Synopses & Reviews
Mako is a walrus. He is also an artist. None of his friends understand his ice sculptures. Mako is a bit eccentric and does not do what is expected. His ice carvings of the different marine life just puzzle his friends. They all have more important things to worry about with the ice break-up being worse than normal this year and starting to affect where they can find food. They discover though that real marine animals are attracted to Mako’s sculptures…perhaps Mako’s art will save them all!
Synopsis
On Resource Links? Best of 2013 list
Moko loves to make ice sculptures. Every day, the walrus observes the seabed and then reproduces it on the surface, carving into the ice with his big teeth. Thanks to him, all the inhabitants of the North Pole know where to find their food, just below his sculptures. But one night, CRRRAC The ice shatters into pieces and floats away. No more sculptures and no more fish. All the inhabitants turn to Moko, pleading for him to make more fish. The walrus works all day and all night carving a giant whale... that's filled with enough fish for everyone
Reviews:
"Moko is a beautifully illustrated and well-designed picture book, with its limited colour palette of white, slate greys, steely and cerulean blues bleeding to the edges of each spread to give a sense of the expanse of the world Moko inhabits both above and beneath the ice. . . With its balance of whimsy and gravitas, BUziat's debut picture book is a delight for children and for those who want to delve a bit deeper below the surface (much as Moko does) to find inspiration and meaning on the process and motivation for artistic creation. We look forward to seeing more of BUziat's work and hope that readers young and old have more opportunities to 'admire his work' and begin to understand a storyteller's 'passion for art', just as Moko's friends did."
Recommended.
-- CM Magazine
About the Author
Born in France, Julien Beziat grew up drawing and painting alongside his father. His love of books came from his mother. After graduating from the University of Bordeaux, he earned a Ph.D. and became an art teacher. He currently lives near Bordeaux with his wife and two children.