As a photographer and an environmentalist, I've always been fascinated by how much of the natural world we can miss, if we don't slow down and really look at it. That's why I like carrying a camera with me wherever I go--photography makes me more mindful of my surroundings, and allows me to stop time for a second and record something that can last indefinitely. In this fast-paced age, we are too often driven to speed through life, so that all of the beautiful, intricate details become just a blur on our way to the Next Big Thing.
As a biologist, a photographer, and an environmentalist, Igor Siwanowicz has produced a book of such wonder, so full of interesting facts, and so funny in its narrative, that if I had a rating system for books, with 5 stars being the best, I would give this one 6 stars (shout-out to the movie "Spinal Tap"). The book is called Animals Up Close (DK Publishing) and its photographs of wild animals, many of them endangered, are thoroughly captivating. My children and I could not put it down until we had studied every single one of its 96 pages. The photographs in this post are my own (that's our dog with the eyes rimmed like Liz Taylor in "Cleopatra"), but I encourage you to click through the link above to get a preview on Amazon.com of Siwanowicz's exquisite animal photographs.
I appreciate that Siwanowicz is a biologist (who works at the renowned Max Planck Institute in Munich), so that he can explain in fascinating detail what exactly he has photographed. But he also writes about the animals in understandable language for kids, using warmth and humor. For example, of the Dragon-Headed Cricket, he writes: "With his bulging blue eyes and florid pink face, this crazy cricket looks like an old lady wearing too much makeup." Of the Silkmoth, he writes: "In this pose, waiting for its wings to harden, I think this male looks a little like a mysterious action hero, with a sinister dark mask and velvety black cape." You can see how this type of description would appeal to kids.
But the main takeaway from the book isn't humor. It's a call to action for budding environmentalists and wildlife conservationists. As the author writes about the Golden-Headed Lion Tamarin: "Unlike their feline namesakes, tamarins are tiny and could easily sit in the palm of your hand. In
fact, this is a good way to think of this species, whose future is very
much in our hands. Nine-tenths of the misty coastal rain forests of
Brazil where tamarins live have been cut down, and without extensive
conservation the species will become extinct." In his introduction, he states the main purpose of the book: "By getting up close, I hope to show you how much personality [the animals] have, and why they deserve to be admired, respected, and protected." Point very well made, indeed. I hope you will check out his book at your local library, or buy it as a meaningful, educational holiday gift for a child whom you hope to inspire. It might also inspire a few adults you know to look closer at the natural world around them, just waiting to be noticed and appreciated for its quiet beauty.
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