VOICES OF THE WILD

In a spare, stalwart first person, a dozen animals describe themselves and their wariness of a man who paddles his kayak to observe them in their northern habitat. In McLoughlin's art, the man's presence can be found in each economically constructed composition—his kayak silhouetted above an underwater beaver; in the morning mist behind a browsing moose; dramatically reflected at sunset in the eyes of a crouching lynx; the tiny light of his campfire, far beneath a gliding owl. A quietly lyrical book that effectively evokes the experience of observing these wilderness creatures with respect, and without disturbing them. The luminous double-spread paintings—with their realistic portrayal of the animals and the more romantic, impressionistic depiction of their home—are lovely; a last spread showing the man among weathered, totem-like carvings suggests that he, too, belongs in this natural setting. (Picture book. 3-10)