Counting Lions: Portraits from the Wild

Arresting charcoal portraits of endangered animals, drawn in near-photographic detail, command attention in this counting book, which begins with "one lion" and ends with "ten zebras." The large-scale b&w images are set against white backgrounds and paired with poems printed in a bright orange suggestive of the threats the animals face. Cotton's pensive, unrhymed works describe the animals' behaviors, physical attributes, and beauty: "Five elephants travel the dusty paths of memory./ From the day of their birth, the babies walk./ They walk into adulthood and beyond, / following the paths set by their mothers before them." Several poems also touch on the diminishing numbers of the species: "Does she know they are too few?/ What future is there for/ these four fighters?/ Four tigers." Endnotes offering information about the animals and their endangered statuses conclude this powerful tribute to vulnerable creatures. All ages. (Oct.)

K-Gr 2--This oversize counting book features 10 endangered animals drawn beautifully in charcoal. The images of lions, tigers, elephants, penguins, and more are so detailed that they appear on first look to be black-and-white photos. Each spread presents an animal, such as a single male lion, two gorillas, three giraffes, etc. Soft, moody text printed in orange accompanies the images. "One lion sits and watches his rough-and-tumble pride. He surveys the golden savanna, and a flicker catches his eye--something moving in the grass." "Four tigers rest in dappled shade. The mother raises her magnificent head. She is a warrior of the forest, heavily muscled, a flash of fire and night that brings oblivion to her prey." The end pages expand upon the status of the animals, from the endangered to those less threatened. Their general habitat is noted along with information regarding the number of the species now left. VERDICT A stunning portrait of beautiful creatures in a book with a strong environmental message.--Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA