"Click", Said the Camera

Twenty animals meet for a photographer’s beauty contest in this reprint of the beloved 1997 children’s book

In Balthasar Burkhard and Markus Jacob’s elegantly designed children’s book, 20 animals meet for a photographer’s beauty contest. The protagonist of the story is a shy donkey who watches the antics of the animals with wry humor as they pose for the photographer, parading their splendor. “’Please stand here, in front of this backdrop, Baboon,’ said the artist … ‘Click,’ said the camera.”

First published in 1997, this beloved children’s book is now reprinted in a smaller format, on the occasion of Burkhard’s 2017–18 surveys at Museum Folkwang and Fotostiftung Schweiz.

Balthasar Burkhard (1944-2010) was a Swiss artist and well-known for his large-sized black-and-white photography. Markus Jakob, born 1954, writes features, reports and miscellanea for various media.