Review by Martha Quillen
Wildlife – September 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine
Born Wild in Colorado
By Wendy Shattil and Bob Rozinski
Published in 2007 by Far Country Press
ISBN 1-56037-412-8
THERE’S PROBABLY not a collection of cuter, cuddlier looking creatures available anywhere. But these aren’t critters you’re likely to hug and fondle, or even see. Most of them are wild, except for (as the introduction informs us) the cats, which tend to be exceptionally “elusive” according to the authors.
These photographs of baby animals are exceptional, and the subjects are adorable — be they mountain goats, foxes, bison, birds, moose, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, bunnies, badgers, prairie dogs, squirrels, skunks, bears, elk or rodents.
As for the prose in this book, it’s very sparse, which is good. The photos say enough: playful goats, curious cubs, awkward fledglings….
Written passages are confined to cutlines, authors’ biographies, and the obligatory announcement that no animals were harmed in the production of this book — and that indeed these pictures were taken with such long field lenses that no animals were even disturbed.
This sturdy, full-color paperback is cheap at $9.95 and would make a great kid’s present. In fact, Born Wild could, perhaps, even touch the heart of the meanest old crank or curmudgeon, including old Scrooge himself — months and months before Christmas (and without the intervention of spirits).
