This beautiful picture book begins as Rebecca's grandmother sits down to write Rebecca a letter about the changes she sees around her as Winter arrives. Grandmother writes an interesting tale about the Solstices and explains how Winter actually began at Midsummer and how the light actually begins its journey back to fullness in the depths of Winter. The writing is lyrical and lovely and the illustrations are colorful and lively and filled with details of the natural world. It is a loving, poetical tale rather than a scientific approach to the Soltices, yet it is informative as well as engaging. Grandmother describes the various wildlife around her home as they experience winter, while tying it in to Rebecca's own experiences. Gradually, page by page, just like the light returning, Grandmother ushers spring back in. This is a gentle, subtle picture book that will get children thinking.

This book is about the Summer Solstice being the beginning of "winter" and the Winter Solstice being the turning point for longer days and eventually summer. It is a scicence picture book and I recommended it for students in the 2nd and 3rd grades.

I found this beautifully illustrated book to be a gentle reminder of the circular nature of our changing seasons. It is quite useful as a classroom resource for tying letter writing to science. Even first grade readers were appreciative of the of the text when read aloud.

I thoguht this book was OK but could've been better. It has an exiting plot wiht a hunter trying to hunt the gator[dajun] but the ending is so typical. They end up finding...oops I shouldn't give away the story...but the book's ending is not as fun as it could've been. But if you love animals and a good mystery you should definitly read this book.

This fascinating novel is for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a wild place, with a wild animal, or who is concerned about our jeopardized natural world. Only Jean Craighead George could write such a comprehensible and informative children's book about nature. While they're not JULIE OF THE WOLVES or MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, Ms. George's Ecological Mysteries Series are sure to be enjoyable for any naturalist--inspiring and educational. In THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, Liza K. Poole lives with her mother and some eccentric neighbors in the heart of the Florida Everglades. (Anyone who was born to live in a tent and fish for food will be envious of this "wild" lifestyle.) When the woods peoples' "dragon", a regal alligator, disappears, they begin to try to track down the great beast, especially Liza K. A ranger is after the gator, for he has been frightening nearby home-dwellers, and should be shot. Liza K. and her unique friends--including a talkative African gray parrot-- go through a series of clues to find out where the gator has disappeared to. The ending, I admit, is slightly disappointing--the threat of the ranger seems to be forgotten after the gator is found, Liza K. and her neighbors must abandon their way of life--but all in all, it's a fine read. The other Eco-Mysteries should be kept in mind--WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, in which a boy tries to solve the mystery of his clean town's feathered mascot; THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS, quite a lot like THE MISSING 'GATOR; and THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION. No young naturalist or ecologist should overlook the wide, wonderful world of Jean Craighead George.

My story was about a missing gator. Travis is a gator hunter who is trying to shoot the gator. The gator is too big for the protection law. All the characters except Travis are trying to protect him. The main characters are Dujen, Travis, Liza K., and James James. Because he is a smart young man, James James is my favorite character. In my own life I try to be good and kind to others. James James is like this, he is always considerate and thoughtful.
I liked my book. I don't have a single favorite part; My least favorite part is the authors choice of where the characters lived at the end of book. My favorite part was that Travis didn't find Dujen.
I would recomend this book to a person who likes mysteries.

Like many other books by this same author, this book is TERRIBLE. I only read it because I was interested in Alaska and though some of the info in this book was valuable she could have made this a non-fiction sort of info book about Alaska and not have wasted my time. The plot if you could say there is one is not very good. My advice to you: do not read this book!

Very enjoyable. The plot and the characters were just as compelling as outlined by many of the other reviewers. However, what was most valuable to me was the description of life in the arctic. Books describing something that I know absolutely NOTHING about are very valuable to me. And believe me, before reading this I knew nothing about having to eat the duck's beak from the stew in order to please the host(ess). Descriptions of just how cold it can get--especially at night when the hero was trying to sleep---- were also very moving for me.

