Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Forest Bright, Forest Night
Illustrator: Jamichael Henterly
Board Book
For ages 3 to 5
Dawn Publications, 2007 ISBN: 978-1584690894
The moon is setting and the sun is just coming up. “Hello, forest day.” A new morning is beginning in the forest. As an owl dozes a deer leaps across a stream; and as a pair of porcupines slumber in a dead tree, a pair of bear cubs play nearby. Further along four foxes sleep in a cave under a rock while four snakes “slither” on a rock warming themselves. In the shadows of the trees eight turkeys “strut and wobble” while beneath their skinny orange legs eight beavers sleep the daylight hours away.
Then the sun sinks and all those creatures who we saw sleeping before rouse themselves and all the animals who were active now rest. The owl opens his wide eyes while the deer rests on the soft leaves. The porcupines come out to look for food and the playful cubs slumber in a den. Those four little foxes “yip and jowl” to the moon while the four snakes keep warm in a coil under a rock. Those seven little turkeys now snuggle under their mother’s soft wings while the beavers busily “paddle and swim.”
In this beautifully presented board book the author and illustrator have found a way to present their audience with all kinds of information. Children learn about numbers and they can practice their counting. They also learn that some animals are active at night whereas others are active in the day time. In the wonderfully detailed illustrations they can see these animals in their natural habitats going about their daily routines. In addition children will have fun finding the numbers which are cleverly hidden in the illustrations.
Beautifully detailed illustrations and simple one line lyrically rhyming sentences on every page make this board book a one of a kind title.
