Nature Calls... In the Best of Ways: WHERE THE DEER SLIP THROUGH

Some things, particularly NATURE, are reliably calming to me. I often hear the same is true for many others. In any of its glorious forms (as opposed to its occasionally damaging ones) nature can restore my spirit, energize my body, and inspire my mind. This is true in each of the four seasons, and I deeply appreciate living in a four-season climate. 

BEACHLANE BOOKS, 2025

That's surely the part of my own nature that drew me to WHERE THE DEER SLIP THROUGH, written by Katey Howes and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Beth Krommes.

I'll admit that the cover art was equally appealing to me before ever reading a word in the book or about it. Beth Krommes has mastered a distinctive scratchboard technique that marks her work with a recognizable style. She draws black and white images into scratchboard paper, then transfers them onto paper and applies watercolor. She creates scenes that are both graphic in design and yet utterly natural and richly detailed. Take a look at her illustrator page HERE to see how clearly her style can be recognized, yet she adapts it and compliments a wide variety of subjects. Her SWIRL BY SWIRL and  BEFORE MORNING with Joyce Sidman were my first experiences with books illustrated by KROMMES, and I've become a dedicated fan since then. 

In those titles, as with WHERE THE DEER SLIP THROUGH, the text is written in verse of the highest quality. Using a pattern that introduces new natural entry points and creatures with callbacks to previously introduced wildlife, the text offers rhymed lines in phrases that parallel cumulative text with less predictability and a superb but seemingly spontaneous sequencing of lines. "Where the deer slip through" is the resolve line on several pages, slipping in with the  subtlety that deer achieve when appearing and disappearing from our surroundings. 

From the dawn opening throughout the day and on to the woodland view of a star-filled sky, the humans (indoors and out), foliage, and fauna are portrayed in lines and scenes that invite  readers to explore and extend their views, to appreciate the shifting angles and perspectives, to associate these densely articulate images with your/our own experiences when, and where, the deer slip through into our lives. 

Spend some time with this one, and I suggest you check out other KROMMES titles to fully appreciate not only the visuals and text of each picture book, but also the wise decisions in pairing such distinctive illustration style with powerful verse. I feel confident that you'll be recommending these to others and sharing them as often as possible. 

And may the peace be with you!