The large print and full page child like yet realistic
color illustrations help children to understand the lifestyle and habits
of beavers. Each text page also has a black line drawing of a beaver
on it. Readers learn how beavers create ponds through their dams.
The book concludes with five fact/fiction questions. This book
is deceptively simple but helps young readers to learn much about beavers.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director; Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library/media specialist
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Using watercolors and text, Arnosky shares white-tailed
deer, mule deer, black-tailed deer, Caribou, Wapiti (Elk), and Moose and
even shares sizes and locations. In double page spreads, deer are viewed
from front and back. Also shown are feet and tracks; ears; names of
male, female, and baby; antlers; how they live; jaws; vulnerability to predators;
speed; and dangers they face. This book is up to Arnosky’s standard
of excellence.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school library/media specialist
Bair, Diane and Pamela Wright. DEER WATCHING: A HOW-TO-GUIDE
. Mankato,
MN: Capstone, 2000. 48p. 0-7368-0321-1;
lib.bdg., $21.26 Gr. 4-7 599.65
After an introduction about deer, readers are told
how to prepare for deer watching in the first chapter. In chapter 2,
readers learn when to go, what to bring, what to wear, how to behave, how
to be safe, and directions on how to build a blind. Chapter 3 tells
where to look for deer feeding areas, public viewing areas, and includes
information about seven parks where deer are found. Chapter 4 is about
making observations from tracks, scat, tree markings, camouflage, differences
between white-tailed and mule deer, and recording observations. A field
guide to North American deer includes information about white-tailed mule,
elk, moose, and caribou. A glossary, bibliography, addresses, Internet
sites, and index complete the book. Most of this book appears to be
written for people who do not live in areas where deer are prevalent and
have to go out looking for them. Readers living in areas also inhabited
by deer can best make use of the chapter about making observations and the
section about building a blind. The clear photos add to the value of
the book.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director; Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library/media specialist
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Growl Bear was sad because he didn't have anyone to
play with him so he asked Old Owl for advice on how to make friends.
Old Owl told all the forest animals that the little bear did not have any
teeth so Rabbit, Squirrel, Mouse, and the songbirds were no longer afraid
of him but didn't want to be his friends because he growled at them.
Finally, Old Owl solved the little bear's problem by telling the other animals
that he was not trying to scare them but only knew how to say "G-r-r-r."
Besides the value of this book as a story about friendship, Upper Peninsula
libraries will want it because it contains animals from the woodlands habitat.
Read the story aloud when teaching about forests.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview
Center
32 years of experience as a school library media specialist
Cocca-Leffler, Maryann. BRAVERY SOUP. Morton Grove,
IL: Whitman, 2002.
32p. 0-8075-0870-5; hb., $15.95
2001-004167 PreS-Gr. 4 E
Carlin, a raccoon, was afraid of everything.
So Zack the Fox took him to see Big Bear who was making Bravery Soup.
The bear sent Carlin off to get the missing ingredient but the trip was through
the Forbidden Forest to Skulk Mountain where the ingredient was in a cave.
The beaver gave him armor, the skunk gave him food, the rabbit gave him a
raft to cross the river, and the fox gave him a big stick to fight the monster
in the cave. When Carlin did not return, the friends went to look for
him and when they found all their gifts, but no Carlin, they expected the
worst. There are three twists to the story. The first is how Carlin
managed without the gifts from his friends, the second was what he found
in the cave, and the third was when he returned with the box and discovered
it was empty. These twists keep the final message from being didactic.
Besides the concept of bravery, the book can be used when studying woodland
animals.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school-library media specialist
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. BRAVO, LIVINGSTONE MOUSE! Illus
by Henry Cole.
New York: Hyperion, 2000. 32p. 0-7868-0307-X;
hb., $15.99
0-7868-2247-3; lib.bdg., $16.49 Gr. 1-4 E
When Livingston Mouse sets off to investigate the Wild
Wood, he meets woodpecker, beaver, cicada, foxes, bee, snakes, centipede,
grasshopper, frog, katydid, and cricket. The mouse watches the animals
dance and decides “their rhythm is off” so he forms a band to provide the
rhythm. The watercolor and acrylic illustrations present the woodland
animals with enough detail that the book can be used when studying those
animals. Fans of LIVINGSTONE MOUSE (Harper, 1998) will enjoy
this book also.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library/media specialist
Henkes, Kevin. OH! Illus by Laura Dronzek. New
York: Greenwillow, 1999.
24p. 0?688?17053?6; hb., $15.00
0?688?170054?4; lib.bdg., $14.93
98?51890 PreS?Gr. 3
E
The animals that play with children in the new snow
are: squirrel, rabbit, cat, dog, and birds. This title is good for
sight reading the word "Oh" for even the youngest child. The cardinals
are called birds but can be identified as cardinals to children when the
book is read aloud to them. This cozy book ends with children returning
to a cozy house. School and public libraries needing easy to read picture
books will purchase this book which is an essential purchase in schools where
the elementary curriculum includes the study of woodland biomes.
Mary Ann Paulin, Director, Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library media specialist
Ryder, Joanne. A FAWN IN THE GRASS. Illus by Keiko
Narahashi. New York:
Holt, 2001. 32p. 0-8050-6236-X;
hb., $16.95 00-24284 PreS-Gr. 3 E
Narahashi uses gouache and watercolors to show a unisex
child discovering nature in this first person rhyme. The illustrations
are large enough for children to see during story time, but contain enough
details for children to discover later on his/her own.
The brief rhyming text is suitable for the age group
being reached. Ryder’s inspiration came from a real fawn that lived
in the Ryder/Yep yard for several weeks. Kids will have the fun of
trying to find the fawn in the photo that accompanies the Author’s Note.
