Maple Syrup from the Sugarhouse

by Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton, Kathryn Mitter (Illustrator)

Overview

Maple syrup season is here!

Kelsey and her father begin harvesting sap from sugar maple trees. Join their family and friends in this farm-to-table process of turning sap into maple syrup. Includes maple syrup facts in the back matter to make this perfect for an educational story time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807579435
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	11/01/2017
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	531,290
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton is the author of over thirty-five books for children. She loves writing surrounded by horses, cattle, dogs, cats, and five turkeys. Laurie lives with her husband in Ohio.

When she's not illustrating, Kathryn Mitter enjoys gardening, hiking, and watercolor painting, especially painting outdoors. Kathryn has illustrated many magazine stories and children's books. Kathryn lives in Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2017
A girl named Kelsey joins her father and other family and friends when the time is right to harvest sap and turn it into maple syrup. Knowlton gives Kelsey a chipper narrative voice, which is matched by the bright colors and friendly interactions in Mitter’s illustrations. While informative, the descriptions of how syrup is produced lead to some dry moments in the book (“Daddy starts the pump to suction the tap through a filter into a large holding tank,” notes Kelsey). But both the text and the art make clear how much work goes into producing maple syrup, how slow the process is, and how a community comes together to get the job done. A closing list of facts should intrigue readers who can’t imagine eating their pancakes without a good glug of syrup. Ages 5–7. Author’s agent: Victoria Selvaggio, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Mitter's illustrations play up the camaraderie of working together . . . Readers with maples get ready: kids are sure to want to try their hands at boiling their own syrup."—Kirkus Reviews


"Knowlton gives Kelsey a chipper narrative voice, which is matched by the bright colors and friendly interactions in Mitter's illustrations."—Publishers Weekly


"A fun, comprehensive look at the process of making maple syrup the old-fashioned way."—School Library Journal


"A light narrative framework with just enough detail to satisfy the curiosity of most listeners, while an appended note offers more information on maple syrup. Simple, colorful, and attractive, Mitter's illustrations create a tone of contentment that makes this an attractive choice for reading aloud."—Booklist

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Kelsey and her father head out to tap the sugar maple trees now that the days are warmer and the tree sap is rising. Family and friends arrive at the sugar bush camp to help. As they work, the steps for making maple syrup and processes such as evaporation are clearly explained through Kelsey's conversations with her father and the tasks they perform. The font is classic serif, large and bold for easy reading. Some of the text is alliterative and shaped for emphasis. The illustrations are appealing with bright, saturated colors framed by the natural whites and browns of a winter landscape. Faces and forms of people are deceptively simple lines, yet expressions are clear and well defined. The children and adults are a diverse bunch in ethnicity and age. Spreads add depth and perspective to the busy, labor-intensive system for making syrup from sap. There are end notes with facts about maple trees, maple syrup, and the maple syrup industry. These notes are not sourced, and there are no additional resources listed. This title is a fun, comprehensive look at the process of making maple syrup the old-fashioned way, written by a veteran author who is also an experienced maple sugar farmer. VERDICT This will be a popular addition to seasons or farming sections for younger students.—Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City Public Libraries, VA

School Library Journal

2017-10-01
A group of family and friends performs the chores in the sugar bush that lead to fresh maple syrup. It's not just collecting sap and boiling it: bottles must be sterilized, wood gathered and stacked, the sugar content of the boiling syrup monitored, and the finished syrup filtered and bottled. As young Kelsey follows her father around the wood, it's clear this isn't her first exposure to this northeastern spring ritual, though this is belied by didactic and expository dialogue, as when Daddy explains how the trees have stored sugar over the winter. Kelsey's chores are kid-appropriate: hammering spiles, hanging buckets, stacking and carrying wood, and curiously peeking and asking about the syrup's readiness as it boils. The boiling goes on all night and into the next morning, when the family enjoys a maple syrup-centered breakfast while waiting for the sap buckets to fill again. Mitter's illustrations play up the camaraderie of working together. Skin tones range from Kelsey's own white skin to light and dark browns in this multiracial gathering. While the tractor and single storage tank indicate that this is not a large-scale operation, the evaporator and dedicated sugar shack mean this isn't just a hobby, either. The final page includes more facts about maple syrup. Readers with maples get ready: kids are sure to want to try their hands at boiling their own syrup. (Picture book. 3-9)

Kirkus Reviews