Over in the Forest

July 1, 2012

K-Gr 2-This story follows the rhythm and rhyme scheme of "Over in the Meadow" as mothers teach their babies life skills. "Over in the forest/where the clean waters run/Lived a busy mother beaver/and her little kit one./'Build, ' said the mother/'I build, ' said the one./So they helped build a lodge/where the clean waters run." All 10 babies are called by their names: "fawns," "joeys," "hatchlings," "poults," and "chicks," which is educational (although several young animals are called "kits"). Beautiful cut-paper collages, embellished with pencil, pastels, and ink, are filled with soothing, woodsy colors and many textures. This book would be a great read-aloud, followed with a call-and-response song-the music is provided at the end. Questions about what is fact and what is fictionalized (e.g., the numbers of babies) in the story, information about the animals, and tips and activities from the author and the illustrator are appended. With its many curricular extensions and wonderful springboard to art classes, this book is a terrific addition to most collections.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Union, Washington & Waldoboro, ME

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