Member Reviews
The narrative style is charmin!
The narrative stimulates the imagination, it is almost poetic within an educational context for children. I did not know that it was such a young biome, only 8 thousand years old. The author tells us about the beautiful life of the forest throughout a year, showing us its cycle through the four seasons. Interesting facts about the adaptations of the species that live in these forests in different countries.
The style of the illustrative art, such as the color temperature, expresses very well the atmospheric characteristics of each season in the forest. The stylized figures of the animals are beautiful and delicate.
I believe that it touches on a relevant and important issue, in these times that there is so much talk about sustainability and climate change. This biome is very representative for life and biodiversity on our beautiful planet, as well as for the water and carbon cycle. The authors point out the importance of protecting this forest, which is to be taken into account.
My sincere appreciation to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book
I received this free copy in exchange for an honest review here on Netgalley.
There is not much more to say other than this non fiction book fro children is beautifully illustrated, edited and crafted by everyone involved into eventually publishing it. I am definitely purchasing a physical copy.
This was a wonderful current and very informative book about the Boreal Forest biome. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging, and enhance the text perfectly. I think this will be a valued edition to the study of biomes and hope that we can expect books on other biomes to join this one.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I don't think many people know what the Boreal Forest is or where they can find it. This book, great for both kids and adults shares a lot of great information and illustrations.
Beautiful images, lots of information about the Boreal Forest. It will be a great addition to school libraries.
The Boreal Forest is a non fiction book that takes you to different seasons as well as few different countries. It explains what happened in the boreal forests, who lives there, etc. It is a wonderful book with wonderful illustration. I mean seriously, stunning stunning illustration.
I think this book would probably better for middle grader. Because it has a lot information that I am not sure would keep the small readers interested through the end. But, I think if you read it slowly it could work :)
Always love kids books like this. So educational even for me as an adult.
The Boreal Forest by L. E. Carmichael is a gorgeously illustrated children's book, and such a wonderful introduction to this topic! This book talks about some animals and plants that are on the front line of the climate change crisis. It takes us through the four seasons and vividly describes how animals and plants have adapted to the harsh life of the Boreal Forest. Best for older children (8+), as the information is very detailed. The lovely illustrations on every page will catch the interest of any person, though.
At the top of planet Earth, there is a vast forest that stretches across continents, like 'a scarf around the neck of the world'. The Boreal Forest is one of the largest land biomes in the world, home to countless creatures that call it home, some all year long and some only seasonally. The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome shares everything one might want to know about this northern forest and its inhabitants.
Taking us to different continents and countries around the world, this beautifully illustrated children's book shares insights into the forest and its inhabitants throughout the different seasons.
Winter in the Boreal Forest is especially cold, plunging down into the negatives. Only the hardiest critters survive the winter and this book shares how some of them make it through the frigid temperatures.
Spring is the time of rebirth, the forest reawakening, and continuing a cycle that has lasted for over eight-thousand years. With summer comes the wet months and a plethora of bugs.
There's tons of great information in this book, from the different regions the forest grows in, to the animals and other creatures that inhabit it, to life cycles, soil, temperatures, and more. It focuses on animals specific to the northern regions and how they survive, thrive, and migrate, including mammals, birds, and even insects.
This gorgeous nature book is packed full of useful and interesting facts paired with fascinating illustrations and would make a wonderful addition to any children's nonfiction library!
This is a book that has quite a beautiful cover and I was hoping that it would be just as informative as it promised as well as beautiful. In the end the book proved to be really quite informative and interesting in that aspect but partially beautiful. I guess one out of two promises is a partially good compromise if you don't mind cutting corners on your book.
I would have rearranged the book to include the carbon and water cycles up front instead of just tucking it into the back quite randomly. Although it is more information than it is actual story I think that may have helped to set the tone of the book a lot better than how it started off, especially when you consider the fact that the cycles were in the back just before the glossary.
When the book focused on the facts then it was actually a pretty good book that explored not only just the science behind the information but also the cultural and linguistic influences of the boreal forest as well. I enjoyed learning about some of these pieces of information such as the English translation for the Russian name of ice crystals rustling on snowy boughs.
The place, though, that the book flopped was in its general direction, which the reader can pick-up on from the beginning. When it comes to the focal point of the story it seems like L.E. Carmichael couldn't make up his mind on whether he wanted to do a nonfiction-based fiction or whether he wanted to focus on an informative nature book thus we got this pretty seeming hybridized monster. Part of the story tries to give a fictionalized telling of a story of what may be going on within the boreal forest such as a fox picking past mushrooms, a forest fire sweeping through, etc.
To further explore these scenarios and their characters the author includes multiple inserted boxes on each page that focuses on the more scientific aspects. It's sad for me to say these were the parts of the book that I truly enjoyed the most as they were more well written than the fictionalized blurb.
Furthermore the illustrations were hit or miss. The background and plants were done in great detail as well as beautiful colors. But the animals themselves could have used a bit more detail and correction as most of them had some slight resemblance but were off otherwise.
All in all if it had stayed with just one focus on mind the book would have done a great job in having reached that potential. Otherwise I can't quite recommend it even for a nonfictional read.
***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***
I’m always on the lookout for beautiful non-fiction to share with my 6 year old - this was not that, I don’t think. This has lots of information, maybe too much for her to stay interested for a read aloud, so I’ll keep this in mind for when she’s older.
I love middle grade NF for myself too, as it’s easy to learn the basic knowledge about something I don’t know about yet - sometimes adult non-fiction can be too dry or needs more base knowledge than I have to understand it. I learned some new things in this - I had no idea that salmon upset bears stomachs! - but much was familiar. The artwork was beautiful 💕 and I loved how pages were separated by season and location, and how some Indigenous knowledge was shared as well.
The Boreal Forest is a beautifully illustrated children's book about the amazing Boreal Forests of the world. The main concept of the book is a journey through the four seasons and how plants and animals have adapted to the harsh life of the Boreal. The story is written really well and each page has facts that focus on a particular thing where even adults can learn about some of the strange and wonderful creatures. It is a journey across the northern hemisphere with animals from all different countries and it even features facts from the lives of the indigenous people.
This is a wonderful book for any child interested in nature and animals especially Canadian children as its so relevant to a lot of the natural habitat around them. But it is also an amazing tool for education on the effects of climate change which is relevant for anybody around the world.
I received an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.com and Kids Can Press.
Climate change was the main topic at the end of 2019. This book gives us a view of the animals and plants that are on the front line of this crisis. Whether you are an advocate or not you can't help empathizing with the Boreal Forest as you read about the harsh changes to the biome. It may not be thousands of people in a protest but this subtle book is just as loud. Crossing several countries and continents what else could bring people together to care about the environment. Children ages 7 and up will look at the soil a little closer after enjoy this nonfiction story.
This book was extremely detailed. I enjoyed seeing all the different animals and information about the Boreal Forest. It may be a little too detailed for my younger readers at school (3rd grade), but they will still be able to pick out information and my 5th graders will have no trouble with it.
A wondrous introduction to the boreal forest which stretches around the top of the world. Lovely illustrations fill every page. There is so much information packed into this book that I immediately starting rereading it once I had finished. I can't wait to share it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the early digital copy.
A really neat science book about the boreal forest featuring gorgeous illustrations. It is somewhat dense as it is a reference book and includes a lot of interesting information. I would recommend this for children age 6 and older, especially if they are interested in biology.
Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for providing this ARC.
A beautiful little book! The illustrations are lovely, and the text is informative and also beautifully written - even poetic at times. I love the way it's structured around the seasons and that the author sought permission from indigenous people to share certain traditional knowledge. A great book for curious minds.
A great book that teaches about the different seasons a boreal forest goes through. Filled with beautiful illustrations of plants and animals.
In this inviting look into the boreal forest, text and illustrations celebrate its unique habitats and the animals that live there. The format is wide and welcoming, and the text is poetic, descriptive, and informative. Readers learn that the boreal forest is “a scarf around the neck of the world,” and see how it slows climate change—its trees cleaning our air and its wetlands cleaning our water. We also follow the changes that occur as the seasons change. The illustrations reinforce and extend the text. Back matter includes a glossary, list of resources, and an author’s note. This is a very informative and appealing introduction to the boreal forest.
I found this book to be rather charming. The artwork is simple but ultimately adorable and it added to my enjoyment of the book. The book is meant to be geared towards younger children but I found that the information was not treated in a juvenile way. Hopefully this will give children and even their parents more interest in the world's ecosystems and create more environmentalists, which we desperately need.
A beautiful, artistically illustrated book about the boreal forest. Pretty pictures make learning about the worlds biggest biome calming and relaxing. It takes you in this beautiful learning journey and you can’t help but love the experience.