This Is How to Spot Animals! out now from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers; 40 pages
About the Author: “Aline Portman started writing this book on the tram, where she was surrounded by people looking at their phones and missing out on the world around them. She developed the idea into This Is How to Spot Animals! and illustrated it with pencils, soft pastels, and markers. This book is Aline’s English-language debut. She lives in Ghent, Belgium” (Bio from Eerdmans Publishing’s website).
Find Aline Portman on the following platforms:
About the Translator: “Laura Watkinson translates books for children and adults from Dutch, German, and Italian. Her translations have received numerous honors, including three Mildred L. Batchelder Awards, two Mildred L. Batchelder Honors, and the Vondel Translation Prize. She is the founder of the Dutch chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SBCWI). Laura lives in Amsterdam” (Bio from Eerdmans Publishing’s website).
Find Laura Watkinson on the following platforms:
Bear loves spending time spotting animals—in fact, he’s very good at it! There’s no one as great as Bear when it comes to finding the other critters of the world. And he has his sights set on spotting a red-breasted goose, a rare bird he has yet to see. While Bear searches, he encourages the reader to follow along and shares tips on how to become a great animal spotter just like him. Taking on this challenging hobby requires skills like patience and thinking outside-the-box, and Bear explains why each is useful for learning more about the animals of the world. But Bear is so focused on his usual strategies while trying to spot the red-breasted goose that he misses all the other animals he could be spotting around him.
This Is How to Spot Animals! was a simple, but fun read! I enjoyed how the text contrasted the illustrations—for example, Bear’s dialogue about being sure to focus or look in unusual places leading directly to him not seeing the animals in other places around him—and yet the text still holds solid advice for young readers. It opens up the conversation of nuance for audiences, and how to practice taking advice (like taking a thorough look around) and not following it to an extreme, which could be just as unhelpful as not following it at all. My favorite part about reading, however, had to be Aline Portman’s illustrations. The style was reminiscent of picture books from my childhood, and it’s nice to see that this softer blending style of colors combined with hatch lines for texture is still being done today. It’s a visually pleasing style of art; minimalist, but so very effective. The choice to do two-page spreads was smart, as the empty space where Bear focuses his attention becomes more effective, since the rest of the page can be filled with animals. And I loved Portman’s choices in camouflaging some of the animals; I had to do a double take when the turtle appeared! I appreciate Portman including a list of all the animals depicted at the end of the book; I think this allows younger readers to align with Bear, giving them a chance to feel accomplished once they spot animals that Bear didn’t. Overall, this book can be a nostalgic read for older readers and a conversation-starter for younger readers!
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Grace McCool, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor