Customer Reviews

Life in the Boreal Forest

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Before the terrain became snow clad, billions of birds who had dotted the landscape and raised their young, they had to "double their weight" before their fall migration. They had made their home in the boreal forest that stretched across "Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia." The word "Boreal means northern," but now when it is mentioned people think of the word "threatened" for this forest is disappearing quickly because logging crews have moved in to cut the trees. The migratory birds are not the only creatures who live in the Boreal. The animals, in part, include the beaver, snowshoe hares, bears, moose, lynx, wolves, voles, squirrels, fox and the mighty caribou.

When their habitat is threatened, all animals will eventually have to fight to survive or quickly face extinction. The bear, who in a "frenzied day gobbles 70,000 berries," would certainly perish if the ground cover was destroyed. The snowshoe hare is already starving because there is not enough food to feed them. The lynx, who is its predator, will have an unknown fate if the snowshoe disappears. According to the author, "The boreal is disappearing fast." One by one the animals will perish or become extinct because their home is dwindling. Will mankind act soon or will this vast forest be gone forever?

This book was simply outstanding. The text was highly interesting and the stunning artwork meshed extremely well with the message the author wished to convey. This book was well researched and so well written it had just the right amount of tension to pull even the most reluctant reader to the end. In the back of the book there is a small global map illustrating the boreal territory and a note from the author discussing the dire consequences that have occurred due to the destruction of forest lands. In the front of the book are numerous recommended web site resources. This is an amazing book you might want to consider adding to your shelves!

I love Gennady Spirin's illustrations, and one of my favorites is THE ENCHANTER'S SPELL: FIVE FAMOUS TALES which is a frequent request at our home (I have a 5-year-old). When I saw this new book with Spirin's illustrations, I knew we'd be in for a treat. The message inherent in this book is of the threat to the great northern forest, i.e. the boreal forest. As the years pass, the forest suffers with dwindling trees, and lack of food for the animals. The predicament of the boreal forest and the animals within it is evocatively told through the text and illustrations, depicting how the animals struggle to survive in an increasingly inhospitable environment - the lynx does not have enough hares to feed on, and the hares in turn starve for lack of low-growing food, and so on. Yet the cycle of nature continues. There is a list of resources with weblinks for students to do additional research and an author's note detailing the importantance of the boreal forest to the world's ecosystem. Recommended for ages 5 and up.