Book By Its Cover » Mr. Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo

Sorry for the break. I was dealing with some health problems… but I’m back on track and feeling better : ) Here’s Ricky:

My friend Eva recommended this book through her blog and I could not resist its bold and loose look. All of the characters are uniquely rendered in thick swaths of color and drawn over with thinly scribbled lines. The text is beautifully illustrated. I love when artists create their own typefaces! I was taken by Waldron’s new style and upon closer inspection of his blog I found turkeys dresses in top hats, monkeys dressed in overalls, and a lion in a sweater smoking a pipe. I liked it a lot.

Mr. Peek, a zookeeper, is an absent-minded type who uses the phrase, “oh poop.” His proportions and mannerisms remind me of a moustached Inspector Gadget. Unwittingly, he manages to offend every animal in the zoo because he believes he is getting too fat. The animals react to Peek’s comments enormously. They are so offended! I really feel for them, most especially the hidden alligators, the wailing hippos, and the wrinkly elephants. They are also so great to look at. Even the book’s dedication and end pages (which provide an expansive landscape of the entire zoo…) are illustrated meticulously and the drawings feel so natural and free. Buy it here.

There are also illustrations of buttons.