If You Go Down to the Woods Today: A Search and Find Adventure

by Rachel Piercey, Freya Hartas (Illustrator)

Overview

Journey through a magical woodland with poems to read and things to find in the beautifully illustrated picture book If You Go Down to the Woods.

My woodland’s full of animals,
of every different kind.
So shall we stay here for a while
and see what we can find?

Experience the everyday wonder of nature in this first book of poetry, exploring a magical woodland year. With poems by acclaimed writer Rachel Piercey and illustrations by Freya Hartas, join Bear on his journey from spring to winter with lots of friends to meet, places to explore, and things to spot along the way.

“A tour de force of interactive two-dimensional nature.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419751585
Publisher:	Magic Cat
Publication date:	03/16/2021
Series:	Brown Bear Wood
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 12.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Rachel Piercey is a freelance poet, editor, and tutor. She has co-edited three children’s poetry anthologies with the Emma Press and regularly performs her work and runs poetry workshops in primary schools. Piercey’s poems for adults have been published in various journals, including The Poetry Review, Magma, and The Rialto, as well as two pamphlets with the Emma Press and one with HappenStance. Together with Freya Hartas, she is the author of the Brown Bear Wood series, including Grand Old Oak and the Birthday Ball and If You Go Down to the Woods Today. She lives in London.

Freya Hartas is a UK-based illustrator specializing in children’s books. She lives in the vibrant city of Bristol with her partner and their ancient black cat, Katsu, and works from her cosy, cluttered desk in a shared studio down the road. She graduated from Falmouth University in 2014 with a first-class honors BA in illustration. Hartas loves to conjure up humorous characters, animals, and monsters, creating the most fantastical worlds for them to inhabit and get lost in.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A tour de force of interactive two-dimensional nature."

Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A tour de force of interactive two-dimensional nature." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

★ 2021-01-27
Four seasons’ worth of poetic exploration into the bustling woods.

Piercey presents here 16 poems containing tightly rhymed quatrains inviting young readers to follow Bear out of the confines of their homes and into the forest from spring through winter. Arranged in double-page spreads, Hartas’ sumptuously action-packed forest scenes are rife with so much fauna and flora that Piercey provides legends pointing readers toward “what to spot” on each spread. Bear narrates: “My woodland’s full of animals, / of every different kind. / So shall we stay here for a while / and see what we can find?” (A bit distractingly, some words are set in a faux handwriting typeface.) Items to find include such delights as a “baby chipmunk in a hammock” or “two birds returning from their winter break”—delicately drawn with tiny suitcases in their claws. In each kid-styled Breughel-like tableau, creatures are busy doing something—building nests, getting ready for school, or celebrating Bunny’s birthday; even Bear’s off playing hide-and-seek with mice. In summer, some go for swimming lessons while others stage a play. Autumn’s chill starts to wind down the fun, as trees turn “orange, scarlet, gold, / each leaf a tongue of flame”—perfect for inspiring art class. In Hartas’ gifted hands, Piercey’s thriving woodland society celebrates all the joys of communing with the elements and one another. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12.2-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 29.9% of actual size.)

A tour de force of interactive two-dimensional nature. (nature notes, further resources) (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews