PICTURE BOOK - Sonya's Chickens by Phoebe Wahl

Illustrated by the author

2015, Tundra Books

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 3.96 - 339 ratings

My rating: 4

Endpapers: 

Illustrations: Watercolor, collage, and colored pencils 

My comments:  The illustrations drew me to pick up this book. Sonya is given three baby chicks to care for, which she lovingly does, as they grow into adults.  When one is killed by a fox, her dad explains to her that the fox only did so to feed his own children.  This is a great explanation of the life cycle and predator/prey without being too preachy, and includes a discussion-worthy "celebration" of the dead chicken's life.  Gentle ending - an egg hatches (another jumping off point for cycle of life discussions).

Goodreads: Sonya raises her three chickens from the time they are tiny chicks. She feeds them, shelters them and loves them. Everywhere Sonya goes, her chicks are peeping at her heels. Under her care, the chicks grow into hens and even give Sonya a wonderful gift: an egg! One night, Sonya hears noises coming from the chicken coop and discovers that one of her hens has disappeared. Where did the hen go? What happened to her? When Sonya discovers the answers, she learns some important truths about the interconnectedness of nature and the true joys and sorrows of caring for another creature.

The Gift – Carol Ann Duffy

Illustrator: Rob Ryan
Barefoot Books, 2010
Price not included (British author and illustrator)
32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: white lacy flower paper cuts on dark yellow background
Illustrations: hand-cut paper cuts colored by spray paint
Author is from Manchester, England and Illustrator is from London

This is a visually amazing book. Such gorgeous paper cuts!

The story is of a young girl who discovered a beautiful spot in the woods. Through the years she visited often, bringing stones, seeds, plants. She tended and cared for the spot as it grew and became even more beautiful. She brought her own children there, then her grandchildren. And when she died, she was buried there, as she had wished when she was a young girl and had first set eyes on the spot.

At the beginning of the book, when she found this special place while on a picnic with her parents, "a thought suddenly came to the girl - as urgent and vivid as a butterfly opening its orange wings -- that she wanted to be buried in this plot of land when she died."

I very much like the progression of life from birth to death. But I was troubled when she first had this revelation. From a purely personal standpoint, if my own daughter had been read this as a child it would have bothered her greatly, I think. She worried about death and dying all the time, and although this is a joyful portrayal of life from beginning to end...dying at an old age....it would have given her more opportunity to dwell on death. So before reading this to a (young) child, I'd be sure about their predisposition in this area.

Beautifully told. Gorgeously illustrated. But not for every child.

Growing Frogs - Vivian French

Illustrated by Alison Bartlett
Candlewick, 2000
Paper $6.99
32 pages
"Read and Wonder" series
ages 5-8
Excellent book

Ever since Brendan's ranger-led Acadia National Park frog adventure, I've been checking out books about frogs. In this book it is springtime and a little girl and her mother find frog spawn at the pond. They take it home to watch the amazing changes fron egg to tadpole to frog.

Not only is this a story, it's an excellent easy how-to guide so kids --- with their parent's help --- can watch these magical changes themselves.

How often do you change the pond water? What happens next? What should you do when they become frogs?

The illustrations are full-page, brightly colored acrylics. The large "Tapioca" font tells the story, smaller font gives the info.

Oh would I love to do this! But the book itself is all you need to easily learn LOTS of neat things about frogs.

city dog, country frog - Mo Willems

Illustrated by Jon J. Muth
Hyperion Books for Children, 2010
56 pages
$17.99
"ages 4-7"
Rating: 5
Endpapers: Green watercolor splash in front, orange and blue on two back papers.

Ok. Cool book. When I was in Maine, Bren and I , after reading Dory Story, talked a lot about the web of life and life cycles. I'd love to read this to him and hear the clever thoughts and connections his inquisitive five-year-old mind would come up with.

This story goes through all the seasons, beginning with spring and ending with spring again. City dog has never been able to run without a leash, and since his move to the country he can run freely. In spring, he makes friends with a frog. They continue to be friends through the seasons. We see the seasons change, and we know what eventually happens to the frog.

This is a gentle reminder of the cycle of life, oh so creatively presented.

I'm really glad that Mo Willems didn't illustrate this. Jon Muth's illustrations are stunning watercolors. This is an outstanding book.

And.......I cannot believe this is my 700th blog.