CLIFF HANGER is yet another remarkable picture book from the creative team of Jean Craighead George and Wendell Minor. Ms. George is a naturalist and Newbery Medal-winning author who has been captivating children with her 80+ nature stories, like JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, for the past 54 years. Mr. Minor is a one-of-a-kind artist who has created the covers for more than 2,000 works ranging from many different genres, and has illustrated many captivating picture books about animals and the wilderness. The two have collaborated on a number of books, including EVERGLADES, a beautiful story about conserving an important environment, ARCTIC SON, about a young boy's life on the tundra near Barrow, Alaska, and MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, describing the daily activities of wildlife extending from the East Coast to the West. Each book is written with a lyrical, absorbing text, with outstanding watercolor paintings depicting the words. CLIFF HANGER is the first in a series of adventure books for young readers (supposedly the age range is from 5-9, but I think this distinguished story would be appropriate for any age). In it, we are drawn into a world of rocky cliffs, majestic peaks and dramatic skies--the Teton Mountains of Wyoming. A storm is drawing near, filling the sky with ominous clouds, fierce lightning, and deep thunder. A boy, Axel, is upset to learn that his dog, Grits, is at the top of Cathedral Wall, a towering rock in the middle of the bad storm. Determined to rescue him before it's too late, Axel and his father hurry over to the huge cliff with their rock-climbing gear. Bravely Axel starts up the sheer, treacherous cliff. Will he make it to the top and be able to save Grits in time? The peril of Axel's climb and his descent are wonderfully captured by Mr. Minor's artwork. You feel like you're climbing alongside Axel with the elements raging around you, and as you head down to firm ground again, you fly through the air, the red walls of the cliff all around you. This vivid depiction comes from the author's and illustrator's observations of Ms. George's family, the adventurous Craigheads, rock-climbing in Wyoming. Unlike the other George/Minor books, the emphasis in CLIFF HANGER is not placed so strongly on conservation and wildlife, but more on a realistic adventure; however, a few traditional themes, like the exploration of an exciting new habitat (such as that found in their SNOW BEAR) or the special relationship between a kid and his canine friend (as you would find in another of Ms. George's picture books, NUTIK, THE WOLF PUP) are evident throughout the story. All in all, CLIFF HANGER is a great read, a fresh new entry into the picture book world, and I eagerly look forward to the publication of the rest of the series.

THE HOLE IN THE TREE, besides being a fascinating ecological story, is also a delightful picture book. It was written early in the half-century-long writing career of children's greatest nature writer, Jean Craighead George. Before she went on to write classics like JULIE OF THE WOLVES and today's books like the Ecological Mysteries, HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG, and the One Day in the. . .series, Ms. George turned out several books that she wrote and illustrated. Among them are the animal biographies she wrote with husband John George, like VULPES THE RED FOX and DIPPER OF COPPER CREEK. There was the enduring, Newbery Honor-winning MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, too. And there were her picture books, THE HOLE IN THE TREE and SNOW TRACKS. Apparently, SNOW TRACKS is not currently available on Amazon. It tells the cozy story of a forest full of animals who have adventures on a cold winter night, and a boy who follows their tracks. THE HOLE IN THE TREE is done in the same style. In it, a young boy and girl find a sanctuary under an old shady apple tree. So do a lot of wild things--woodpeckers, insects, raccoons--and the children, though they might think they are alone, soon have many neighbors in the hollow tree trunk. The pictures are lively and warm, penciled with great detail and close observation of natural behavior. The story, too, is detailed and thorough, helping explain the pictures with creative, understandable words. A carpenter bee, one of nature's most crafted homemakers, lays her eggs in the hole; a chickadee builds a nest; a raccoon hibernates; and the pictures offer a wonderful look into these otherwise hidden worlds. Sadly, this fine story of nature and ecology has been out of print for years. But Ms. George has written almost a hundred books on our spectacular natural world, and each one is enjoyable and fascinating.

