflect what is essential to the animal’s life out in the wild. In the back of the book, the author has added a couple paragraphs about each of the animals including their protective status out in the wild. These paragraphs include more details about the specific animals. I am amazed with the charcoal drawings. It’s the details and grace that these animals possess on the pages. It’s as if, they could walk right off the pages and into my home. From penguins, to elephants, to gorillas, to turtles, this is truly a beautiful book. This is one I will definitely have to put on my Wish List.
“Four tigers rest in dappled shade.
The mother raises her magnificent head.
She is a warrior of the forest, heavily muscled,
a flash of fire and night that brings oblivion to her prey.”
But now she is a mother, and now she would do anything
for the cubs that mewls softly against her.
Does she know they are too few?
What future is there for
these four fighters?
Four tigers.”
