{Turning the pages of, Because I Like You, this is our version of close-enough-to seamless, crowned by the trickiness of filming with Lenni.}
Because I Like You, as the title suggests, is based on the concept of a love letter to ten mammals. Each of the edition is housed in a black fabric Solander box. And each page has one mammal lemonwood block print portrait and one original collage of the mammal mirrored. The mammals featured range from a Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) to a Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) by way of a Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus) and a gruff Polar bear (Ursus maritimus). This edition has been over a year in the making, based on a back and forth notion we have been toying with more and more (my collage in response to Louise's print, this time). With the printed portrait showing nature, as intended (close to), and the collage placing the animal in different (and often less than ideal) surrounds, it is also our first book to feature woodblock prints.
Along the way it was discovered that there are many nice words to write, but few as nice as 'mouse lemur'. I suspect it is the pair of 'u's and the hills of the 'm's, but I could be mistaken. (Spinning the 2B pencil, in love letter to the mouse lemur.)
{Turning the pages of the Greater stick-nest rat edition of Because I Like You.}
To the Greater bilby
I like you because your long ears are pinkish in colour, and you gallop much like a rocking horse. I could be talking about a Greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis); I could be talking about you.
To the Black-and-gold howler monkey
I like you because you greet the dawn with a guttural howl. I could be talking about a Black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya); I could be talking about you.
To the Rufous mouse lemur
You’re shy and nocturnal, hiding in the foliage from the Fossa, the Ring-tailed mongoose, and the Madagascar harrier hawk, and it is why I like you so. I could be talking about a Rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus); I could be talking about you.
To the Polar bear, we say
I like you because we share a plantigrade gait. Your whiskers too. I could be talking about a Polar bear (Ursus maritimus); I could be talking about you.
To the Royal antelope
I like you because your crepuscular ways find you frequently ruminating by day. And because your hind legs are so long, in relation to your front legs, you appear in something of a constant crouch. I could be talking about a Royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus); I could be talking about you.
{Turning the pages of the Greater stick-nest rat edition of Because I Like You.}
To the Californian sea lion
I like you because of your short black stubble on your flippers. I could be talking about a Californian sea lion (Zalophus californianus); I could be talking about you.
To the Snow leopard
I like you because your long tail serves as a blanket. I could be talking about a Snow leopard (Panthera uncia); I could be talking about you.
To the Greater stick-nest rat
I like you because you can weave a secure nest from branches and collected vegetation. I could be talking about a Greater stick-nest rat (Leporillus conditor); I could be talking about you.
And to the Red squirrel
I like you because the forgotten seed caches you bury sometimes sprout and grow into trees. I am also fond of your long ear tufts. I could be talking about a Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris); I could be talking about you.
Finally, to the Sea otter
The loose patch of skin under your forearms serves as a pocket for rocks and other tools and it is primarily why I like you. I could be talking about a Sea otter (Enhydra lutris); I could be talking about you.
