written and illustrated by Graeme Base
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014

image from original publisher

After two oldies in a row, I thought I’d explore one of my newer finds. I finally got to visit Powell’s over the summer, and happened across this gem while puttering around in the picture books. Having recently returned from my own explorations of Angkor Wat, I was ecstatic to see this book. Simply from the cover, you can see that the jewel tone illustrations are lush and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the beauty and mystique of the Khmer temples.

The story is a fable of friendship and leadership: strong Tiger, compassionate Gibbon, resilient Water Buffalo, and courageous Gecko all think that they have what it takes to be a great king. But does that make them worthy? Elephant sends them to the temple at the top of the hill to find out. It felt a bit like the story was constructed around a desire to illustrate Angkor Wat, but I didn’t mind. The illustrations more than make up for the conventional plot. The detail on the page, echoing the detail of the actual temple carving, is phenomenal. In signature Graeme Base style, there is a butterfly to find on every page.

This is the first Graeme Base book I have seen that is digitally illustrated (copyright page confirms). I am sitting here with Animalia and The Sign of the Seahorse, two of my favorite books growing up and treasured favorites still, trying to decide why this bothers me. Creating the artwork digitally allowed for the gorgeous carving border to appear on every page, but Base has always paid excruciating attention to detail. The texturing in the other two books is no less rich and inviting. Maybe it’s simply that I can tell? But that makes me sound like an old fuddy duddy. I think there’s more to it than that, but can’t articulate it. In any case, I would still argue that it’s a beautifully done book, and a great way to introduce kids to another part of the world.

Note: according to the Publisher’s Weekly review, this book will not be released until September 1st. I bought it in July, marked “used.”