Review: House Held Up By Trees (Kooser)

Title: House Held Up By Trees
Author: Kooser
Genre: Fiction, Picture Books, Family, Nature
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Ages: Kindergarten-3rd grades

This is just a beautiful book. That's about all I can say. Simply beautiful.

I think that grown ups might appreciate the sentiment behind the book more than kids, but there is something here for everyone. 

From the Publisher: 
From Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Ted Kooser and rising talent Jon Klassen comes a poignant tale of loss, change, and nature's quiet triumph.

When the house was new, not a single tree remained on its perfect lawn to give shade from the sun. The children in the house trailed the scent of wild trees to neighboring lots, where thick bushes offered up secret places to play. When the children grew up and moved away, their father, alone in the house, continued his battle against blowing seeds, plucking out sprouting trees. Until one day the father, too, moved away, and as the empty house began its decline, the trees began their approach. At once wistful and exhilarating, this lovely, lyrical story evokes the inexorable passage of time — and the awe-inspiring power of nature to lift us up.

Review: Cloud Spinner (Catchpool)

Title: Cloud Spinner
Author: Catchpool
Genre: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Kings, Nature
Pages: 32
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Ages: Kindergarten through 3rd Grade

This picture book is one of my favorites so far this year. 

From the Publisher: 
One small boy has a special gift-he can weave cloth from the clouds: gold in the early morning with the rising sun, white in the afternoon, and crimson in the evening. He spins just enough cloth for a warm scarf. But when the king sees the boy's magnificent cloth, he demands cloaks and gowns galore. "It would not be wise," the boy protests. "Your majesty does not need them!" But spin he must-and soon the world around him begins to change.

This is a great tale on taking care of the Earth and it's resources without being preachy. The illustrations beautifully compliment the story. Elementary teachers will definitely want this one on their shelves!

Holiday Gift Ideas: National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry (Lewis)

Title: National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry
Author: Various, edited by J. Patrick Lewis
Genre: Poetry, Nature, Animals, Picture Books
Pages: 183
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a beautiful book, and perfect for any elementary-aged animal lover on your list...or poetry fan...or an elementary classroom teacher. With over 200 poems by famous (Frost, Tennyson, Dickinson, Kipling, Prelutsky) poets, including the editor (U.S. Children's Poet Laureate), this is truly a treat. Photographs accompany the poems, which are grouped together by kind/type/size of animal.

An engrossing celebration of wildlife, animals, and nature in general.