For as long as she's been writing (more than half a century now), Jean Craighead George has been studying the behavior of many animals that inhabit North America. Her research on gray wolves is obvious in JULIE OF THE WOLVES, winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal, and its sequels JULIE and JULIE'S WOLF PACK, in which wolf communication, which extends farther than its famous howl, is brought to light in a new way, combining science with firsthand experience. With the recent publication of the picture books HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG and HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CAT, adapted from this novel, Ms. George gives readers a new way to connect with their pets. HOW TO TALK TO YOUR ANIMALS is one of Ms. George's few adult novels, although all ages should be able to learn something from it. It was published in 1985 and is out of print. The book is definitely one of Ms. George's most fascinating. It delves into the world of animal communication in a very personal and enlightening way, showing the average person, without copious amounts of dry science, how to talk to the dog, cat, bird, and horse. In the first chapter she gives a preface and explains why she wrote the book. Then enters that wonderfully social and loyal animal, the dog. Ms. George writes about the dog as she does no other animal, as if she is eternally intrigued with its life. Those who have read JULIE'S WOLF PACK and HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG will know about alpha wolves, nose-sniffing, and play-bowing, but there's still much to be learned in this chapter. After the dog comes a much different creature, the independent cat. It's interesting to see how the cat's communication differs from the dog's. Cats are solitary, and if dog-lovers are frustrated with the seeming snobbiness of felines, they may be turned around with this chapter, as I was, and feel more connection with them after they learn the secrets of head-bumping, the various meows, and movements that can be used when talking to our whiskered friends. On to the birds, even different from dogs and cats in that they are not often domesticated. Besides discussing how to talk to your cockatiel or parrot, Ms. George gives insight into how wild birds like sparrows communicate. As a birder I learned some important information. The horse chapter is an interesting read even if you're not a horse owner or rider, and if you are, you'll learn lots of helpful tips. People usually don't give much credit to horses, they may think they don't talk and are boring, but as soon as you read this chapter, you'll be inspired to go out to the nearest farm and use the arm-around-the-neck move to signal friendship with a horse. In the last chapter, Ms. George discusses the controversial and mysterious subject of animal communication. Can animals talk? It's up to you to decide. I'm pretty sure this book, which is as funny and heartwarming as it is interesting, will help you come to a conclusion.

Jean Craighead George is one of the most prestigious and one of the best children's authors of this century. She is my personal favorite, for she has taught me to love and respect our natural world. Her life is just as captivating and interesting as her books, for she herself has experienced the worlds of Julie Miyax Kapugen and Sam Gribley, and that is how she writes so well about them. While this book is a little dated--Ms. George has written dozens more books since its publication--every reader who, like me, has come to adore her books will want to know more about the author's extraordinary life. From early childhood she has loved nature and animals, and in her long, productive life that love has never faded. Like Sam in MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, she ate wild foods and had pet birds. Grown up, she went to the North Slope of Alaska and communicated with those magnificent animals, wolves, like JULIE OF THE WOLVES. Before you read this book, it would be a good idea to read Ms. George's eighty or so others, so that you can truly be interested in this biography. I highly recommend this book for anyone, young or old, who loves and respects nature, animals, and the eloquent words of today's most distinguished and beloved children's nature writer.

Here is another entry in nature writer Jean Craighead George's fantastic ONE DAY series. This one, unlike the other books in the series--ONE DAY IN THE. . .WOODS, ALPINE TUNDRA, DESERT, and TROPICAL RAIN FOREST--is written more dramatically in the present, and is a very satisfying introduction to the lively environment of the United States prairie. Henry Rush, a young photographer, gets to spend one day on the prairie to take a picture of a prairie dog doing a backflip. These comical little critters provide humor, while the buffalo of a nearby herd seem wise and noble. Suddenly, disaster strikes. A tornado is headed for the prairie, and Henry, the buffalo, the prairie dogs, and countless other creatures are in its path. The result is thrilling and tense. The illustrator's amazingly realistic drawings add to the excitement. This is a fine story about a lively environment from the author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, HOW TO TALK TO YOUR DOG, and many, many more superb books about the environment.

This is a remarkable story from Jean Craighead George, the author of over eighty classic nature books for young readers branching several decades. Published in 1965, this book is sandwiched between the publication of Ms. George's two most well-remembered classics, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and JULIE OF THE WOLVES. SPRING COMES TO THE OCEAN, although written very scientifically and perhaps considered nonfiction, is not without engrossing characters and a powerful story. It chronicles the lives of more than twelve species of underwater creatures--everything from the tiniest acoela worm to the largest gray whale. As the Earth spins out of the somber depths of winter through the springtime days of renewal and survival, a hermit crab searches for a new shell, baby turtles struggle from their nest to the ocean, a porpoise gives birth, and silver herring gleam as they dance in the underwater sunlight. Their stories are almost unbelievable, they are so unique and completely different from our lives on the land. It's obvious that a lot of research went into this story, it is so detailed and thorough. The author's words are hightened by the illustrations by John Wilson, which are eerie and otherworldly. Taking a journey underwater is like heading into outer space. . .a very special trip, especially when told through the words of Jean Craighead George.

