Entertainment / Books

Step Gently Out, In the Sea, Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature, Who Needs an Iceberg? An Arctic Ecosystem, 50 Climate Questions: A Blizzard of Blistering Facts: Mini reviews

By Helen Frost, illustrations by Rick Lieder Candlewick, 32 pages, $18.00Ages 2-6

Step Gently Out

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Step Gently Out

By Helen Frost, illustrations by Rick Lieder Candlewick, 32 pages, $18.00

Ages 2-6

In this short poem Frost invites children to look closely at the small creatures in the world around them. An ant on a blade of grass, a spider that “spins a silken thread and steps across the air,” a praying mantis or a cricket — “they share the world with you” the poem concludes. Lieder’s artful macro photography of each insect emphasizes character and atmosphere, showing the natural world with almost magical colour and shadow, and Frost’s spare, poetic text deepens our sense of wonder for these cohabitants of our daily lives.

In the Sea

By David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade Candlewick, 32 pages, $19.00

Ages 3-6

Like its subject, the sea, the art of this book presents a world of generous, subtle beauties. Meade combines a pleasing mix of the dramatic black lines of woodblock prints with delicate shades of green, blue and gold, in illustrating Elliott’s several poems on marine creatures. Grandly lyrical or succinctly witty, the poems are consistently, cleverly informative, even while they take pleasure in our human view of the habits (and habitat) of marine life. A glorious combination of art, poetry, and joy in the natural world.

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature

By Nicola Davies, illustrated by Mark Hearld, Candlewick, 109 pages, $23.00

Ages 3-8

Another lavishly illustrated nature book by a seasoned zoologist and writer. Davies takes us through the seasons with short poems, prose poems and activities, ranging from pond life to gardening, compost and worms to the dream-like encounter between a boy and a deer on a winter morning. Hearld’s all-out, full-page illustrations each create a rich, evocative scene, with collage, pen-and-ink, acrylics and multiple textures, lines, colours and perspectives. Tadpoles, robins’ nests, rainbows and (my favourite) fox on a snowy night are only some of the subjects both author and illustrator invite young readers to enjoy.

Who Needs an Iceberg? An Arctic Ecosystem

Written and illustrated by Karen Patkau, Tundra, 32 pages, $19.99

Ages 7-11

Patkau introduces readers to the North American Arctic ecosystem efficiently and methodically, discussing habitat, the food chain and seasonal changes, along with the ever-important formation of the iceberg. “Who needs an iceberg?” she asks, concluding with a discussion of global warming. Her digitally composed illustrations at times offer informative scenic views, and at times, present readers with more direct scientific information. This, as well as its companion volumes Who Needs a Swamp? and Who Needs a Jungle? offers a clear, readable introduction for budding naturalists and geographers.

50 Climate Questions: A Blizzard of Blistering Facts

By Peter Christie, illustrated by Ross Kinnaird, Annick, 116 pages, $14.95

Ages 9-13

Christie presents a coherent, fascinating narrative about the relationship between climate and evolution from our earliest known evidence right up to the present day. His account is arranged around a series of dumb-humour questions (“Did we also beat them at video games?” heads the discussion of why homo sapiens survived and Neanderthals didn’t, for example) and seems to emerge in the short segments so prevalent in children’s non-fiction these days. In fact, however, this reads well as a clear, continuous story. Christie’s description of prehistoric (and historic) climactic events concludes with a discussion of the nature of human-influenced climate change. Lame puns and goofy illustrations, of which there are many, will either attract or deter young readers.

Deirdre Baker teaches children's literature at the University of Toronto.

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