The Katurran Odyssey

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Summary: My response to Katurran Odyssey
Review: A wonderful story, child-like on the surface but full of complexities. A young lemur is caste out from his home and family because he knows what he should not know. His is a quest to go home again. Along the way, he discovers that what he wasn't meant to know has sent him on a spiritual quest. He learns about the true value of friendship, the destructiveness of pride, the power of knowing yourself. My library, where I discovered this book, shelves this book in adult SciFi. I would recommend it for young adults to read on their own. I think it would make a wonderful family read-aloud, or an upper-el read-aloud. The art work is amazing! The illustrations hold so much detail that just exploring this as a picture book
could lead off into many intersting discussions and learning experiences. This book touched the child in me, and nurtured me on my own spiritual journey.

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Summary: Katurran Odyssey makes a great gift!
Review: After my 9 year old daughter and I finished reading the Katurran Odyssey together we decided it would make a great for her friends, so we stocked up. We plan to give this book to a six year old and to several teen-agers. The imaginative, heart-warming and exciting story seems to appeal to all ages.Whoopee, it sure makes gift giving easy when you find a gem like this!

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Summary: absolutely delightful
Review: I bought the first book at Borders and then I ordered four more through Amazon. I gave them to my friends that I knew would enjoy it and, of course, they did. I had read some of Trixie's stories on her dad's web site (www.deankoontz.com} and found them truly wonderful. The text and photographs are terrific. I can't recommend this book more highly. I don't even have a dog and I think this book is number one. It's thoughtful and insightful and will give you something to think about. I will read it over and over again.

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Summary: Absolutely Stunning Illustrations!
Review: I haven't had time to read this book yet, but I bought it in the bookstore. I wasn't going to at first, but it kept calling me. I felt almost engulfed, transported to another time and place, even, by the art-filled pages of wonder this book contains! Also, if you are interested in this, you should check out the CD, I don't know, listen to the audio clips or something.

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Summary: Thought my kids would like it but I may enjoy it more...
Review: I received the book a couple of weeks ago and just had the time to sit down and read it. The book is not only a wonderful fantasy for children (fast pace with plenty of action) it has thoughtful character development especially between the main characters - Katook and Quigga. The art is great - detailed and alive. The artist and writter have created a new world. With so much work I am expecting a few more in the series.

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Summary: The most beautiful book I have ever read
Review: I was shaking with excitement when I first put my hands upon this wonderful book. Not only am I all but obsessed with lemurs, but I also have a fascination with animals and fairy tales. If you sat down and tried to write a book perfect for me, you could not do any better then Terryl Whitlatch and David Michael Wieger. After all, how many books do you see with aye-ayes?

The gorgeous illustrations, of course, have the most instant appeal. This is no thin picture book, but over 180 pages long and nearly every double page spread contains at least one delightful picture, filled with breath-taking detail. The turning of every page is a delight, and every time I study a picture there are new, exquisite details to be seen and more exotic creatures to be discovered. I just wish there was a list at the back or somewhere on the internet so that I could confirm my identifications of some of the more obscure species.

The story itself is equally delightful. It has a simple, fable-like quality that I enjoy immensely and matches well with the pictures. It tells the tale of Katook, a young lemur that is exiled from his troop for discovering what he shouldn't. He then sets out on an epic journey that takes him through a wide range of habitats and meets all sorts of quirky and intriguing characters, including Quigga, a somewhat arrogant Quagga. The two become good friends, and the ending hints at more to come.

This is a book I would dearly love to read aloud (had I anyone to read it to). Children today need more tales like this - a beautiful book, a charming story and some powerful and important messages about friendship and family. It also brings awareness to some of the animals we have lost, and some that we will lose if we're not careful.

Everyone, young or old, that loves animals, NEEDS to own this book.

