My Encyclopedia of the Forest

My Encyclopedia of the Forest

Juvenile nonfiction
"Forests are mysterious and beautiful places. Under the vaulted
ceiling of tall trees, you feel protected and sheltered."
Most of us have images of children's encyclopedias are: adult
encyclopedia mini mes with simpler words, shorter entries, and a lot
more pictures...alphabetically ordered and sometimes a tad on the dull
side. You can forget that expectation in regard to Alain
Pontoppidan's My Encyclopedia of the Forest. It takes young readers
on Bill Nye the Science Guy meets Magical Mystery Tour. Kids are
taken to see some of the most beautiful and fascinating creatures and
places on Earth.
The chapter Into The Woods gives glimpses of the different kinds
of forests around the world. The great north features birch trees,
maple syrup, moose, and bears. Baobabs, humungous termite mounds,
acacia trees, and giraffes are found on the savanna. The Amazon rain
forest is home to red-eyed tree frogs, leaf-cutter ants, Indians,
macaws, and rubber trees.
Not surprisingly, my favorite is Woodland Animals. The
exquisite photography that is one of the real strengths of the whole
book is especially evident in this chapter. A poplar admiral
butterfly spreads its wings. Several kinds of mother birds feed their
downy young. A squirrel and a wood mouse peer out, ready to run at
any sign of danger. A lynx pads through deep snow on fur trimmed
paws. A stealthy fox surveys his domain.
I suspect many kids will enjoy the forest jobs chapter. They'll
get to meet researchers, ranger, and those oh so outdoorsy loggers.
The steps in the path from tree to end products is also very cool.
My Encyclopedia of the Forest is a wonderful acquisition for the
public, school, or family library.
On a personal note, last Sunday at Church of Universal Fellowship our
choir was belting our anthem out loud and proud. We had four rows of
singers and a very lively piece. It felt so good to be up there
making a joyful noise unto the Lord as the Bible instructs us to do.
Then yesterday I tried out the new dress I was thinking of wearing to
the in-laws on Thanksgiving. It's a long sleeve peacock blue lace
with solid sheath underneath number. When I wore it to campus people
were some impressed. So it passes muster.
A great big shout out goes out to my choir family with whom I make
beautiful music.
jules hathaway


Sent from my iPod