Where’s Walrus? by Stephen Savage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Really fun book! Stephen Savage uses bright, bold colors that really pop and simple lines to create some incredible illustrations for this wordless picture book. His use of negative white space and perspective gives the pictures depth without shading. It has a real retro feel to it that I love. The first thing i thought of when I saw the cover was Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. So of course I had to read it immediately. Actually, I’ve had it checked out for months now (oops.)
Walrus seems like a pretty happy guy (or girl, I suppose) who just needs a bit of excitement. He leaves the zoo and is pursued by a zookeeper with a mustache, who kind of reminds me of Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther. Walrus is a master of disguise, blending in to the background or the crowd and hiding from the Zookeeper in plain sight – obviously enjoying every minute of the chase. He can’t stay hidden for long though, and he does end up back at the zoo. But the zookeeper comes up with an idea that seems to make Walrus happy and bring a crowd to the sleepy zoo. All’s well that ends well!
Also a fun book for little ones to point out where Walrus is in each picture. I’ve had it checked out for months now and it’s been on the shelf in my office for “Possible Story Time” books. Just need a fun theme and craft to go with it. 🙂