  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/01/2013 Showcasing 14 contemporary (mainly American) picture-book illustrators, this handsome volume asks the title question and devotes a double-page spread to each artist’s answer. Carle leads off with a lovable memory of Fiffi, his green bean–chasing cat, illustrated in his signature style. Mo Willems amuses viewers by drawing a snake that has swallowed his favorite, leaving readers to imagine what the “Amazonian Neotropical Lower River Tink-Tink” actually looks like. A spotted, yellow leopard leaps across a brilliant red background, while Lucy Cousins explains why she loves the animal. Each page brings a different visual style and verbal accompaniment, which might be reflective, fanciful, and/or amusing. The back matter includes biographical paragraphs and photos (often childhood snapshots) of the contributors, including Nick Bruel, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sís, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, and Rosemary Wells. Pair this enjoyable collection with Patricia Aldana’s Under the Spell of the Moon (2004), which introduces illustrators from around the world. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. School Library Journal - 02/01/2014 PreS-Gr 2—Carle and a number of noteworthy picture-book artists (Nick Bruel, Lucy Cousins, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sís, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, Rosemary Wells, and Mo Willems) write about their favorite animals. The text takes the form of poems, stories, and narrative descriptions, and each entry is illustrated in a variety of styles, materials, and techniques. The back matter contains a biographical sketch of each contributor and information about the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (the benefactor of the sales of this book) in Amherst, Massachusetts. This successful collaboration of old favorites and newer names in illustration is sure to keep youngsters engaged and may inspire them to write about and draw their favorite animals or to take a closer look at other works by Carle and his friends.—Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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