ONE EAGLE SOARING

Following Hello Humpback! (2017), Budd and First Nations artist Vickers (Tsimshian, Haida, and Heiltsuk) are back, this time counting up from one to 10.

Vickers offers vivid illustrations of West Coast animals in their natural habitats along with traditional Pacific Northwest Indigenous motifs. Each number is presented on one double-page spread, except for seven swans and eight robins, presented together. Each line of the rhyming text begins with the written number and animal shown on that page, printed in raised glossy black uppercase letters; the rest of the sentence is in cursive lowercase letters. Corresponding numerals are printed in the corners. “FIVE SEA LIONS like it sunny // SIX BEARS hunt for honey.” Many of the animals are also presented in raised glossy illustrations with vivid colors. The Indigenous motifs are often subtly incorporated, as with two glossy all-black herons embossed against matte black backgrounds. Every turn of the page brings a new, dramatic landscape that showcases these animals. Although not all the animals in the book are specifically iconic to the Pacific Northwest, the tactile raised elements and the Indigenous motifs add a unique and important component to the enjoyment of this book.

This book showcases the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and will delight and engage resident and nonlocal toddlers alike.