Drawn from Nature

In this lovely rumination on the seasons, Ahpornsiri uses hand-pressed flowers, leaves, and stems to create intricate portraits of wild animals and their environments. Each of the book's four sections is subdivided into paragraphs that highlight some of the changes taking place: birds building their nests and butterflies collecting nectar in the spring, the chirping of crickets and the activity of nocturnal animals in the summer, and so on. Ahpornsiri surrounds her carefully arranged tableaus with white space, providing a sense of tranquility and allowing readers to observe each delicate detail: fuzzy ferns form the antlers of deer competing for a mate in autumn, and a single rust- colored petal forms the distinctive breast of a robin, a rare spot of color in winter. It's an elegant and distinctive portrait of the changing seasons. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)

Gr 2-5--A feast for the eyes. Ahpornsiri's artwork is created using leaves and flowers, intricately arranged to form owls, foxes, butterflies, branches, nests, insects, and more. The book is divided by season and describes common flora and fauna related to that time period (apparently based in a temperate climate, though that is never actually stated). Sections of headlined text such as "Butterflies & Blossoms," "In the Reeds," and "Forest Fungi" accompany the botanical collages which twist and spiral across spreads, and delicately surround the text. While solid basic information is presented about such things as the life cycle of frogs and butterflies and how and why leaves change color in autumn, the real highlight of this book is the illustrations, making the text seem slightly tacked on. Back matter consists of an author's note, photographs regarding the illustration process, and a small glossary. VERDICT A beautiful gift or coffee table book; not an essential purchase for nonfiction collections.--Jenny Berggren, Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley, CA