Teachers can also use this book to introduce the concept of camouflage.
This book is an excellent purchase for any library but is a priority purchase
for Upper Peninsula school and public libraries, no matter how small.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library/media specialist
Sams, Carl R. and Jean Stoick. STRANGER IN THE WOODS.
Illus with photos.
Milford, MI: Carl R. Sams II Photography,
2000. 46p. 0-9671748-0-5; hb. $19.95
99-95162 PreS-Gr3+
E (1-800-552-1867)
www.carrlsam.com
The color photos of wildlife in the woods are definitely
the focal point of this picture book and are uniform in quality throughout
the book. Even the end papers are different double spreads of
a deer looking at a snowman which provides the answer to the question “Who
is the stranger in the woods?” The text is less engaging although
some of it is artistically draped within the pages. The animals
announce: “Stranger in the Woods!” They wonder what it could
be. When they see the snowman the animals have to decide who
will take a closer look and when the deer does so, they discover that the
snowman is made up of good things to eat. Children peek out of
the evergreens (they must have been downwind) and decide to replenish the
eyes, nose, and mouth (carrots, nuts, and corn) after they have been eaten
by the animals. A recipe for a snowman is included at the end of the
book.
Use this book to introduce woodland animals: bluejay,
snowy owl, deer, mourning doves, beaver, squirrel, porcupine, rabbit, chickadee,
mouse, and cardinal. This book is good for studying winter and
the woodland biome. Because the photos are of real animals and the dialogue
is anthropomorphic, the caption at the top of the book , “A Photographic Fantasy,”
should be explained to children. This is a solid purchase, especially
in areas with lots of trees and lots of snow.
Mary Ann Paulin, Director, Superiorland Preview Center
32 years of experience as a school library media specialist
Schubert, Ingrid and Dieter. BEAVER’S LODGE. Illus
by authors.
Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2001.
40p. 1-8869-10-68-5; hb., $15.95
00-49503 PreS-Gr. 3 E
Originally published in the Netherlands, this picture
book translates well into English as did previous books about bear and hedgehog;
BEAR’S EGGS (FS, 1999) and THERE’S A HOLE IN MY BUCKET (FS,
98). In this book Beaver works diligently on his lodge but trips and
hurts himself. Hedgehog and bear carry him to Bear’s house to recuperate.
The full-page watercolor of Beaver lying on a bed with his legs tied by foliate
to sticks and his tail propped up in a forked stick with mice looking on is
both funny and tender. Hedgehog decides that they need to build a new
house for Beaver while he is recuperating. Hedgehog shows Bear how
to do the work and supervises construction. They brighten up the lodge
with shells and surprise Beaver with his new house, which looks funny even
to children who don’t know how a beaver lodge is supposed to look. When
they discover that there is no door, Beaver offers a clever solution.
Readers can stop short of the solution and have listeners predict Beaver’s
solution. This book can be read aloud when studying woodland animals.
Because hedgehogs are found primarily in Europe, this book can stimulate discussion
about different animals in North American woods. The birch trees are
found on both continents. The gentle humor in these books is shown
through text and illustrations making them good choices for school and public
libraries.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school-library media specialist
Schubert, Ingrid and Dieter. THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE
.
Illus by authors. Asheville, NC: Front
Street, 2002. 32p.
1-886910-77-4; hb., $15.95 32p. PreS-Gr.
3 E
Beaver built himself a raft and all of his friends (Mole,
Hedgehog, Hard, Badger, and Bear) want a ride. When Butterfly gets on
the raft, it sinks for the same reason small animals make a difference in
folk literature. Similar stories are two Ukrainian retellings of THE
MITTEN by Tresselt (Scholastic, 1964) and by Brett (Scholastic, 1998);
Tolstoy’s Russian tale, THE GREAT BIG ENORMOUS TURNIP (Watts, 1968);
and Sorch Nic Leodhas’ Caldecott winning Scottish folksong, THERE’S
ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE (Holt, 1965). This new version with the
butterfly makes this a gentle story for comparison. Originally
published in the Netherlands, this picture book translates well into English
as did previous books about bear and hedgehog; BEAR’S EGGS (FS, 1999)
and THERE’S A HOLE IN MY BUCKET (FS, 98).
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school-library media specialist
Singer, Marilyn. QUIET NIGHT. Illus by John Manders.
New York: Clarion,
2002. 32p. 0-618-12044-0; hb., $15.00
2001-023098 PreS-Gr.3 E
This cumulative story in rhyme shares noises of ten
creatures beginning with one frog and ending with ten campers. Other creatures
are crickets, mosquitoes, mice, raccoons, coyotes, fish, geese, and owls.
This audience participation story also functions as a counting book.
The gouache and color pencil illustrations show the woodland creatures in
a humorous manner, illuminated by a full moon. The last sentence is
“What a NOISY night!” Sharing this book in libraries and homes will
also be a noisy activity. Teachers will use the book to introduce woodland
animals.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school-library media specialist
Tafuri, Nancy. WHERE DID BUNNY GO? A BUNNY AND BIRD STORY.
Illus by author. 0-439-16959-3; hb., $15.95.
00-045007 PreS-Gr. 3 E
The large watercolor and black ink illustrations combine
with extra large text to create a story about woodland animals playing hide-and-seek.
The text is easy enough for emerging readers to read themselves. Teachers
who want to introduce woodland animals during the winter will utilize this
story. Besides the best friends, bunny and bird, the other woodland
creatures are squirrel and chipmunk. Although the bird is not identified,
it looks like a tufted titmouse.
Mary Ann Paulin; Director, Superiorland Preview Center,
Marquette, MI
32 years of experience as a school-library media specialist