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THE SECRET LIFE OF THE FOREST — Review

rosihollinbeck

Thought for the Day:

“A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns.”
~ P.L. Travers ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

The Institute for Literature publishes a lot of good articles for writers. HERE is Susan Ludwig’s excellent take on Creating Character Voice.

We need to keep those pages turning, and HERE is a great post by Nathan Baugh at World Builders with Secrets of Suspense: 7 Ways to Keep Readers Reading.

You have to have a hook, and K. M. Weiland has a terrific post HERE all about The Hook.

I’m still sitting around with my foot up, but I have been most uncomfortable this week. I haven’t been doing much but watching baseball and the Olympics and doing some reading, so nothing much to report. I will leave you with some puns. Enjoy!

I went to the toy store and asked the assistant where the Schwarznegger dolls were and he replied, “Aisle B, back.”
What did the surgeon say to the patient who insisted on closing up their own incision? Suture self.
I’ve started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It’s all about raisin awareness.
Smoking will kill you. Bacon will kill you. Smoking bacon will cure it.
What do you call the boss of Old McDonald’s Farm? The CIEIO.
Everyone was excited to be at our autopsy club this evening. It was open Mike night.
I’ve decided to make an elite army of babies. I’ll call them The Infantry.
I often worry about German sausages. Basically, I fear the wurst.
I have this awful disease where I can’t stop telling airport jokes. The doctor says it is terminal.

I’m continuing to share my reviews of middle-grade, non-fiction picture books this week with THE SECRET LIFE OF THE FOREST Written by Ivi Niesner, Klara Holik, and Jana Sedlackova and illustrated by Katarina Kratochvilova. It’s really a sweet, fun book that will engage young readers and keep them reading. And isn’t that cover inviting? This will be particularly good for those reluctant readers you have. It’s very engaging. Here is my review.

It is always nice to have a knowledgeable guide when one begins to explore a new place. The guide for readers in this cute nature book is a little seed. How appropriate, since most plant life in the forest springs from seeds. Little Seed begins with the life cycle of a tree and a good discussion of pollination. Young readers will be surprised at the variety of pollinators and methods. Many may not think of fungi as part of a forest, but they are important members of the ecosystem, and that is nicely explained. Animals and insects also play important roles in the health of the forest. Little Seed is a great guide through this very complex ecosystem. Each of the 19 sections is filled with several text blocks as well as many supporting illustrations and good questions to inspire readers to do more research. The illustrations are fun, but realistic enough and filled with good details to impart excellent information. The writing is conversational and accessible for young readers while imparting a great deal of good scientific facts. Youngsters will read this one over and over to glean all the great information. It is a winner.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.

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Published by rosihollinbeck

18 thoughts on “THE SECRET LIFE OF THE FOREST — Review”

  1. Sorry that you had an uncomfortable week. I’d have a hard time sitting around all the time too. I love the cover for The Secret Life of the Forest. It sounds like a good one for reluctant readers.

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  3. Another great choice this week for your non-fiction selection. I like the idea to have a seed tell the story. Very creative.

    Great of set of links. The K.M. Weiland one was my favorite.

    Hope you feel better in the coming days. Thanks for your continuing your reviews during this recovery time.

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  5. We got a kick out of your jokes and groaned a few times too. You definitely have too much time sitting with your foot up!

    The Secret Life of the Forest sounds wonderful. I think a lot of kids will want to know even more after reading it!

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  7. Sounds like a great book. Last year I ran a Nonfiction November challenge for the teachers at my school. I put up tons of nonfiction books and teachers kept track of how many nonfiction books they read to their class during the month (they could read any they wanted). It was awesome! I had teachers telling me that they barely have ever read nf to their classes and that their kids loved it. I plan to do it again this year- so I will have to check out this title beforehand. Love to read new nf books for this age group. 🙂

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    1. I have featured non-fiction MG books the last four weeks and another one this week. You might want to check those posts out. Yeah, kids really do love NF. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  9. Sorry to hear you’ve had a bad week, Rosi, fingers crossed that next week will be much better! Thanks for the great links and the puns, I enjoyed them all a lot! The Secret Life of the Forest sounds really good, if my nieces and nephew were the right age (they are either too young or too old!) I’d look for a copy, Thanks for the recommendation!

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