Wild and Swampy

The beauty of southern American swamps and their inhabitants is explored in this lovely work of picture book natural history from prolific author/illustrator Jim Arnosky. Heading south every spring from their home in snowy Vermont, Arnosky and his wife Deanna explore the many different kinds of swamp, from mangrove swamps to hardwood swamps, to bald cypress swamps, keeping a careful eye out for the many inhabitants. Highlights include turtles and alligators; birds like the egret, yellow-crowned night heron, barred owl and pelican; snakes like the cottonmouth and brown water snake; and mammals like the raccoon and deer. The illustrations alternate between pen and ink drawings in black and white, and full-color acrylic show more paintings...

Published in 2000, Wild and Swampy is the fifty-sixth book I have read from Arnosky, which seems like large number, until one considers that it is less than half of his output! While I've never read a bad book from this picture book creator, this one stands out as particularly outstanding. The artwork is just wonderful, from the intricate and appealing pen and ink drawings (often with labels of what is being depicted) to the full-color and often full-page acrylic paintings, which are gorgeous. From the first sentence—"Sheltered from the wind by tree trunks, branches and leaves, the water in a swamp can be as still as glasss"—the tone here is one of wonder, as the narrative invites the reader to follow along on a voyage of exploration. While this isn't a systematic look at the swamp as an ecosystem, it certainly does convey its sense of mystery and its beauty. This is a valuable contribution, I think, as so many seems to regard wetlands of all kinds as "wasted" land, when of course nothing could be further from the truth! Recommended to young nature and animal lovers, and to picture book readers looking for swamp tales. show less

The best thing about "Wild and Swampy" was the illustrations -- they did a good job of capturing the feeling of the swamp. The text coincided with the illustrations and gave a personal narrative of the author's time exploring the swamp. His illustrations were created from actual scenes he saw on his trips through the swamps. The book did an excellent job of showing the diversity of wildlife that lives in the swamp and how they live.

If I were teaching younger students, I would definitely have this book available to them. I think the illustrations would really draw them in and get them interested about the animals.

One of my favorite books, Jim Arnosky is a talented author/illustrator emersing the reader into his world where ever his travels take him. His pen and ink sketches make you feel as if you walked through the swamps along his side with a birds eye view. His narrative helps you see the animals, vegetation and insects of the swamps through his experience.

This book is beautifully illustrated and contains brief descriptions of wildlife found in the American swampland. It has great descriptions of how the wildlife lives in that environment.

I enjoyed reading this book. While it might be over simplified in the descriptions of the swampland, that is acceptable and to be expected in a children's illustrated book.

This book was written like a tour guide book, and made me want to visit the swamp! The animals are described so well, and the pictures are absolutely beautiful.

This would be a great book for Louisiana history or even learning about different geographical areas. It teaches you many things about the swamp, and it would be great to teach to children that live close to swamps. This would be great to read if they were to go on a Swamp Tour field trip, that way they would know what to look out for.

Describes and portrays the birds, snakes, and other animals that be seen in a swamp.