Based on her experiences visiting the Arctic and the whale camp where her son works, beloved children's nature writer Jean Craighead George presents a beautiful story for older readers. It tells the story of a young man, Lincoln, who goes to the top of the world and the northernmost place in the U.S., Point Barrow, home of the bowhead whale and the Inupiat Eskimo. Lincoln comes searching for his long-lost Uncle Jack and to find the roots of his Eskimo heritage, but instead faces his destiny when the captain of an Eskimo whaling camp tells him that a whale is coming to him. Uncle Jack came to the Arctic to try to convince the Eskimo not to hunt the threatened bowhead, and Lincoln, when a turn of events causes him to become the whaling captain, is torn between whether to respect Uncle Jack's environmental plea, or to honor the beloved whaling captain by killing the great whale. Though Lincoln slowly comes to feel like a true Eskimo by weaving himself into their culture and customs, he sadly realizes that he can never be one of these magnificent and efficient people. Romance becomes the main thing that causes Lincoln to realize this, and the heroine he becomes attracted to is as strong and beautiful as the main character in Ms. George's other Arctic novel for young adults, JULIE OF THE WOLVES. The ending is poignant and unforgettable, and out of Ms. George's eighty plus environmental stories, WATER SKY is probably the most provocative and thoughtful. Fans of the Julie books and the spectacular picture book, ARCTIC SON, will adore this story that is at the same time icy, thoughtful, inventive, tragic, and altogether a rewarding read.

The Firebug Connection is a book that kids like me will probably not get. IT has advanced words and I don't like it. The story plot is not that interesting. It is a mystery and the things that the people think is causing the problem was confusing and not understood by me.

"The Firebug Connection" is definatley a book that's going to go on my favorite's list. Not only does it teach us many new things in the scientific field, it tells us we can make friends with first- thought foes. Maggie and Mitch are determine to find the answer to the baffeling question that has to do with the wierd non- adult- maturing adolescent firebugs. This book has a lot to do with nature, some of the words in the book are challanging as they were for me. Jean Craighead George is a celebrated author and a great one. She did awesome work on this Eco Mystery!

Maggie Mercer, lover of bugs, bats, and beetles, is very happy with her pet firebugs- until they start exploding! Even more suspicious, only the firebugs in the jars are dying! Who, or what, could possibly be murdering her favorite birthday present? Could it be something she is feeding them? Or something in the glass that the jars are made of? She and Mitch, an annoying yet helpful computer whiz who is staying with her while their parents are on an important scientific exploration, consider everything as a suspect, or at least a clue. This is a wonderful book! It is perfect for anyone who loves nature, and a good mystery,(like me.) If you like this book, then I also recommend,"The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo," or,"Who Really Killed Cock Robin?" some other really good ecological mysteries by Jean Craighead George.

If you like danger and adventure you should read this book. It is about a girl who goes into the woods to find a bird that is suppose to possess mysterious powers. Some other books written by Jean Craig head George are- one day on the Alpine Tundra and- Julie of the Wolves

Jean Craighead George, author of nearly one hundred novels, picture books, novellas, guides, and stories about nature, presents a story of the perfect length about our most familiar ecosystem, the woods. Ms. George does a terrific job of placing readers in the feet of her main character, a young girl named Rebecca (Ms. George's granddaughter and perhaps the same Rebecca from her picture book DEAR REBECCA, WINTER IS HERE). One beautiful spring morning, Rebecca takes a trip out to the woods near her home to search for a rare and remarkable bird, the ovenbird, which her uncle tells her is a real natural wizard. While Rebecca searches for this wonder of the woods, she finds lots of other incredible creatures--owls, flying squirrels, deer, ducks, and a skunk--and even runs into danger and excitement. Fine descriptions, fondly and accurately written, make birds a lot of us see every day--towhees, robins, and cardinals--all the more special and important, as Ms. George's admiration for even the smallest things in nature is evident. And when Rebecca finds the ovenbird wizard, it really is an eye-opener. The illustrations are woodsy and a nice companion to Ms. George's words. This is a great story for anyone who loves nature and the special words of the author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

One Day in the Woods and One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest are both books by Jean Craighead George. They are both about kids who are looking for something . They both take place out in the wilderness. If you need some interesting facts about animals, this is the book for you. One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest is about a boy and a doctor looking for an unnamed butterfly so they can save the rain forest from 11 bulldozers and 4 trucks, will they do it in time? One Day in the Woods is about a girl trying to find a wizard in the Teatown Woods. Will she do it? I hope you enjoy these two books.

