Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Storyworlds: Nature
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
360 Degrees, 2016 ISBN: 978-1944530013
The amazing thing about nature is that it is full of stories. You may not think that you are seeing a story unfold when you watch at a bird pecking at the ground or watch a flower bend in the breeze, but you are.
In this remarkable wordless book the illustrator takes us into nature and presents us with scenes that tell us all kinds of stories. We see two birds meeting, singing, and then working together on a nest that has eggs in it. We see a pond in which there are frog’s eggs, a tadpole, and then a frog. Similarly we see ladybug eggs, larvae, and adults ladybugs on a leaf. In both these cases little life stories about change in nature are unfolding before our eyes.
We watch leaf cutter ants finding leaves and then marching away with those leaves in their jaws, and see how an ermine’s fur changes color as fall shifts into winter. It is wonderful to see how this strategy makes it possible for the little animal to blend into the browns of the ground in the fall, and into the snow on the ground in winter.
We see how an orangutan, a slow loris, a tiger, and a panda bear gather food, and how a wild pig escapes becoming a crocodile’s next meal.
As we turn the pages we see beautiful pictures of animals and plants from all around the world, living things that come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. It is hard not to appreciate how awe- inspiring the natural world is when you see how many stories the natural world has to tell.
Not a word needs to be written for us to be able to understand these stories, but if we do want more information about the scenes that we are looking at, descriptions are provided for us at the back of the book.
This large format book would make a perfect give for readers of all ages who love nature.
