Title: Esmeralda Tree Cat/The Lonely Bear
Author: Christine Shields
Publisher: The Booklyn Artists Alliance, 2008
Text and illustration by Christine Shields, silkcreens by Kayrock Press, wood panel covers hand-painted by Eliana Perez and Sara Parkel; 12 pages, 24 hand-silk screened color illustrations, faux fur slipcase
The California born author, painter, and musician Christine Shields composed this enchanging dos-à-dos tale of Esmeralda, the young girl turned jaguar, and her friendship with solitary, contemplative bear. In the vibrant poetic text, the reader learns of Esmeralda and The Bear’s respective discontentment with their social lives and their transformative quests to achieve that balance between freedom and communion. The imaginative qualities of these interconnected stories are underscored by the vivid hand-silk screen illustrations, reminiscent of the flattened perspective and graphic sensibilities of the art in children’s books, but with an uncanny sense of refinement and lyricism.
Esmeralda Tree Cat/The Lonely Bear was published by the Booklyn Artist’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to the production of hand-made, limited edition artist’s books. All proceeds of this sale directly benefit the organization.