An interesting combination here: the blending of a Disney theme park with the exquisite writing of a beloved nature writer. Jean Craighead George, the highly acclaimed author of dozens of beloved books for young readers, wrote a series of picture books that focuses on four kinds of animals that make their homes in the African savanna (at least, it appears to be Africa; they may be living in the Disney theme park, Animal Kingdom). But readers are not to worry, for the animals in the stories are not cutesy, cartoonish critters--Ms. George, even though the style may be a slight departure from that of many of her other books, still manages to present her characters with accuracy and loving detail. In ELEPHANT WALK, a young elephant named Odon takes a walk across his land with his family and matriarch mother, wondering why his mother wants to walk so far, and learning about himself, his home--and his long, cumbersome trunk! During the walk he meets other animals, forms close bonds with his relatives, and loves to play. Then the family meets another group of elephants--and the ending is both endearing and intriguing. This is a good story, with lots of information about this fascinating mammal, and colorful illustrations. In the back Ms. George once again displays her interest and knowledge of animal behavior and language by showing us a chart of elephant talk. She has showed this interest and knowledge in other animal books, such as the recent HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG, HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT, and the Newbery-Medal winning novel JULIE OF THE WOLVES, and its intriguing sequels JULIE, JULIE'S WOLF PACK, and the new picture books NUTIK THE WOLF PUP and NUTIK AND AMAROQ PLAY BALL.

This is a tale of a day in the life of a baby elephant, with fairly detailed information about what it is like to be an elephant, how an elephant herd and its various members will act, depending on their respective roles in the herd, and how elephants communicate. The "narrator" has a particular problem with figuring out how to use his trunk, which he refers to as his nose, and tells his tale in a manner which I suspect will have children laughing. I found it educational and entertaining. Although apparently a single book, it has the apperance of perhaps being the first in a series of books about animals. If so, I am looking forward to the rest.

I read Mi Rincon en la Montana by Dean Graighead. I like this book because it's a historic book. A woman wants a life in the mountains. I'm reading the book in Spanish because that's my first language.

This book was awesome and I have read it over and over again. I think this book was awesome. The most enthralling story of a courageous young man who loves nature and hates his New York buncha-kids-and-two-parents-in-one-apartment lifestyle. He runs away to the woods. And the sequel is awesome too!

Here is another winner from children's greatest nature writer of today, Jean Craighead George. The author of over eighty books about the environment, including JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE ONE DAY. . .series, and HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG, Ms. George did a great writing job with this picture book of 1978. It's the story of Dennis, a young boy who lives on an island and who is anxious to be a grown man like his father, a fisherman. When his father tells him that he will come a little closer to this aspiration by buying all the things he needs to make a living out of fishing--a boat, a grapple, a net, and a bucket--Dennis asks him just how he will get the money for such things. His father tells him to find a wentletrap, a rare seashell of the greatest beauty and wealth. So, while his father is out at sea, Dennis makes a wentletrap trap, using everyday objects to capture a wentletrap when it is washed up on the beach. In the end Dennis finds lots of things besides a remarkable wentletrap--some of them beautiful, some of them alive, but each one wonderful in its own subtle way. Ms. George's fondness for even the smallest things in nature is apparent in this book. The pictures are as distinct and handsome as a wentletrap, lively and interesting. The lyrical storytelling--active and wise the whole way through--and the humorous illustrations combine to make an excellent picture book.

Environmentalist, ecologist, naturalist, and writer Jean Craighead George, the Rachel Carson for children, will win her audiences once again with this story. The plot revolves around Tony Isidoro, a young biologist who is bent on solving the mystery of the death of his hometown's feathered mascot, Cock Robin. As he uncovers assorted clues strung throughout the town--chemical activity, sudden loss of frogs and birds--Tony must try to convince his naive neighbors that not just one thing is responsible for the bird's death, but many imbalances in the town's ecosystem, which everyone is convinced is the cleanest around. Since it's an eco-mystery, the story is grippingly told in the style of a crime investigation. From the beginning you want to know Who Really Killed Cock Robin: "Cock Robin lay on his back with his feet in the air. . .It was seven minutes past six A.M. on the twenty-fourth day of May. He was dead." There are endless possiblities for the cause of the bird's death, and at times it's a bit unrealistic when Tony immediately dismisses some types of poisons and investigates others. Younger kids may have no idea what DDT, PCB, and 2,4,5-T are, though the author does try to explain them. However, the story, the dedication--"To sunshine, clear water, and sparkling skies and to the kids who are cleaning up the Earth"--and Ms. George's supportive Author's Note in the new paperback version will surely inspire kids to clean up their environment and veer away from the use of harmful, chemical-containing products. If one enjoys this Eco-Mystery, check out the others in the series--THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS; THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION; and THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO. Don't forget Jean Craighead George's eighty or so other remarkable stories--the Julie of the Wolves books, the My Side of the Mountain trilogy, the One Day series. . .the list goes on and on. Each book will deepen readers' respect for nature and our beautiful but threatened planet.

