My Forest Is Green
by Darren Lebeuf (Author) Ashley Barron (Illustrator)
With art supplies in tow, a young boy explores the urban forest near his home, then interprets what he sees with his art. The boy is a keen observer who uses poetic, rhythmic language to describe the diversity he finds through all four seasons. His forest is both "fluffy" and "prickly," "dense" and "sparse," "crispy" and "soft." It's also "scattered and soggy, and spotted and foggy."
His forest is made up of many colors --- but he decides that "mostly it's green." Each aspect of the forest inspires the boy to create a different kind of art: charcoal rubbing, rock art, photography, sponge painting, snow sculpture, cut-paper collage. To this artist, there's always something new to discover, and to capture!
In this delightful picture book, Darren Lebeuf, an award-winning photographer, encourages small children to look closer at and appreciate the nature that surrounds them. And by providing such a broad range of ideas for artistic expression, it's sure to awaken the nature artist in every child.
Bright, deeply textured illustrations by Ashley Barron bring the forest and the boy's artworks to vivid life. This story provides an excellent depiction of nature-based education in an outdoor classroom.
The specificity of the concrete and abstract adjectives used in the text works as a perfect complement to primary science lessons on investigating, comparing and identifying the physical characteristics of plants and animals. This book also makes for an enjoyable, lyrical read-aloud.
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1—A young artist presents a close-up analysis of an urban forest in this colorful examination of the outdoors through various art media. He explores and depicts elements on the ground that are tall and short, textures that are fluffy and prickly, and the varying colors seen from an aerial outlook on a high-rise terrace. The images glow through cut-paper collage shapes, leaf prints, and watercolor, acrylic paint, and crayon hues that imitate nature from seed pods to bark. The boy investigates ants on the ground, wide and narrow trees, heavy and light rocks, dense and "sparse" bushes. Rain, snow, "scattered and soggy, and spotty and foggy." Vibrant color and an endless list of adjectives shape the description of both large vistas and small scenes from the forest floor. "My forest sings and dances" with visual suggestions and a lyrical text for the young artist uncovering nature through multiple art media. VERDICT A lovely celebration of all things green, this is a suggested general purchase; especially suited for budding artists and young nature lovers.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Publishers Weekly
Colorful cut-paper collages adorned with watercolor, acrylic, and pencil crayon illustrate the activities a child uses to piece together an understanding of the city-adjacent forest outside his high-rise apartment building. Starting with simple opposites ("My forest is tall. My forest is short"), the text ripens into a cascade of playful, well-chosen adjectives thoughtfully paired with images of the child observing the forest throughout the year, then working with different art materials to capture facets of his experience. Crayon rubbings show bark's roughness, sponged paint represents the softness of moss, and found rocks are transformed into turtles, frogs, and fish--"scattered and soggy, / and spotted and foggy." Each page offers gentle encouragement to get outside, observe carefully, and create joyfully. A jubilant assemblage of the child's creative work near the end shows that "my forest is so many things." Ages 3-7. (Apr.)
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Ashley Barron is an award-winning illustrator who specializes in cut-paper collage. Her creations can be found in children's books, newspapers, set designs and shop windows. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.
JUV009100 - Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Seasons
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
