This straightforward biography of a Canadian nature artist will be of regional interest. Illustrated entirely with Bateman's own snapshots, sketches, and paintings, the book foregrounds a childhood spent outdoors and his work depicting diverse plants and animals. Although the still-living artist's personal journey feels unremarkable, his masterful photorealistic paintings of polar bears, puffins, and the like make for a visually absorbing picture book. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This unusual picture-book biography traces the life of Canadian painter Robert Bateman, whose paintings and etchings combine near-photographic realism with a reverence for nature and emotional undertones that give his portrayals of animals their broad appeal. The story opens with a self-portrait of Bateman as a boy observing sea stars in a tide pool. As he grows, he paints the plants and animals around him and eventually becomes an artist whose drawings and paintings celebrate the natural world. In the last pages, he leads his grandchildren on a nature walk. The brief text leaves ample space for large reproductions of his artwork, including scenes from his childhood and paintings of owls or bears, along with small informal photos of the artist at work and pencil sketches of his subjects. While the book's main section shows his development as an artist rather than his life story, an appended two-page section adds more biographical details. This handsome book will interest readers who appreciate Bateman's work and, beyond that, may inspire kids to follow their own artistic dreams.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2018 Booklist