In a celebration of nature's renewal, Wells' words and Jeffers' art depict the thawing of a forest. Look and listen as a young girl finds the harbingers of spring--the expectant doe, a bird singing from an icy pine branch, field mice stirring in their burrows--and rejoice at the return of spring.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
An adventurous girl celebrates the transition from winter to spring: "God gave me eyes / To see the woods and all who live within it." Chickadees and cardinals, deer, rabbits and a snowy owl are all part of the winter landscape. A flock of geese flies over a frozen salt marsh while the girl pauses to listen. With the passing of time spring showers bring a profusion of wild flowers to the grassy meadow and a fieldmouse, painted turtle and frog are revealed among rock ledges. The exultant text offers thanks for the gift of life with phrases like "God made me new / Just like the spring that waits beneath the snow." Young naturalists will find much to discover as they explore the change of seasons in this eloquent, spiritually uplifting book by a gifted author-and-artist team. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3 ``God made me new/ Just like the spring that waits beneath the snow./ God made me small/ Just like the fawn that sleeps inside the doe,'' begins this paean to life. Apple trees seen white with snow in the opening endpapers have turned white with blooms by the close. In between, nine glorious double-page paintings illustrate the promise of spring and new beginnings as expressed in rhyme by a small girl who is pictured with animals in idealized scenes, realistic in style. She faces an equally bright-eyed owl on a snowy evening, along with a wolf, an ermine, and a rabbit; and is eventually seen tearing off her jacket and hurling herself into a bare-bellied, bare-footed handstand in a field of flowers, butterflies, and other animalsa visual collage of joyous new life. Both Wells and Jeffers have produced a beautiful book whose strength and simplicity keep it from sentimentality. Whether used to stimulate awareness and reflect wonderas with Marcia Brown's creative trio (Listen to a Shape, etc. all Watts, 1979)or as a devotional, the peaceful, exuberant mood it evokes is refreshing. Ruth M. McConnell, San Antonio Public Library
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
love the book,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Forest of Dreams (Hardcover)
I love this book! The illustrations are fantastic. The simple text in rhyming text is eloquent yet good for children. An excellent book about the change from winter to spring. The only disappointment was that the book did arrive in as good as condition as promised and one of the pages was damaged. I recommend the book highly, but not the seller I purchased it from.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful use of imagery,
By Classical Mom (The Left Coast) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Forest of Dreams (Hardcover)
This poem and the illustrations go very well together.
The author has written a beautiful poem of a child offering praise to God for how he/she was made. The artist has created a series of realistic paintings to go along perfectly with this praise so the child reading the book can feel a part of it. All in all this is a sweet and gentle book. It is a good reminder that all we have is from God and is perfect for all children, and adults as well.
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