This story about a series of lizards and their forays into the wild, from trees to warm rocks bathed in sunshine, was penned by Coleen Heathwood, who also took the photos for the book.
An obvious nature/animal-lover, Heathwood self-published the book through Boolarong Press, a book-publishing service that offers advice to writers and assistance with printing, marketing, distribution and other elements of publishing.
Heathwood has written poetry for many years, and after penning the words to Like a Lizard Lapping Dew and and taking a series of beautiful pictures, she set about connecting the images with the text.
Although the photos are enchanting and the passion and talent behind the storyline is there, I feel the text could have benefitted from a lot more editing, in terms of flow and structure. That notoriously prickly format called 'ryhme' has overwhelmed this story - and I wonder if more simple, non-ryhme text would have made for a less tongue-twisting read.
Nonetheless, this is a lovely book young nature lovers will enjoy browsing through, and librarians and teachers will appreciate the lesson plan references on the last page.
Title: Like a Lizard Lapping Dew
Author/Photographer: Coleen Heathwood
Publisher: Boolarong Press, $17.95 RRP
Publication date: September 2006
Format: Soft cover
ISBN: 9781921555480
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book/Information Book
