Book of the Month Review
M Is for Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet by
Cynthia Furlong Reynolds, Ginny Joyner (illustrator)
In New England Vermonters welcomed
its state alphabet book, titled M is for Maple Syrup. With
colorful pages that focus the spotlight on the flora and fauna specific
to Vermont (and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream), the book utilizes a two-tiered
educational format where the rhyming verse appeals to younger readers
the substantive expository text proves an engaging tool for older
students. In Vermont, L is for Lake Champlain and R is for the Red
Clover, H is for Hermit Thrush and D is for Dairy.
Read what one reviewer, who ranked
the book with ,
has to say about this book:
I am an elementary school teacher and found this
book to be a great way to introduce Vermont to my students as part of
our fifty states theme unit. We've had fun learning new facts about each
of the states and this book, as part of the Discover America Alphabet
Series, is an ideal way to share the diversity of our states, their
traditions and to learn interesting facts about each one. The pictures
in this book are vivid and are great for sharing a special viewpoint of
Vermont. The facts are interesting and encourage and promote a child's
interest in the state. I highly recommend this book!
Great for ages 4-8.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our
Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order M
Is for Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet
from the Amazon.com catalog or search on your own.
My Brother Loved Snowflakes: The Story of Wilson
A. Bentley, the Snowflake Man by Mary Bahr Fritts, Mary Bahr,
Laura Jacobsen (illustrator)
Following in the footsteps of
Jacqueline Briggs Martin's Snowflake Bentley (Houghton, 1998), this
picture-book biography covers the life of Bentley at a similar reading
level, but with a slightly different approach. Bahr's text, told from
the point of view of Bentley's older brother, goes for the emotional
heart of the story rather than a straight telling of the facts about the
man's life and work. As seen through Charlie's eyes, Wilson's pioneering
work in photographing snowflakes becomes secondary to the human
qualities that led him to persist in what many called a pointless task:
"That's the way I'll remember my brother. Always seeing the beauty.
Always sharing it. Always taking care not to hurt anything." Jacobsen's
illustrations have softer colors and less chunky lines than Mary
Azarian's woodcuts for Martin's book. Multiple boxed scenes on each
spread move the story along, and snowflakes spill joyfully through the
borders. An author's note gives additional information about Wilson
Bentley, but does not mention his brother at all, and it is not clear
where the information included in this "imaginary reminiscence" was
gathered. Still, the choice to use Charlie's voice creates an
affectionate and moving portrait of a dedicated man, and, for all its
similarities to Martin's book, this biography has a unique charm of its
own.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Great for ages 4-8.
If you are interested in ordering this
book, it is available in our
Country
Bookstore. Click on the link below to view more
descriptive information, pricing and/or order My
Brother Loved Snowflakes: The Story of Wilson A. Bentley, the
Snowflake Man from the Amazon.com catalog or search on your own.
See our
INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
See our INDEX by year
since we started reviewing in 1997.
Interested in previous Book of the Month
Selections? See our Index
by year since we started reviewing in 1997.
If you would like
to review a book about Vermont or written by a Vermont author, send us email.
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