Voices From the Wild: An Animal Sensagoria - Hardcover

Bouchard, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1554552958 ISBN 13: 9781554552955

Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2014

Synopsis

What would it be like if more than two dozen different wild animals from around the world got together to boast about their senses? David Bouchard delivers a unique exploration of the realm of the senses in 25 animal portraits. In warm, lyrical verse, Bouchard introduces the reader to some fascinating aspects of natural history and explores each sense-- sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste-- through the voices of such captivating animals as the eagle, orca, wildebeest, cougar, elephant, moose, koala, and wolf.

Enhancing Bouchard's whimsical poetry are the wildlife paintings of noted British Columbia artist Ron Parker. In fact, it is the artist whom the various animals try to impress with their respective senses, whether it is the grizzly's lofty claims for best smell, the penguin's gentle declaration of superior vision, or the gorilla's confident assertion of closeness to humans in all senses.

David Bouchard's vivid poetry and Ron Parker's wonderful artwork breathe life into this endearing menagerie, reminding us of how precious our wildlife is. Together, artist and poet have created a heartfelt portrayal of the age-old relationship between humans and animals, one that young and old alike will remember and cherish.

About this title

About the Author:

An acclaimed author of children's books, David Bouchard is also a champion of literacy. This former teacher and school principal has written more than 50 books. He is a member of the Order of Canada.

Ron Parker is recognized as one of the top wildlife artists in North America. He has had many successful shows in Canada and the United States. He spends many hours hiking and photographing in such diverse places as the Northwest Territories, Kenya, Costa Rica and the Rocky Mountains, gathering firsthand knowledge of his subjects and their environment. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this grand chorus of one-upmanship, 25 wild animals vaunt their unique senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. Addressing an anonymous painter, each beast has one poem in which to persuade the artist to present its case to an unspecified "Them." The vulture, for example, pleads, "You can show Them through your painting,/ How I live on sight and wit." The cougar trumps, "Watch my tail sway, that's the secret./ Show it steer me like an arrow,/ Show it guide me through the air." After each section ("Sight," "Smell"), the framing narrator turns to the reader to point out humans' comparative limitations in a series of rhetorical questions: "What of humans? What's the reason/ That we've not been featured here?" The format, which is unusually elongated, permits Parker to supply oversized, primarily vertical portraits of each animal, rendered in a hyper-realistic style. But while Bouchard casts the painter as mediator between wildlife and humans, it is the poet's rhythmic, quietly urging voice that empowers the art. Although the book's length may try the attention span of young readers, it lends itself?despite some loss in momentum?to partial readings. An illustrated appendix provides more information about the animals. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fitzhenry and Whiteside
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1554552958
• ISBN 13: 9781554552955
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 72
• Illustrator: Parker Ron