⋆ Curious Critters ⋆
This project is an ongoing concept for a series of short non-fiction publications aimed at children ages 8 to 12, designed to highlight unusual and lesser-known animals. Each illustrated double-page spread will provide insights into the animals’ lifestyles, their roles in the ecosystem, their conservation status, and other intriguing facts.
In this particular publication, the spotlight is on the tufted deer, a fanged species native to East Asia.
In order, I made a first spread introducing the tufted deer by providing it's physical description and habitat.
The second spread focuses on the deer's position in the food chain; what it eats and its predators, which is closely linked to its nocturnal life style.
On the third spread the reader receives more information on the deer's mating habits and is introduced to the baby tufted deer's characteristics.
Then, the fourth spread goes into detail about the general deer family tree, the tufted deer's closest cousins, and how it is surprisingly not the only deer with fangs.
Finally, the publication educates the reader about the animal's conservation status, how we as humans contribute to the population's decline, and how to help out the deer and the other important wild life in China.
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