From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-In this picture book, children learn the natural cycles of soil and water as well as the human-assisted one of composting. Soft, full-page watercolor illustrations lend a glow to the gentle text, which guides readers through the birth, life, death, and reuse of an oak tree as well as the travels of a drop of water. A brief recap gives some facts regarding each cycle. The process of composting, from garbage to soil to nutritious food and back again, encourages readers to think about how to reuse items rather than discard them. A valuable addition to early earth-science units.
Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
K-Gr. 2. This final book in a four-part series (Life Cycles, Earth Cycles, and Body Cycles) focuses on patterns in nature. Children will discover how soil is recycled by following a seedling as it grows into a tree, which eventually falls down and decays, adding richness to the soil and readying it for new seedlings to sprout. They'll learn about the hydrologic cycle during which a drop of water from the sky joins other drops to form a trickling stream that eventually finds its way to the ocean. Then each day water drops evaporate, float up into clouds, where they are chilled by cold air, and fall to earth as rain. Ross also explains how people can help nature's recycling processes--by taking paper and plastic to recycling centers or by making a compost pile. Fact boxes add more information and a generous assortment of color illustrations, both full-page spreads and margin drawings, clearly illustrate the processes under discussion. Shelley Townsend-Hudson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
