THE CAIMAN

A nostalgic memory of adoption, affection, and loyalty offers opportunities to ponder the nature-versus-nurture question.

Scrolling past potted plants and a newborn caiman, the opening spread promises an intriguing story. Immense alligators floating in the foreground are hunted for their skins while diminutive human figures along the river bank define the middle ground, establishing distance and perspective against a city’s architecture in the background. The trim size (7 inches high by 12 inches long) and landscape orientation are instrumental in shaping the narrative as Night grows from a baby caiman into her full size after the town jeweler and watchmaker Faoro takes her home. Night is the star attraction as would-be customers line up to pet her and neighborhood children arrive to play. (One grows up to become the author, according to her bio.) Although Faoro builds a freshwater pool for Night’s accommodations, the premise of domesticating wildlife may feel problematic to some contemporary readers, particularly when Night “show[s] off” gold-capped fangs at Faoro’s wedding. Nonetheless, at the heart of this retelling are the devotion and powerful connection between loved ones that transcend species and death. The illustrations evoke meticulous ink paintings that leverage negative space to focus on the vibrant palette and nuanced textures without cluttering the composition or imaginative spaces suggested by the layout. Characters are depicted with paper-white skin and black or gray hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poignant visual narrative does double duty to carry this translated tale honoring a lasting bond.