Very well written, not so deep so that kids can't understand it. It is unique in that it doesn't lecture or preach, like many ecological books.

This book was a great information source. You can tell that the author did a lot of research for this book. It records a young boys journey through the rain forest in search of the butterfly that will save the rain forest from the bulldozers. During his journey he encounters many animals. The author gave very useful and vivid detail. However there were some points where the book was kinda hard to understand. I can also understand why some people might think this book was dull. It is just a nature book without much excitment. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nature or is doing research on the rain forest!

ONE DAY IN THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST
AUTHOR-JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE
GENRE-ADVENTURE/REALISTIC FICTION
PAGES-66

SETTING-TROPICAL RAINFOREST OF THE MACAW
CHARACTERS-TEPUI, DR.RIVERO , A ORNITHOLOGIST, HERPETOLOGIST, MAMMALOLOGIST , AND A BOTONIST.

THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK IF YOU LIKE ADVENTURE OR THE RAINFOREST! IT'S ABOUT A BOY NAMED TEPUI AND A SCIENTIST NAMED DR. RIVERO. THEY HAVE AN URGENT PROBLEM, THERE ARE 11 BULLDOSERS AND FOUR TRUCKS CARRYING 20 CHAINSAWERS THAT WANT TO CUT DOWN THE RAINFOREST FOR FARMLAND. TEPUI AND DR. RIVERO MUST FIND A NEW BUTTERFLY TO SAVE THE RAINFOREST, BUT THEY ONLY HAVE LESS THAN A DAY BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION BEGINS. CAN THEY DO IT?

The author writes very suspenseful, and teaches us valuable lessons throughout the story. We are constantly learning more about the BALANCE of the Rain Forest and the miraculous events going on simultaneously around the main characters. I can't wait to read other books by this author. You can tell she does a great deal of research about her topics and enjoys the outdoors.

Here is another superb entry in beloved nature writer Jean Craighead George's informative and thrilling ONE DAY. . . series. The award-winning author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, and more than eighty other wildlife books for young readers does a great job of bringing to life the magical setting of the tropical rain forest. Tepui, a young boy who lives in Venezuela's Tropical Rain Forest of the Macaw, befriends some biologists who are studying the rain forest. To his and the scientists' dismay, the rain forest is scheduled to be chopped down and destroyed one afternoon. The only way to save it is to find a special butterfly that has never before been identified and present it to a wealthy businessman who wants to name the butterfly after his daughter. So Tepui and his friend Dr. Rivero--a lepidoptorist--set out to find the elusive insect. But the human characters are only a small part of the story. The rain forest is alive with thousands of species of creatures--amusing ones like a leisurely sloth, and creepy ones like flesh-eating ants. There are birds of all the colors of the rainbow, mammals like jaguars and tapirs, magnificent tree giants, and, of course, millions of insects. This is a fascinating glimpse, written in a fast-paced minute-by-minute style, into an environment so complex and diverse that there are many creatures who don't even have names, and have never seen humans. It is also an important story that all young people should pay attention to to better understand their natural world and help to preserve its unique magnificent ecosystems. Other titles in the series are: ONE DAY IN THE. . .ALPINE TUNDRA, PRAIRIE, DESERT, and WOODS. Any ecologist will also want to check out Jean Craighead George's Eco-Mysteries series: WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS, THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, and THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION. These include information on chemicals, the ozone layer, human development, and how these things threaten our wild places and creatures.