Author David Elliott and Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Holly Meade both live in New England, but for In the Wild (Candlewick Press, 32 pp., $16.99), they cast their gaze around the globe. They pair Elliott’s short poems with Meade’s bold woodblock to explore wildlife on various continents.
In Africa, a lion roars on a grassy plain, an elephant drifts like a cloud, and a zebra thunders through a sunlit landscape. In Asia, a panda romps as “wizard of the mountains” and a tiger burns bright from afar. A kangaroo bounces through the Australian outback and a buffalo blinks as he toughs out a snowstorm on the Great Plains.
For young readers, “In the Wild” is a chance to learn about fabulous forms of life around the world, while older readers will be able to savor the luscious nature of the art.
