book
Dizzy
by Stacy A. Nyikos and Kary Lee '86 :: Stonehorse Publishing :: Reviewed by George Bedirian
The illustrations by Kary Lee '86—as exuberant and page-filling as Nyikos's narrative is minimal—give shape and substance to the book. From the wrap-around cover image, which combines an aerial view of Dizzy's erratic course around a Pacific-coast inlet with a rendering of the dolphin executing a back flip over an enormous whirlpool, to the book's closing image—a two-page spread of Dizzy's tailfins disappearing into the brine as he takes off in answer to the "call of the water"—the illustrations work seamlessly with the text to create a celebration of the lives of all the Dizzys of the world.
The book concludes with a postscript titled, "Dolphin Delights," which helps young readers place Dizzy and his kin in the real world. Here Nyikos provides information about Pacific white-sided dolphins and related species, their habitat, diet, playfulness, methods of communication, predators, and more.