A mother Siberian tiger and her cub step silently into the forest, floating like mist in the moonlight. The mother nudges her cub beneath a fallen tree, then goes in search of food. Suddenly, there's a roar louder than any tiger's. Wind! Fire! The cub squeals for his mother, but the two are separated until the fiery danger has passed. Ilya Spirin's powerful watercolor, pastel, and gouache paintings capture the majesty of the Siberian wilderness, from flame-lit snow, to milky moonlight, to the forest animals as they flee toward safety. An Author's Note provides information on the logging and poaching activities that have reduced the Siberian tiger population to less than 400 animals.
