Spring
Fever with a Dose of Refreshing Reading
by
Selene S. Vasquez
PICTURE
BOOK: AGES 4 THRU 6
When
the Earth Wakes by Ani Ricki. (Scholastic Press, 32 pp., $15.95).
Accompanied
by bears, the Earth awakens in spring, rejuvenates for pure summer
fun, falls into the sleepiness of fall, and downright slumbers
in winter. A warm and inviting view of seasons and the very nature
of cyclical life.
POETRY: AGES 8 THRU 12
Twilight
Comes Twice by
Ralph Fletcher. Illustrated by Kate Kiesler. (Clarion Books, 32
pp., $15.00).
Twilight
is an ethereal space between night and day, slipping through the
crack of time … at dawn and at dusk. A poetic account of the earth’s
stirrings at those magical moments.
NONFICTION:
AGES 8 THRU 12
Four
Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition by
Sally Hunter. Photographs by Joe Allen. (Lerner Publications,
40 pp., $19.95).
12-year-old
Russell learns the rich traditions of corn from his Native American
grandfather: from planting, harvesting and drying the kennels
to eating corn soup and dancing the Green Corn Dance at the Powwow.
FICTION:
AGES 7 THRU 9
Mud
Flat April Fool
by
James Stevenson. (Greenwillow Books, 48 pp., $14.99).
Flying
saucers and water-squirting flowers—tricks of the trade on April
Fool’s Day for the animal citizens of Mud Flat. Lovely and delicate
watercolor and black ink illustrations enhance this strangest
brand of spring fever!
Selene
S. Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School
in Hollywood, Florida. She is formerly a children’s librarian
for the New York Public Library.
Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel:
(212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of
the publisher. © 2001.
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