Peter Parnall

Published in 1971 and “dedicated to the creatures that lived there”, The Mountain is a remarkably hard-hitting, even blunt, picture book about the devastating impact of humans on the natural world. The early pages suggest that readers are going to get a predictable cumulative text in the manner of “This is the House that Jack built”. However, in this first section, author/illustrator Peter Parnall isn’t interested in what humans have constructed but in what nature once provided: show more “This is the mountain that stood in the West./These are the flowers that grew there.”

In simple and generic language, Parnall goes on to itemize the flora and fauna that once flourished in this place: moles, birds, trees, and deer. His India-ink illustrations, with some added colour, highlight the textures of living things: the pattern of fur on a mole, the layered feathers on birds, the grain of tree bark, the pleated underside of a mushroom top. Then the people come—a father with two young children, hiking. They’re depicted as small, smaller than the natural world, and apparently inconsequential. Parnall then shows another small group: a mother, father, and a boy who’s climbed a tree. A fearless squirrel perches on the reclining father’s knee. At the same time that Parnall gives us this image, his text pattern breaks, as he notes that these people, in their love for the mountain, want to keep it just the way it is.

Parnall’s text pauses for some pages after the words: “So, Congress passed a law making the mountain a national park and a road was built.” The remainder of the book presents the reader with illustrations that are gradually drained of colour, which show the increasing degradation of the mountain habitat. Parking lots and walkways are paved; bridges, picnic tables, and outhouses are constructed. And the people! As the pages turn, they appear in greater and greater numbers, some with their dogs. Trees are cut to make more room for humans, and though there are litter bins, people leave their rubbish behind them. A bear is walks away from the forest, bearing a placard that reads: “Somewhere else or bust.”

The land becomes unrecognizable, and Parnall’s final image is of “a flower . . . trying to grow on the mountain that stood in the West.” The human effort to preserve ironically desecrates.

This may be an old book, but the message has only become more urgent. Picture book production has changed a great deal since the seventies, and, at first glance, the book looks a bit primitive by today’s standards, but the illustrations are rich in detail. I think kids would still get a lot out of this book. Pair it with The Lorax and The Great Kapok Tree.

Rating: 3.5 show less

An early Parnall. It pains me to give him only three stars, but the pictures are mostly just 'nice' (especially compared to his collaborations w/ [author:Byrd Baylor|36067]) and the 'story' is basically a recitation; a science lesson for little ones I guess. And, for most of us, a habitat of mice, foxes, deer, etc. is old hat - Parnall's work really shines when he draws the more 'exotic' south-western desert.

I did like:
"When the sun's first rays struck Alfalfa Hill
The creatures were show more wondering...
They did not stir.
No more rocky hedgerows wandering through the woods,
No more masses of tangled vines.
No green spruces reaching for the sky.
Now giant white mushrooms met the eye."

But then the next line is "Ghosts, and marshmallows." Um, hello, critters are not familiar with either of those things, and so that line is dissonant nonsense. Sorry.

Still and all, I'm glad I had a chance to see the book. I do love his work. show less

As usual, Parnall's line drawings charm. He's an artist who chooses to illustrate. The educational value of this makes it a worthy read on its own, too. (How have I never learned how red-wing blackbirds make their nests?) It could be better, with notes, or maps of birds' ranges, but there are other books for that stuff. I like this. And I am glad to know a certain young family to whom I can I pass it on.

(You can read it on openlibrary.org.)

Parnall doesn't write quite as well as his collaborator from the desert SW, [a:Byrd Baylor|36067|Byrd Baylor|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1417897855p2/36067.jpg], but this work of art, this homage to the freeing power of imagination, is still very effective. I'm delighted to know a certain young family to whom I can give this, and sorry to see that it seems undiscovered by most libraries. If you have access to it, I do recommend it, for all ages!