Where's Walrus by Stephen Savage is a bright, colorful wordless picture book that tells the story of a walrus that escapes from the zoo to be hunted by a zookeeper through the pages that follow. Throughout the pages the walrus hides inconspicuously in similar shapes of grey that at first look seem like a statue on a fountain, men seated in a restaurant, or painters at the park. Upon closer inspection we realize one of the images is not what we expect and that it is walrus blending in.
From the front cover we get a suggestion of the hide and seek that will be played with the walrus. In this image the walrus is seated at a diner turned to face us. He seems to be smiling with the up turn of his mouth. The large letters across the top and bottom read "Where's Walrus?" The way the lines of seem to meet at a point of the page draws our eyes in the direction from right to left bringing attention to the walrus. This theme of the use of lines to draw the eye towards the walrus is used throughout the book. The back cover of the book shows the zookeeper seated in the same diner. We are given the feeling that they may be seated on opposite sides of the counter when we notice that it is not the waiter pictured with the walrus, but a waitress who is pouring coffee. This final image reflects the zookeepers search throughout the book - so close and yet so unaware.
The endpapers of the book are a light blue that shares scenes of the city framed by a diamond pattern of lines. Pictures from view of the city through the zoo fence, a fountain, a bridge from a park, and the dinner seats foreshadow the landscapes ahead. The title page shows the walrus happily seated in his pool entitled, "Where's Walrus?" The page turn, however, shows us his mischievous side, as a close up shows him winking at us like co-conspirators.
The illustrations are somewhat minimal and bright objects stand in stark relief to white background that occupy the pages. The bold colors on the page concentrated in particular areas draws our eyes, as do the lines that are used in the images. The use of color and line gives us hints as to where the walrus is hiding. For example, on one set of pages we find the zookeeper walking around the corner of a brick wall that is being built by construction workers. The zookeeper faces the right of the paper but the wall under construction opens up to the left of the book growing in thickness to give it the perspective of being closer to us on the right side. As our eye follows the top of the wall that is being built we notice the first construction worker is actually the walrus in a hard hat laying brick! The walrus blends in with the other construction workers that line the wall in their gray shirts.
The walrus is only discovered by the zookeeper when he joins a diving competition. The ending sees the walrus safely returned to the zoo and we see that he has picked up a new hobby that may keep him from impromptu trips around town.
From the front cover we get a suggestion of the hide and seek that will be played with the walrus. In this image the walrus is seated at a diner turned to face us. He seems to be smiling with the up turn of his mouth. The large letters across the top and bottom read "Where's Walrus?" The way the lines of seem to meet at a point of the page draws our eyes in the direction from right to left bringing attention to the walrus. This theme of the use of lines to draw the eye towards the walrus is used throughout the book. The back cover of the book shows the zookeeper seated in the same diner. We are given the feeling that they may be seated on opposite sides of the counter when we notice that it is not the waiter pictured with the walrus, but a waitress who is pouring coffee. This final image reflects the zookeepers search throughout the book - so close and yet so unaware.
The endpapers of the book are a light blue that shares scenes of the city framed by a diamond pattern of lines. Pictures from view of the city through the zoo fence, a fountain, a bridge from a park, and the dinner seats foreshadow the landscapes ahead. The title page shows the walrus happily seated in his pool entitled, "Where's Walrus?" The page turn, however, shows us his mischievous side, as a close up shows him winking at us like co-conspirators.
The illustrations are somewhat minimal and bright objects stand in stark relief to white background that occupy the pages. The bold colors on the page concentrated in particular areas draws our eyes, as do the lines that are used in the images. The use of color and line gives us hints as to where the walrus is hiding. For example, on one set of pages we find the zookeeper walking around the corner of a brick wall that is being built by construction workers. The zookeeper faces the right of the paper but the wall under construction opens up to the left of the book growing in thickness to give it the perspective of being closer to us on the right side. As our eye follows the top of the wall that is being built we notice the first construction worker is actually the walrus in a hard hat laying brick! The walrus blends in with the other construction workers that line the wall in their gray shirts.
The walrus is only discovered by the zookeeper when he joins a diving competition. The ending sees the walrus safely returned to the zoo and we see that he has picked up a new hobby that may keep him from impromptu trips around town.
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