Look closely. Look very closely. Is it...a stained-glass window? A jigsaw puzzle? Give up? Just turn the page and, lo and behold, it's a monarch butterfly. See what looks like a pair of chopsticks revealed as a mormon cricket, a sponge as a strawberry, and many more surprises when you look closely into the garden. The Looking Closely series takes children on a journey of discovery through four environments - the forest, the shore, the desert and the garden. Frank Serafini's camera lens enlarges each world through the magic of close-up photography. Young eyes will rediscover our planet as a place of beauty, mystery and delight. Readers are first challenged to guess the identity of each closeup photograph. The next page reveals the entire photograph of the plant, animal or natural object accompanied by a simple but detailed description of the habitat. By inspiring children to ask questions and use their imaginations, these books help build problem-solving skills. They also encourage curiosity about environments that, examined this closely, are full of unexpected wonders.
Dr. Frank Serafini is an author, illustrator, photographer, educator, musician, and an Associate Professor of Literacy Education and Children's Literature at Arizona State University. In addition, Frank was an elementary school teacher for nine years in Phoenix, AZ, and spent three years as a literacy specialist in K-6 classrooms.
In 2004, Frank illustrated Desert Seasons: A Year in the Mojave Desert, published by Stephens Press in Las Vegas, with images of nature photography from the Mojave Desert. This book was selected in 2007 as the Nevada Reading Week Featured Picture Book. In addition, Frank's nature and landscape images have been published in several magazines, including, CERCA and Plateau Journal.
In 2008, Frank published a series of picture books with Kids Can Press entitled Looking Closely. These "crop and reveal" picture books focus on a variety of natural features and biomes, including; Desert, Forest, Shore, and Garden. In 2010, two more books will be released in the series focusing on the Pond and the Rainforest. In 2009, Looking Closely Along the Shore was awarded an Honor Citation from the Society of School Librarians International for best non-fiction picturebook of the year, and won a prestigious Teacher's Choice Award from the International Reading Association.
More information can be found at www.frankserafini.com
