Tag Jenny Broom

The Wonder Garden

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The Wonder Garden
Kristjana S.Williams and Jenny Broom
Wide Eyed Editions
Prepare to be dazzled when you open up this sumptuous volume; it truly is a wonder to behold. Then, step through the shiny golden gate and you’re inside the wonder garden that is our planet earth and thence, explore five amazing ecosystems. First is  …

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with its superabundance of reptiles and amphibians and its plethora of beautiful birds large and small.

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Next destination is the Great Barrier Reef where we learn amongst other things, of the interdependence of coral and elaborate fish.
The Chihuahuan Desert with its hugely fluctuating temperatures is the next stop. It’s a place where harsh conditions and food scarcity make survival difficult for many of its 130 mammal and 3,000 plant species.

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The Black Forest with its tall pines (a bird haven), mountains, eight rivers and several hot springs, all of which help make a place that has a rich variety of flora and fauna is featured next.

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And the final stop is the mighty Himalayan Mountains and the only one of the locations I’ve visited and so recognize some of the animals and plants shown.

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Every one of the locations is spectacular in its own way and the overall experience is one of awe and wonder, but there’s also an almost magical feel to the whole thing. At every turn of the page Kristjana Williams presents a visual feast of insects, reptiles, birds, mammals (or marine species) set against land- (or sea-) scapes of greens and browns splashed with vibrant carmine and fuschia.
Four double spreads are given to each habitat: the first being a spectacular panoramic view jam-packed with its living inhabitants so powerful one can almost for instance, hear the croaking of tropical frogs in the Amazon Rainforest. Every location is introduced by a verbal visualization of what one might feel, see and hear on first arrival and panels containing factual information about the habitat. On the subsequent pages, filling the spaces between the stunning artwork, are blocks of text giving factual information about the habitat.
The superabundance of fauna and flora at every location means that comparatively few species get a mention and that’s fair enough in a book of this kind, though as someone with more than a passing interest in botany I would have liked some more details about the glorious flora depicted.
Assuredly a book to return to again and again and one that might well spark a lifelong interest in some aspect of the living world in the person fortunate enough to come upon this in a bookshop or library or even better, receive it as a gift.

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Who’s Hiding? & Remarkable Animals

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Who’s Hiding?
Agnese Baruzzi and Jenny Broom
Templar Publishing
Things are not exactly as they seem at first glance in this superbly designed animal book. On each left hand side of the spread is a playful, descriptive verse with an invitation to guess which cleverly concealed animal is lurking beneath the concertina fold of the opposite page. Thus, a seemingly ordinary lily pond

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opens to confront readers with a large spotty frog sitting yoga style upon a lily pad;

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this having been introduced by Jenny Broom’s interrogative rhyme,
 In the pond, one creature swims,
Stretching out its long green limbs.
Who croaks and leaps and hops like mad
       And perches on a lily pad?
Most young listeners/readers will be able to guess each hidden animal in turn, others will enjoy surmising, before all is revealed in Agnese Baruzzi’s brightly coloured scene once the page is extended. “We could say it’s ‘hide-and-speak’ as well as ‘hide-and seek’ “ commented one of the five year olds I shared this book with.
Each scene comprises a whole host of gorgeously coloured images of the flora and fauna of the particular habitat shown and the final unfolded spread shows a broader view with all six of the animals to spot.

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I’d say this is one to inspire young children to be curious not just indoors while reading, but outdoors too. Try showing it to slightly older children from say 6 or 7 too; they may well be inspired to have a go at making their own fold out spreads, and perhaps testing them out with younger children.

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Remarkable Animals
Tony Meesuwissen
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Ten creatures can morph into (so we are told) one thousand in this fascinating and clever book. Each page is divided into three equal sections; these can be independently flipped so that from a single real animal it’s possible to create all manner of weird and wonderful ones. Thus an alligator

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might be transformed into say an ‘Allerpit’

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– Powerful enough to drag a man into the water, these primitive beasts/have an undesirable habit of crawling into beehives to feed on honey. They can be/ kept in a humid aquarium with wood bark to hide in. Pretty ridiculous but such witticisms are delivered in a deadpan style adding to the enjoyment of the whole. Moreover in addition to the ‘To the reader’ notes at the back of the book, there is also some zoological information for each creature if the pages are correctly aligned.
Tony Meeuwissen’s choice of colour palette is arresting

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and the detail in his paintings means that the eye is bound to linger long to take in each and every portion of the animals and the possibilities all the different combinations present.
Sturdily bound, this versatile volume should stand up to the countless readings it will surely receive and I suspect, not just by children.

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