The baby book blogger's dilemma? There is so little time to blog, yet so many books to blog about, how to choose which one to review next? But since I began with wordless picture books, I thought I'd turn next to Where's Walrus by Stephen Savage.
This is the story of a walrus who escapes the zoo and hides around town to avoid re-capture. The fun for the reader is in the way the walrus hides on the page -- from the zookeeper and from us -- in a fountain, at a lunch counter, as a bricklayer, and a fireman. There's a little twist at the end, after which the walrus returns home to a much nicer, and presumably happier, home. Ultimately, this is one of those rare and delightful, artfully arranged children's picture books that also appeals to adults because it is both beautiful and clever.
It is recommended for children ages 3 and up, and I can see why. It is a more complicated story to follow than Hug, and Little Brother isn't quite as taken with the images. Big Brother, however, delights in spotting the walrus on each page and understands the humor in his hiding.
You now know that I like series, so you won't be surprised to learn that the discovery of illustrator Stephen Savage led me to one of his previous works, Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson.
In this tale, a polar bear cub ventures out of his warm, cozy den into the stark cold, dark, but beautiful Far North night. On his journey, he encounters a walrus, seals, and whales, and admires the moon and stars, until he is sleepy and at last returns to the fuzzy fur of his mother in their den. It won a Best Illustrated Children's Book award from New York Times Book Review. This is another one that Little Brother can appreciate in pictures all by "self," so we skip the words. There really isn't anything special about them, and some of the sweetest stories are best told by seeing rather than saying.
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