O is for Oystercatcher - A Book of Seaside ABC's
ONE LETTER AT A TIME, accompanied by beautiful hand-colored linoleum block prints, we are introduced to one of the most interesting ecosystems on the planet.
O is for Oystercatcher — A Book of Seaside ABCs is a tantalizing introduction to coastal life in a format that is a pleasure to read and impossible to outgrow. This seashore natural history primer is designed to please children as well as adults. While "A-B-C" books, or primers, are usually considered only for children, O is for Oystercatcher is enlightening for all ages. With beautifully reproduced artwork, this hardbound book is likely to appear on coffee tables in beach homes as well as next to a child’s bed.
Barbara Patrizzi’s affection for the coast is apparent in her graphically beautiful depiction of coastal species. Each image in this book is from an original relief print made from a linoleum block. Relief printmaking is probably the oldest of all printmaking techniques: a design is carved into the surface of a material, ink is applied to the remaining raised areas and paper is then pressed against the inked surface. The black part of the resulting image was the raised (inked) area on the block. For this book, the uninked white areas on the print were hand-colored using polychrome pencils.
Each page of artwork faces a catchy, cleverly written and informative natural history vignette. The key species in this book — many threatened by development and loss of habitat — depend on the health of the coastal ecology for survival; this book gently helps bring about an understanding of seashore life as well as sensitivity to the most serious issues facing the coast.
"Pretty and useful" is a line from the text describing Irish Moss, but it also describes this lovely book itself. From limpet to zygoptera, albacore to monarch, this book’s appeal is both timely and aesthetic.
BOOK REVIEWS
Each letter – from "A for albacore" to "Z for zygoptera" – is illustrated by a hand-colored linoleum block print. The images of shore species include the blue claw crab, egret, turtle, jellyfish and horseshoe crab; plus plants such as cattails, Irish moss and pitch pine. Her affection for the coast is evident in the graphically beautiful depiction of the plant or animal in each color print, reminiscent of Gauguin’s woodblock prints.”
