When it comes to color, nothing can surpass the vast palette found in nature, from a bright green leaf in a sun-dappled forest to the rich red feathers of a cardinal and the muted greens, ambers, and browns that make up the shell of a tortoise. Wildlife artist Peggy Macnamara has been recreating the natural world through her drawings and paintings for decades, and, with "Nature s Portraits, " she invites the rest of the world to join her. "Nature s Portraits" offers sixty of Macnamara s detailed drawings that can be brought brilliantly to life with nothing more than a few colored pencils or crayons and a sense of wonder about the world around us. Many of the drawings depict animals as they might appear in their natural habitats like a tree frog, a dashing, playful fox, a snowy owl poised for flight, a sauntering jaguar, and a watchful herd of giraffe. These wild furry and feathered friends are joined by animals found in museums, including Sue, the Field Museum s resident Tyrannosaurus rex. Each illustration is captioned with a brief scientific description of the species pictured. Combining inspiration from natural history with a calming, creative activity, "Nature s Portraits" encourages us to take a closer look at what we miss when we don t take the time to stop and look with deep appreciation at the bounty of the natural world around us. ".