Where's the Bear?: A Look-and-Find Book (Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum)
Where's the Bear?is a delightfully simple exercise: look at an animal in a detail from Jan Brueghel'sNoah and His Ark, and then find it in the large, fold-out reproduction of the whole painting printed at the back of the book. There are 23 species (from among the more than 50 Brueghel included in the canvas), including raccoons, cats, doves, dogs, horses, elephants, ostriches, and don't forget the bat--orchauve-souris,fledermaus,pipistrello, ormurcielago--for this book lists the name of each animal in French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. The creatures are alive and kicking, especially the rabbits, more adorable even than Dürer's. These animals were painted by an artistic genius, but could anyone have realized just how brilliant he was until now?This is a book for small children, who will delight in looking at the animals themselves, with their gleaming eyes, silky fur, and knowing expressions, and be charmed by the game of trying to discover where each pair fits in the big painting. But for adults, the details of this masterpiece are mesmerizing. The original work is just 21 by 33 inches, so all the animals must be small, even miniature, and yet in their details readers can see Brueghel's amazing flair with the sable round brush. Nearly all (the artist may never have actually glimpsed an elephant, we think) are little miracles of observation. For parents who love art and children who love animals, this book is a delicious treat.--Peggy Moorman