Because it's Bank Holiday and because I want to share it as widely as I possibly can, here is The Hare and the Moon, a book I urge you to consider seriously as something to give this Christmas to anyone who loves both art and nature. For a wonder, Catherine is someone I do not know. I have never met her though we do follow one another on Twitter. Last year I bought several packs of her Christmas cards because I love her style. Please forgive the very inadequate photographs which do no justice to the real illustrations. It's published most elegantly by Zephyr, which is a branch of House of Zeus. You can't see it in this photo, but the leaves on the tree are in fact gold and catch the light.
The book has a tree, a bird, and a flower for every month of the year. It also has a spread showing the journey taken by a hare through the landscape and the seasons. The words are as beautiful as the images. For this one below, for example, the words read:
Sleepy in July, the hare wanders to where the air is salt-sharp in the dusk, the sky peopled with stars. And she sings: the Rose Moon, the Flower Moon, the Thunder Moon, the Hay Moon, the Corn Moon, the Grain Moon.
Below is the robin, December's bird.
And this below is the January tree, a crab apple.
I've limited myself to four photos because the pleasure of the real book and all the other illustrations is something you should see for yourself. Go to your nearest bookshop and have a look at the whole thing....it's one of the most beautiful books I've seen in recent years, and one to treasure. If you're a teacher, your class needs this book.
Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE
No comments:
Post a Comment