African Wildlife: A Photographic Safari
East Africa may be one of the most photographed areas on the planet, but a good photographer can always find something new to show us. A male lion licking water from a sodden cub, a giraffe in midgallop as she negotiates a turn, and a stretching gray-headed kingfisher are all images that stick in the mind after perusing this book. Photographer Krasemann has an immediacy about his pictures that is appealing, both intimate (a sleeping colobus monkey) and artistic (a vulture backlit by a rain-cloud-filled sky). Bach's text is written in the form of journal entries, bringing the reader along with her on safari. She writes of rain on her tent's roof, hair so dusty, so exposed to the sun that it feels like straw, and watching predators stalk and consume their prey. Calling an African safari "sensory overload," the two authors provide the same overload to the reader. Although nothing can compare with experiencing Africa for yourself, this book is recommended because it comes very close to actually being there.Nancy Bent