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Where Once There Was a Wood

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Where Once There Was a Wood

Paperback(First Edition)

$10.99

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Paperback(First Edition)
$10.99

View All Available Formats & Editions

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Overview

A powerful poem and stunning, handmade-paper art encourage children to protect nature.

"Where once there was a wood,
A meadow and a creek . . . "

Inspired by events in her own backyard, award-winning author and illustrator Denise Fleming creates a poignant yet hopeful portrait of our disappearing natural environment. The last pages of the book teach children how to make a more "creature friendly" backyard, including information about what types of food, trees and flowers attract different kinds of animals. Where Once There Was a Wood also includes an informative bibliography for budding environmentalists, and suggests various projects that families can do together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805064827
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	04/01/2000
Series:	Owlet Book
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	445,345
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.05(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated many children's books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise published her first painting in the third grade, when she started taking classes at the Toledo Museum of Art and one of her paintings was chosen to be the cover of a teacher's magazine. She now works primarily with paper, by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Fleming's unique illustrative style provides an exciting backdrop to this distinctive, environmental picture book."—School Library Journal

"Contains some of Fleming's most accomplished work ever. A beautiful call to arms."—Publisher's Weekly

"A book that's as welcome as spring."—Kirkus Reviews

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

Fleming's unique illustrative style provides an exciting backdrop to this distinctive, environmental picture book.” —School Library Journal

“Contains some of Fleming's most accomplished work ever. A beautiful call to arms.” —Publisher's Weekly

“A book that's as welcome as spring.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

PW called this plea for the conservation of wildlife habitats "a beautiful call to action." Ages 4-10. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2Fleming's unique illustrative style provides an exciting backdrop to this distinctive, environmental picture book. The simple, hand-lettered text introduces the wild creatures and plants that once thrived in a wooded area, before their displacement by a housing development. Art, text, and design are creatively matched. Lush, textured collage artwork features a stunning combination and arrangement of colors with brilliant hues juxtaposed against muted earth tones. It is remarkable that the gentle, poetic narration is never overpowered by the pictures. Instead, a graceful rhythm is established as the natural habitats are explored. The tempo accelerates when animals are observed in action. The final two pages provide a dramatic conclusion as the text switches from free-flowing to deliberate. The illustrations change as well, presenting a sharp contrast between the beauty of the natural habitat and the stark symmetry of roof lines and window frames. Suggestions for creating backyard habitats and brief directions for establishing butterfly and hummingbird gardens are appended, along with information about the National Wildlife Federation and a list of related books. A book to be shared with and enjoyed by a wide audience.Sarabeth Kalajian, Venice Public Library, FL

School Library Journal

Already a favorite of preschoolers, Fleming (In the Small, Small Pond, 1993, etc.) takes an appreciation of the natural world a giant step further. Rhythmic verse—"Where once there was a wood/a meadow/and a creek . . . sit houses side by side/twenty houses deep"—demonstrates that there was another sort of community before people arrived, "where once the brown snake/slithered and slipped out of sight." An ecology lesson it surely is, but it's also a celebration of the earth and its creatures. Illustrations in vivid jewel-and-earth tones appear on handmade paper; the woods, creeks, and meadows are clean and inviting, and, bringing balance to the presentation, the new houses are not without their charms. The lively back matter, titled "Welcome Wildlife to Your Backyard Habitat," offers substantial, easily executed suggestions for encouraging wildlife around the home; it's information just right for family and classroom sharing. Perfect for Earth Day observances, a book that's as welcome as spring.

Kirkus Reviews