… the creatures that roam the night? No, not supernatural horrors, Nocturne: Creatures of the Night features real nocturnal animals. Traer Scott has put together a beautiful book with photographs of mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, and more. The selection ranges all over the world, from animals that are familiar to us in the Midwestern US (like raccoons and opossums) to those we have probably only seen in zoos or books (like snow leopards and capybaras).
The animals are shown against completely black backgrounds, emphasizing their connection with the night and making them absolutely stunning. Each animal’s entry includes a paragraph about it — where it lives, whether it is endangered, and other interesting facts. A few of the animals are technically crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) rather than nocturnal, and some are becoming nocturnal due to pressures from humans, but that doesn’t detract from the theme of the book or its beauty. The introduction and appendixes include some additional information about how the artist got the photos and about the effects humans are having on nocturnal animals.
Reviewed by Fran (staff)
