COME OUT, MUSKRATS

In the style of his Watching Foxes (1984) but surpassing it in virtuosity and visual presentation of information, a description of muskrats' behavior in a cove within view of Arnosky's red barn in northern Vermont. The muskrats venture out in the late afternoon calm, seeking food among water weeds and sporting among cattails and lily pads as the sun sets and birds cease their song. The muskrats stay out until dawn. A very simple text accompanies glorious yet serene illustrations (watercolor and colored pencil on textured material). The limpid cove reflects the landscape's blues and greens, and the setting sun's gold and rose. Beginning with bubbles breaking through water in the front matter (presaging a turtle on the title page spread), many other animals appear; they are not named but are so carefully rendered that they could be identified in appropriate field guides. A fine piece of visual natural history; a very beautiful book, appropriate for bedtime or a story group.