The illustrations in this book are so appealing. Such fine details - the pages look scientific but also artistic. It is fun to keep hunting for the tiny ant on each page and in each setting. I do like the dandelions; the close-up page of moss; and the gum blossoms. The three rectangles which show close, closer, closest is so effective. My favourite part of each page is the inclusion of a small tag - a bit like a tag that might be added to a specimen in a museum. I found this image to show you what I mean.
I was not sure what the spiders were eating when the text says “sharing the spoils of their hunt”? But spiders make me shudder, so I didn't want to look too closely at all those spiders.
Readers will enjoy all the tiny details in the illustrations and the way Ingrid paints textured surfaces. There is also a pleasing consistency in her use of colour. We see tiny glimpses of pink for example on the gum blossoms on one page, the gum nuts on another and then on a leaf tip on the final page. On her web page Ingrid Bartkowiak mentions “the arts and crafts movement”. The way she is able to draw and paint leaves did remind me of William Morris.
The wording of the text itself is lyrical and text fragments such as “tile and tar”; “cumbersome crumb”; “leaves like the teeth of a lion”; “tangle and tumble of froth”; and “the silence is easily bruised”. This book is a perfect combination of narrative and non-fiction.
I really appreciate the intention of this book to make us slow down and notice the minutiae of life. I like the ethos of the Canberra publisher Story Torch Press: “books that promote resilience, sustainability and community engagement".
Curious readers will want to discover more about the Gravel Ant, dandelions, maidenhair fern, zooplankton, Silver Moss, Ghost Mushrooms, Wild Fennel, the Social Huntsman Spider, the Penny Lizard, the Ringtail Possum and the Tiny Logania. You can read more about each of these in the back matter. I had never heard of gravel ants - they are also known as meat ants!
Here is an interview with Deborah Frenkel and Reading with a Chance of Tacos. And here is a video made for the publisher Story Torch Press where you can see the illustrator at work. And here is her webpage.
Naturopolis was shortlisted for the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) New Illustrator award for 2023. Here are the judges' comments (I was a judge for this round):
Bartkowiak brings to life the title of this book in a very assured style with high-quality, hand-painted fine art illustrations. The tactile front cover and endpapers are incredibly appealing and tempt the reader to peer into the world described in the written text. The whimsical illustrations and confident use of design convey convincing scenes of the human world juxtaposed effectively with the often-unseen natural world. The reader is invited to zoom into the tiny details of the natural environment with plenty to explore on each page, including hunting for the tiny ant in each setting which keeps the reader engaged. Bartkowiak uses a sublime repeating technique of three rectangles which illustrate close, closer, closest. There is also a pleasing consistency in the use of colour with tiny glimpses of pink on the gum blossoms, the gum nuts and later on a leaf tip.
It was also a Notable title in the Eve Pownall category. Here are some teachers notes.
Companion books:
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