Draw!
by Raúl Colón; illus. by the author
Primary    Wiseman/Simon    40 pp.
9/14    978-1-4424-9492-3    $17.99
e-book ed.  978-1-4424-9493-0    $10.99

A young artist, inspired by his books about African animals, is transported to an imaginary safari in this dreamy wordless book. Armed only with his pencil, sketch pad, and easel, this budding Leonardo finds his models in the African landscape — an elephant, zebras, giraffes, lions, gorillas (one of whom snatches the boy’s pith helmet and lunch) — and all willing to pose. He has some adventures — a rhino charges him but is quickly placated when the boy shows it (from the safe distance of a tree branch) the portrait he drew. Then a group of baboons take the boy’s drawing implements and turn the tables by sketching him (and it’s not a terribly flattering portrait!). Ultimately he ends up back in his own bedroom, surrounded by the books that inspired him and the sketches we saw him make on his safari. The story line is engaging and easy to follow, and, while it’s whimsical, the majesty of the animals comes through in both the boy’s sketches and the main illustrations. Colón’s pen-and-ink, watercolor, colored-pencil, and lithograph pencil pictures are nicely textured and tinged with golden hues. A final illustration shows the boy sharing his artwork in a class presentation; an appended author’s note describes Colón’s “aha moment” for the book.

From the September/October 2014 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.