In a spare, stalwart first person, a dozen animals describe themselves and their wariness of a man who paddles his kayak to observe them in their northern habitat. In McLoughlin's art, the man's presence can be found in each economically constructed composition--his kayak silhouetted above an underwater beaver; in the morning mist behind a browsing moose; dramatically reflected at sunset in the eyes of a crouching lynx; the tiny light of his campfire, far beneath a gliding owl. A quietly lyrical book that effectively evokes the experience of observing these wilderness creatures with respect, and without disturbing them. The luminous double-spread paintings--with their realistic portrayal of the animals and the more romantic, impressionistic depiction of their home--are lovely; a last spread showing the man among weathered, totem-like carvings suggests that he, too, belongs in this natural setting. (Picture book. 3-10)
