Looking for Loons.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Jennifer Lloyd and Kirsti Anne Wakelin’s Looking for Loons is a lovely book that stimulates the senses. There is an interesting textual focus on human sounds, offset against the illustrations’ focus on the sights of nature. It creates an intriguing balance in what is an intriguing book.

Wakelin’s pencil and watercolour illustrations are skilfully constructed. The artwork features a visually interesting use of perspective, with placement of different animals and birds in the near ground and far ground. The soft and muted colour palette captures the feel of autumn, as the brilliant light of summer gives way to the subtleties of autumn. There is so much activity in the artwork that it forces the reader to look—and to look closely—in such a way that it is likely that the reader will also then pay greater attention to her/his surroundings when outside.

There is a gentle, respectful tone to Lloyd’s text that is perfectly complemented by the artwork. The author/illustrator collaboration is seamless. What emerges is a book of the highest order.

Looking for Loons is a celebration of the beauty of autumn and, indeed, of nature. Readers of all ages will find this book irresistible.