Love: The Tiger

As the first book in a series that focuses on a day in the life of a wild animal in its natural habitat, this wordless graphic novel will engage those who enjoy comics in their purest form. Brremaud (Eleanor) and Bertolucci (Dinodino’s Dinosaur Adventures) give us a jungle where life is as transitory as it is beautiful, following the tiger on a day’s adventures, the law of its natural environment defined as much by instinct and happenstance as by might. Some creatures make the most narrow escapes and others, far more powerful, are not nearly as lucky. What’s most impressive is the worldbuilding—depicting a world that, as the book tells us, is defined by “an elemental love. A love that mankind can never experience.” Visually, the book is a marvel, with panel after panel of Bertolucci’s gorgeous palette of jungle greens disrupted by the tiger’s distinctive orange blaze. The other animals are beautifully rendered, and the storytelling has the feeling of an animated film. Despite the lack of words, readers will find this book very well written. (Feb.)