Customer Reviews

Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Foreword by Deborah Tabart, Afterword by Jack Hanna

In America we have come to see the koala (commonly called a koala bear) as a cute, fluffy bear found in Australia. We see it as quintessentially Australian.

But the koala, technically speaking, is not a bear. As it has a pouch for its young it is technically of the marsupial family. Most marsupials are found in Australia, a good number in South America, and the Virginia opossum the only marsupial found in North America. Usually we think of kangaroos, another Australian animal, when we think of marsupials.

The koala also seems to be a laid-back, relaxed animal. It photographs well because it doesn't scare easily. Is this because the koala had no natural enemies? Of course it's trusting nature dooms them today-many Australians have not seen a koala in the wild.

This book is primarily a photo book featuring koalas. Brief text tells us about the koala, it's land, and it's habitat. There are three types of koalas in Australia and each is described with photos so the reader can tell the difference as they are pointed out in the book. In addition is a brief history of the koala and its habits. The enigma that is the koala is even found among the aborigines in Australia. The myths of the aborigines is filled with koala references-I imagine if these stories were gathered in a book you would have a "koala coda." Since koalas rarely drink any water at all, aboriginal folklore suggested that koalas have a knack for stealing water.

This delightful and colorful book brings to our attention the need to preserve the koala for future generations. With scintillating photos and crisp text the reader will come away with a greater appreciation og these serene animals--and a sense of wanting to do what's right to save these precious beings. With a gaze that only a koala can give, how can you not have it in your heart to buy this delightful book and enjoy the many pictures and brief descriptions of the cuddly koala?

As I was looking through "Moving Portraits of Serenity", it dawned on me that these are not simply koala photographs, as wonderful as they are. Rather, these koalas give us a glimpse into our own humanity, reminding us of what is good in the world and what we'd like to strive for in ourselves. Perhaps it's because they look to be part teddy bear and part monkey-a Zen-like blend of peace and playfulness. It is as if they've discovered the secret to happiness. Just looking at them can be enough to give us hope in our own lives and bring calm to our day, if only for the moment.

We've all seen koalas before, whether at the zoo or in other pictures, but these exquisite photographs bring these irresistible animals very much to life. Each page is another step inside the koala's hidden world. And guided by stories throughout this book, we may even surprise ourselves at how quickly we are drawn into this Australian adventure. This is something we cannot experience at the zoo.

But more importantly, the koalas in this photographic journey may surprise us that, no matter how hurried or complicated our lives are, we still have the capacity to care about simpler things. These stirring pictures remind us again that the world is larger than our own lives and that we have a responsibility to safeguard nature and its inhabitants. If we lose that basic capacity to care, not only might the koala lose its home, but we also lose a bit of our souls.

Patrick Lin, Ph.D.
Director, The Nanoethics Group

Rebeccasreads highly recommends KOALAS: MOVING PORTRAITS OF SERENITY as a rare & exquisite addition to your coffee table collection.

In easily read narratives, dotted among huge & fascinating portraits of these cuddly critters, are introductions to the three types of Australian Koalas, their habits & life cycles both in the wild & captivity, & their endangered habitats.

KOALAS: MOVING PORTRAITS OF SERENITY is a truly breathtaking book of photography & information your family will treasure for generations.

With hundreds of magnificent photos as well as superbly written and very informative text, Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity is a sheer delight. The amazing talent of the writer, Joanne Ehrlich, come shining through. Her deep love for these wonderful animals is evident on every page. The book is a treasure, reminding us that we share the planet with many creatures that deserve our continual appreciation and respect. This is an extremely inspiring book.

-Andi Bruno, Yoga Instructor And Meditation Teacher

Expertly edited by commercial designer, photographer, illustrator, printmaker, painter and lithographer Joanne Ehrich, Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity is an intimate detailing and photographic documentation of the beautiful Australian animal's daily life and habitat. Exploring and studying the Koala and its environmental adaptation, Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity presents a vivid and touching 260-page illustrated portrait of this unique animal's life including feeding habits, sleeping procedures, habitat requirements. Certain to be a popular addition to any personal, academic, or community library Wildlife Studies reference collection, Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity is very highly recommended for its touching photography and informative content which will appeal to students of nature in general, and the Koala in particular.

Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity is an impressive book and was obviously a labor of love by its editor, Joanne Ehrich. I am amazed each time I look through the extensive collection of superb photographs. The organization, excellent presentation, and informative text make this a captivating book that you will cherish. Once you get it, you probably won't be satisfied putting it in a bookshelf because it is such a beautiful book to display.

With its wide appeal and outstanding quality, this book makes a great gift! It will be especially welcomed in any home where there are children, but it will be loved by people of all ages. If you have a child or grandchild in school, check the school's library--if they don't have this book, buy an extra copy and donate it.

Browsing through the pages of Koalas: Moving Portraits of Serenity and finding this many photographs of one of the cutest animals on earth is pure magic! I, along with my children, have always been intrigued and fascinated by these unique creatures. This marvelous work is the end product of drive, knowledge, photographic genius, vision, and sheer talent. We will display this book on our bookshelf with pride. Its inception is breathtaking. This book is richly deserving of success.

The 315 photographs by over 100 different photographers are grouped in chapters on various aspects of Australia's koalas such as feeding, types (three), and life cycle. Photographs within each chapter and overall have also been ordered to illustrate the koala's movement along the ground, up tree trunks, among branches, and in some cases with a young koala clinging to a mother's back. In keeping with this, some of the pages have several side-by-side smaller photographs in which the koala's sequence of movements stand out especially. Besides offering an opportunity for viewers to enjoy numerous pictures of the always fetching, cute-looking koala, the work has the aim of presenting a broader picture of the koala to publicize environmental threats to it. Koalas are so gentle and congenitally slow-moving and approachable because with "no natural predators in their distant past, [they] have underdeveloped adrenal glands and therefore did not develop the same flight-or-fight mechanisms" of most other animals. This is but one of the little-known facts found in short introductions to the chapters of this book largely of photographs.

Observing the beautiful pictures in KOALAS: MOVING PORTRAITS OF SERENITY, I found myself back again in the Australian rainforests where I received the greatest blessing of my life-gazing upon these most beautiful and most serene of creatures. The precious photos in this book brought me back to the baby I encountered in the wild, protected by his loving mum. Knowing he was safe in her arms, he could interact with this strange creature that was me. The photos in this book are nothing short of amazing, and definitely moving.
Encountering and touching a koala can be likened to the high a Christian experiences when he makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or the feeling of exhilaration a Buddhist feels by touching a majestic redwood tree. Getting close to a koala is like being touched by pure love. Leafing through the pages of this book is the closest thing to seeing a koala in real life. It is becoming more and more rare for one to be blessed to encounter a wild koala, and yet this book brings about almost the same pleasure I've felt upon meeting these precious creatures in person. The pictures are astounding, full of the feeling of calm and placidity koalas embody.

Koalas are most unusual creatures that silently teach us that we're all here to learn how to be our real selves amidst all the chaos, learn to love, to feel, to enjoy our lives, to just be.

Every time I pick up this book to read it, the photographs encapture me, and I am unable to tear my eyes away. I recently took this book along to my therapist's office for the event that she was going to be late and I had to wait. Instead, both of us spent 15 minutes just looking at serene expressions of absolute peace and tranquility. Koalas clearly have healing powers. Just looking at them brings on a feeling of upmost contentment and a feeling that all of earth's beings are worthy of love.

I promise to anyone who buys a copy of KOALAS: MOVING PORTRAITS OF SERENITY that you will not be able to put it down. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to find out more about these adorable creatures, and to anyone who loves life or animals... and to those who want to experience the natural healing power of koalas.

One no longer needs to travel to Australia and trek through the hot bush, binoculars pressed to the eyes, to meet this precious creature in all its glory! It is captured in this priceless book, for all the world to experience.

I believe the book is a must for all true animal lovers. The adorable Koala pictures are moving and inspiring in that they go beyond the immediate apparent by promoting a concept. The concept being their protection and that of other endangered species. It excites me to know that the love of animals and the struggle of their survival is so dear to peoples hearts.