I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I really enjoyed reading this one with my monsters! My Forest Is Green subtly incorporates opposing adjectives while delivering a sweet story with lovely illustrations. "My forest is short," shows a child looking down at ants crawling across the ground, implying that it's largely about our perspective. We also see fluffy, prickly, rough, smooth, and various others. I really liked all of the ways the author described the "forest" and what it meant to the main character. He has essentially created his own forest with items he's found outside, collecting them throughout the seasons and incorporating them into his artwork. We see a lot of interesting ways to make art with nature, and learn that a forest can be more than just trees. (★★★★☆)

This is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book about a boy who lives in the city. He loves nature and observes and explores all that surrounds him. When he looks out his window, he sees "his forest" and he brings into his home with his artwork. He is extremely observant and not only notices what is in the forest, but how things change. His forest is many things, such as, short, crunchy, wet, dense and sometimes even snowy. His artwork uses different artistic methods such as, bark rubbings, cut/paste, paint, collage, etc. to demonstrate what he sees. The illustrations themselves are all beautiful cut-paper illustrations. The text uses a wide variety of adjectives to describe texture, sounds and sights of the forest. This is a wonderful book with some great lessons and uses. There is a strong message about nature appreciation and creativity, using observation to describe the things they come across using all five senses, and just getting outside. For parents and teachers there is a great opportunity for vocabulary development, teaching various artistic methods and again developing the powers of observation. When I read this book with my grandson, he was quite interested in the forest and was ready to get outside and in the garden to see what he could find. My granddaughter loved the illustrations and wanted to go and paint. Each child will take something from this story.

Thank you #netgalley for giving me a copy of My Forest is Green to review. I enjoyed the artwork throughout the story. I thought it was gorgeous. The story tells about a little boy describing his forest and all the sounds, sights, and things he felt in his forest. I liked that it gives ideas on exploring your forest because I can use those ideas with my kids.

My Forest Is Green
Author: Darren Lebeuf
Illustrator: Ashley Barron
Kids Can Press
2 April 2019
32 pages

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.

https://www.onlypicturebooks.com/2019/04/15/educational-activities-my-forest-is-green/

A boy looks out from his apartment into an urban forest nearby. He considers it his forest, but his forest is also all of the art in his room that depicts what he sees outside. As he walks in his forest outside, he sees tall trees, short insects, fluffy seeds, prickly thistles, rough bark, and much more. There are heavy and light things, wide and narrow tree trunks. As he explores the forest in person, he also makes art pieces back at home that represent what he has seen. He incorporates found items like rocks and sticks. He paints and creates paper collages. He sketches in his book while seated in his forest. Every day his forest is different and he finds new sources of inspiration there.

This Lebeuf’s debut picture book. His writing is simple and celebratory. He encourages children to get out into their own forests and explore. While this forest may be large, all of the things that the boy encounters can be found in smaller urban forests too. It’s all about taking the time to slow down and notice the details. The added encouragement to make art from what you see is highly appreciated. The boy uses all sorts of media to explore the forest back at home. This book could be used as inspiration for an art class very nicely or in a story time unit to encourage making art from bits of nature.

The art by Barron is very effective. She uses clean lines and layered paper collage to create a forest that is varied and worth exploring. Her illustrations fill the page with deep colors of nature and offer an inviting look at the world around us. Her inclusion of an Asian-American family in the book is also appreciated.

A call to head outside and make art, this picture book is a gem. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Review to appear on GoodReads Apr 2, 2019:

A little boy who lives in the city introduces readers to the forest he has brought inside through a range of artwork mediums.

Readers can debate whether or not the little boy is imaging the real forest or if he does visit a real forest and then create artwork inspired by it. Regardless the book provides an excellent celebration of the variety of colors, shapes, textures, and creatures found in a forest. I like the idea of a little kid making themselves a forest. I could see myself doing something like that at that age. And I know many little ones who already have the beginnings of their own forests at home. The illustrations are done in an attractive collage style. Hand this to nature lovers and artsy/crafty kids.

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The illustrations were unique, the text simple. I usually really enjoy picture books with a nature theme and I really like the idea behind this one, but overall this fell flat for me.

This title didn't work quite as well for me as I hoped it would from the description. Not bad. A nice message about imagination and appreciation for nature.

This was a wonderful book full of beautiful, colorful illustrations and loads of educational value- I loved the many descriptive words throughout the story, and also loved that it’s centered around art and nature. My 3, 5, & 10 year old children ALL loved it!

I would use this book with children aged 2-7. The illustrations are beautiful. The language is simple but would also extend their vocabulary, particularly with adjectives.

I like how there is a link to art and creativity so even if they don't live near the forest, they can create one in their drawings and sculptures and it will be like they are always by the forest.

I'd recommend this book to Early Childhood Educators to use in their classrooms.

This charming book documents a young boy who is an observer and an explorer. He focuses in on the urban forest near his home. He then uses different techniques: charcoal rubbings, rock art, photography, sponge painting, snow sculpture, and cut-paper collages to express himself as he records what he sees all-around him in his notebook. Using his artistic skills he visually takes the reader on a journey through all four of the seasons. The words he uses to describe his forest observations: fluffy, prickly, dense, sparse, crispy, soft, scattered and soggy are sure to enhance and expand a child's vocabulary.

David Lebeuf is a Canadian award-winning photographer whose mission is to get young children to interact and appreciate the beauty and importance of nature that surrounds them. The illustrator, Ashley Barron has done a wonderful job of enriching the text with her amazing, colourful, almost animated illustrations.

This would be a lovely book to add to a classroom shelf or an elementary school library.

"The 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. "
-Kids Can Press

Being an educator myself I endorse this book whole-heartedly in hope that it will inspire and incite excitement to all the budding artists out there, both young and old, and open their eyes to the marvel of nature.

I would love to own this beautifully illustrated and creatively written picture book of a boy in the city! He observes and explores all that surrounds him and brings the forest into his home with his artwork. His forest is many things, it is short, crunchy, wet, dense and sometimes even snowy. Lebeuf perfectly illustrates that all we have to do is go outside to see the forest! I absolutely LOVE this one!
Thank you to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me. My opinions are my own.
This book will be featured on my Cole Campfire Blog on Friday November 30, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

Barron's illustrations make the short story come alive. Even though the boy lives in the city, and the trees are across the highway, he lives in a forest. There is wildlife and nature everywhere as he discovers ants, butterflies, squirrels, feathers, leaves, and more. His apartment is small, but he has a table and display in the front room where his mother and baby sister can enjoy his artwork. 

Lebeuf's story of all the things in the boy's forest is wonderfully written. I loved the last line, in that a forest can be anything to anyone and it does not have to remain the same.

This is a book that children would love and parents can expand on by making their own forest. I am very happy that Kids Can Press provided this ARC through NetGalley.

Hmmm… An artful, semi-poetic script conveys a boy's feelings for what he calls "his" forest, which is both the wonderful woodland outside his home, and the recreation of it through artwork, collage, and random finds he has made in his bedroom. The whole family doesn't seem to mind the mess he's made, but I'm not so sure they would love this book. The fixation of the lad doesn't seem to include reading, so we're using a book to discourage the use of books, and I didn't really find his compulsion realistic. Still, if you can instil a perfect balance of indoors and a love of the outside world, then you will have done well. I guess in the meantime there is a nicely-evoked child being creative for us to enjoy.