Note: I won a free eBook copy of this book in MOBI format from LibraryThing's Member Giveaway.

At first glance, "Rhinotopia Beginnings: The Art of Sarah Soward" could be billed as a coffee table book of this artist's work. However, a closer reading transforms the collection into a gallery tour in printed form. Soward's colorful and intriguing images are accompanied by text that would constitute the placards found in a physical exhibit. The fact that they are written by the author herself gives audiences a first-person insight into her creative process, enlightening all readers on how the elements of art combine in each finished product. Soward's love of nature and the rhino and interest in world mythology, belief, and folklore are apparent on every page. I enjoyed learning about deities from religious traditions that were unfamiliar to me (especially the orishas of the Yoruba people) and seeing how they were made manifest in Soward's work. For those of us who do not have the privilege of seeing live rhinos up-close and in person, Soward's collection of art gives us a chance to know these mammals intimately.… (más)