The husband-and-wife team behind What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?
presents another intimate look at the natural world, here surveying six animal in glorious habitats: desert, tide pool, jungle, savanna, forest and pond. Author and artist introduce each environment in pairs of spreads, first asking readers to peer into a full-bleed landscape in which they can spot animals partially concealed by holes, greenery and other features (hence, the "I See" in the title, a refrain for each environment). The companion spread, strips away all the extraneous detail, revealing the inhabitants, silhouetted against a white background. A structure resembling a pine cone, for instance, which pops out from a rock outcropping in the first desert spread is actually the end of a fat, coiled diamondback rattlesnake in all its venomous glory; skinny toes wrapped around a branch in the jungle turns out to belong to a comical red-eyed tree frog. Jenkins masterfully manipulates texture and space, playing up the unique palette and architecture of each habitat, while pushing readers towards an aesthetic awareness of the remarkable shapes and patterns that compose nature's wonders. Straightforward language in small type identifies the environments ("This desert is in the American Southwest"), and vivid, economical descriptions of the critters follow on the companion spreads, completing the phrase "I see..."("an angry diamondback rattlesnake buzzing a warning," for instance). Lengthier notes on all the environments and inhabitants conclude this informative and attractive volume, yet another keeper from this talented team. Ages 4-8. (May)
