Sunday, November 01, 2009

Children's Book Monday

Last Tuesday, we woke to big, fat, soft falling flakes of snow. Daddy lit a fire in the basement fireplace before he left, and the boys lay by its warmth as they read their schoolbooks. The next few days brought more snow, but it has melted away now. Only the mountains are velvety white, and we are going to enjoy weather in the sixties this week... but we know the snow will be back...

First Snow in the Woods
by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick

Surely you have already enjoyed the photographic picture books Stranger in the Woods and Lost in the Woods by these same authors. We pore over every page, taking in the great detail their cameras capture, and learning so much from the detailed stories of life in the woods.

This book brought the same delight as we turned its pages last week while the snow fell outside. We joined our friend, Fawn, as he wondered what the hustle and bustle in the forest was all about. Chipmunk points out that Fawn is losing his spots, and his coat is looking scruffy- Better start hiding your acorns!

Mother Doe quietly tells Fawn to listen to pay attention to the dragonfly's wings... when they are silenced, then the new season has arrived. (There is an amazing photograph of the dragonflies, their wings stilled.)

Fawn pays close attention, still wondering, as turtle warms himself on a rock, deciding that he will soon bury himself in the the thick mud to sleep until spring. He watches a woolly bear (caterpillar) inch his way along a fern, chewing, doing what woolly bears do! The honking geese herald their passing, and when chipmunk offers to dig a home for Fawn, and he worries that he is not ready for what is coming, Mother Doe softly tells him that he is ready, and the snow comes...

You and your children will love snuggling up with this autumn~winter book. There is so much to see in the pages, and so much to learn!

Happy Reading!
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