OUTSIDE ART

A gathering of woodland animals tries to figure out what “Art” is.

Looking through the window of a snug log cabin in a snowy clearing, Pine Marten watches Human inside and wonders what Human’s up to now. Readers will see that the fairly mature-looking person with light skin and red hair is painting a picture. Chickadee tells Pine Marten it overheard that Human is “The Artist” and is “Making Art.” But “what is Art?” the animals who are gathering wonder. Hare thinks it’s a signal of danger, Coyote thinks it is “a way to find shelter,” and Coyote’s pups think it’s playing. Finally, the cat chimes in from indoors and informs them it is an expert on what Art is. But the cat’s sophisticated (and perhaps tongue-in-cheek) artspeak explanation does nothing to enlighten the animals—and will also be over the heads of most if not all child readers. When Pine Marten has the idea to make marks in the snow with her paws, the other animals follow suit: scratching marks, digging, or just playing. At this point, the narrative stretches laboriously to connect this to the concept of what art is—the disconnect being using animal behaviors as stand-ins for anthropocentric concepts. Happily, the illustrations, with their nature-hued palette, simple, sturdy forms, and good use of white space—suggesting both cozy and outdoorsy—are clearer in their meaning and presentation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30.5% actual size.)

Appealing, cozy illustrations uplift a fuzzy narrative.