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Summary: Great story, artwork, and overall value.
Review: It's a wonder that more books in this cinematic format don't exist. It combines the best aspects of a childrens book, a graphic novel, and a traditional novel all in one visually compelling layout. Over 180 pages are filled with expertly drawn animal characters that never need to turn into people to elicit empathy. The original story itself is well written and is certainly poised to become a growing universe for future development. Remember Disney's cheesey "Dinosaur"? The Katurran Odyssey is the story that Dinosaur only pretended to be. No doubt Imaginosis has visions of CGI for this new world as well. In fact, Katurran Odyssey already has it's own great soundtrack with the same title from Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning!

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Summary: My GOODNESS, what an awesome piece o' work.
Review: My god, if you have $20 to spare, please fortheloveofallthatiswellandgoodinthisworld buy The Katurran Odyssey, by Terryl Whitlatch (she did the equally marvelous Wildlife of Star Wars, if you're familiar with it). I ordered it per Amazon.com and just finished reading it, and it thrills me to see more books along the lines of, say, Dinotopia and Voyage of the Basset- this is truly what the children of our world need right now. The story is wonderfully fable-esque with exquisitely charming characters, and the art is just... Drool. Drooldrooldrool. I mean, how many books can you get that casually feature tapirs and moas in the background? Not many, I'll say that.

I'd reccomend this as another one of the great timeless children's books- kid's will get a kick out of it, most obviously, and I have no doubt in my mind that adults will start putting their kids to bed early just so they can start leafing through the durned thing! Each page is a visual feast by all means, and the obvious dedication and affection that has gone into this book is simply breathtaking. I tire quickly of the innumerable children's books out there that patronize their young readers and honey-coat their animal stories with fluffy bunnies-that-don't-really-look-like-bunnies, and so The Katurran Odyssey is quite a breath of fresh air in comparison. As an illustrator at Rhode Island School of Design, this book has given me hope for my line of work all over again!

And c'mon- lemurs. You can't resist LEMURS...! Props to Terryl, David, Stephanie, and everyone else who contributed to this book... It's quite an achievement.

-C

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Summary: The Katurran Odyssey: Something for Everyone
Review: The things about The Katurran Odyssey that makes you pick it up in the bookstore are the strikingly brilliant colors that make up the incredibly detailed illustration on the cover. The cover is a brilliant combination of illustration, color and typography. These three factors are more than sufficient to earn the book a flip through.
On either side of the covers when the book is opened is a map that is of Tolkien caliber. Terryl Whitlatch is gifted when it comes to illustrating animals. Her work with Star Wars: Episode One was nothing short of amazing and the illustrations in this book are even better. She shows exceptional knowledge of form and movement for all the animals she illustrates, so nothing looks out of place. The artwork in this book would have been enough for me to buy it. It is incredible work.
The book does have a story, and a good one at that. You are introduced in the beginning to a group of lemurs and you end up following a specific one, Katook around on his sojourn. Like any mythological figure in an odyssey, Katook experiences many trials and has to overcome many obstacles, but with the help of his friends that he makes along the way and a strong desire to find his way home, Katook conquers them all.
The story is charming and timeless. It teaches a wonderful lesson. Everyone that reads this book can be moved by the story. In addition to this, the layout of the book is spectacular. The pages are all set up uniquely due to the different illustrations on the pages. It is never hard to read. The illustrations, simply put, are beautiful. This book is worth the read and should be added to everyone's collection.

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Summary: A Truely Inspiring Book
Review: This is an amazing book. I absolutely love it. The plot iss quite good. The main character, Katook, is a very likable lemur, not the average hero in a fantasy book! I was surprised to find that though it seems like a "picture book", it is quite mature and beautiful at the same time. Katook grows up in the book as he learns about true home and family. Then there were the illustrations. They are the most beautiful I have ever seen, surpassing most of the children's Caldecott medal winners in my eyes. Terryl Whitlatch is extremely talented and creative, and this book certainly shows that. I'd recommend this book to everyone who would enjoy a fabulous book. I really hope that this will get turned into a movie someday; it certainly provides enough illustration for the movie producers to make it. All in all, one of my favorite books.