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I Heard It from Alice Zucchini: Poems About the Garden Juanita Havill Illustrated by Chirstine Davenier 2006,Chronicle Books, $ 15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Jean Boreen, Ph. D. B
Busy in the Garden George Shannon Pictures by Sam Williams 2006,Creenwillow/HarperCollins, $ 15.99 and $ 16. 89. Ages 3 ~ 5. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan. C
The Biggest Fish in the Lake Margaret Carney Illustrated by Janet Wilson 2001,Kids Can Press, $ 15. 95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Sue Reichard. D
The Little Fish that Got Away Bemadine Cook Illustrated by Crockett Johnson 2005 ( orig. 1956), HarperCollins, $ 14. 99. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer:Barbara L. Talcrofe E
A Grand Old Tree Mary Newell DePalma 2006,Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, $ 16. 99. Ages 2 to 5. F
Tree of Life: the incredible biodiversity of life on earth Rochelle Strauss Illustrated by Margot Thompson 2004, Toronto: Kids Can Press, $ 16. 95. Grades 3 to 6. |
1. This picture book explores the life of a tree that has deep roots, long arms, and many children. She provides shelter for many animals and bears fruit. The author uses colorful, simple, yet detailed watercolor illustrations to convey her words. The charming pictures show the many aspects in the life of a tree down to the caterpillars that eat the leaves. It is good for pre-school children. 2. This charming picture book highlights the life of a garden, from planting seeds to harvesting. With the narrator as guide, the reader is led through a variety of free verse and occasionally rhymed poems that fill in the story of a garden and its inhabitants. The pictures, delightful watercolors in bright pastels, add to the whimsical feel of the poems. Young readers will certainly enjoy this fun and fanciful text. 3. This is a story from 1956 which introduces a little boy who likes to go fishing with a tree limb, a worm, and a pin. Although he never catches anything, on this particular day he finally does hook three big ones, but the little one gets away. The boy pulls them home in his wagon and his mother cooks them for supper. The swinging rhythms of the text and the good humor evident in the illustrations remain fun for the youngest readers. 4. This useful, attractive, oversize volume uses its height well, employing a tree metaphor to show the earth"s various kinds of life and how all living things, from bacteria to the largest mammals, are related. Each. spread covers one branch of the animal kingdom. To make the enormity of species understandable, Strauss equates individual species( e. g.,10,000 bacteria) with one leaf on the tree. 5.This is a story about how a grandfather teaches his eager granddaughter to catch speckled trout from the stream in springtime. After a whole day on the lake, only Grandpa is lucky. The next morning the young fisherman hurries to the dock alone, and soon she hooks the catch of a lifetime. Young readers will appreciate this story that celebrates the special bond between the older and younger generation, while brilliant watercolor illustrations capture the beauty of the natural world. |