Continuing the four-part series that began with AUTUMN MOON and WINTER MOON, Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George writes vivid accounts of North American wildlife as their lives revolve around the seasonal changes of the moon. Originally published in the 1960s, and later reprinted with a new design and illustrations in the early 90's, the THIRTEEN MOONS were not widely read, perhaps because they were in hardcover. Now, with the early 90's versions compressed into paperback books, maybe the books will draw more attention, from school groups learning about nature to the most avid reader. The series title has changed from THIRTEEN MOONS to SEASONS OF THE MOON, and each book contains three stories, with colorful illustrations for reference. SPRING MOON features a spotted salamander who, under the moon of March, is making his way from under rock crevices across the damp forest floor to a pond where he will perform an ancestral mating dance. This gives readers a unique look into a world rarely described; the hidden life of an amphibian that has been around for 330 million years. Next, comes a cheery story quite the opposite of the salamander's dark drama. In Montana, a mother chickaree--a small red squirrel--is busy raising a brood of helpless youngsters while trying to defend her property from some hungry intruders--a magpie, a pack rat, a woodpecker. The chickaree's screaming indignance is amusing, and it's fascinating to learn about the area of the mountainous Bitterroot River where she makes her home. The last story is filled with tranquility and beauty as we learn about a monarch butterfly who is making the thousand-mile migration from her wintering area in Mexico all the way to Canada. It's easy to imagine the graceful, fluttering movements of the butterfly as she crosses rivers, towns, and fields, performing her ultimate task, to lay eggs and pass on the legacy of the monarch. I highly recommend this stunning book to anyone who enjoys studying the mammals, insects, and amphibians of America, and also to read the other books in the SEASONS OF THE MOON series. Also, check out Chris Kubie's instrumental CD MUSIC OF THE THIRTEEN MOONS, which wonderfully captures the grace of Ms. George's words and the feeling of the animal life she describes.

SUMMER MOON concludes the SEASONS OF THE MOON series, which was originally published as the THIRTEEN MOONS series in the 1960's, and thirty years later in beautiful harcover editions with new illustrations. For the first time ever, the books are available in paperback, condensed from thirteen separate books to four volumes each containing three stories. Critically acclaimed naturalist and author Jean Craighead George writes with the same detailed and intriguing prose as was found in her Newbery Medal- winning classic JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. Her love for animals shines through in these detailed accounts of North American species whose lives revolve around the seasonal changes of the moon. In SUMMER MOON we first meet a bumbling family of fox pups, who are learning from their parents how to become good hunters. The pups' lessons are filled with humor and insight into fox life. We see them develop from playful youngsters to elegant adolescents, while at the same time learning about the habitat of their sparkling Pennsylvania home, filled with singing birds and flowers bursting into June bloom. Next, we are taken from the Northeast to the scorching Sonoran desert of Arizona, where a lost peccary piglet wanders under towering cacti and over sizzling earth, trying to find his close-knit family. A thunderstorm is rolling ominously toward the piglet, and he, like the other animals of the desert, must prepare for the sudden, short-lived, and violent torrents that are approaching. The Arizona desert is depicted so well, you can practically feel the heat waves, and you learn that pigs, which may seem unlikely heroes, are affectionate family members and intelligent, interesting creatures. Finally, the moon of August is hanging above a herd of elk making their way down a rocky slope in Washington state, unaware that they are being watched by the fiery eyes of a lone mountain lion. The predator stalks quietly through the hemlock forests until he happens upon a couple of orphaned young lions and abandons his solitary life. The setting of the great mountain peaks is dramatic and eerie. You may learn a new respect for this beautiful and misunderstood predator. SUMMER MOON, like the other books in the series, is a satisfying read that will leave you with a graphic picture of the featured environments and have you carrying fresh and accurate knowledge of wildlife. Check out the other books in the series as well as Ms. George's other stunning nature stories. You may want to listen to Chris Kubie's charming accompanying CD MUSIC OF THE THIRTEEN MOONS as you read.

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.

Newbery Medal-winning naturalist and acclaimed author Jean Craighead George wrote a series of stories in the late 1960's entitled The Thirteen Moons. Each of the thirteen books focused on a different wild animal struggling to survive in a different month of the year and a different part of the United States. The books were: THE MOON OF THE ALLIGATORS, BEARS, CHICKAREES, DEER, FOX PUPS, MOLES, MONARCH BUTTERFLIES, MOUNTAIN LIONS, OWLS, SALAMANDERS, WILD PIGS, WINTER BIRD, and GRAY WOLVES (see my review of these books under THE MOON OF THE OWLS). They had simple black-and-white drawings for illustrations and went out of print. Then in the early nineties the books were republished in handsome hardcover versions, with spectacular full-color paintings to complement Ms. George's original writing. Sadly, these books again went out of print. But now the thirteen books have been republished! They have been condensed into four paperbacks that revolve around the different seasons; AUTUMN MOON and WINTER MOON have already come out, SPRING and SUMMER MOON will be out in spring of 2002. At last this enchanting nature writing has been made easily available. The books are sure to be enjoyed by any person, young or old, who appreciates the natural world, its seasons, and its creatures. WINTER MOON features four stories--THE MOON OF THE WINTER BIRD (December), MOLES (December-January), OWLS (January), and BEARS (February). They are captivating and enjoyable, and very descriptive. Each one resonates with the kind of chilly coziness, combined with a sense of gloom and antagonism, that comes in winter time. You will shiver with the little song sparrow under the December moon; find your way through the underground darkness of a mole's lair; fly with the great horned owl through the Catskill Mountains; and wait for winter to be over with the hibernating black bear. Ms. George's words are lively and interesting and will draw you right into the stories. Also, some of the paintings from the early 90's versions of the books have been reproduced; however, they are not as fine quality to portray the scenes as wonderfully as they did in the out-of-print hardcover versions. Still, it is nice that they were included in the new paperback books. The colors are rich and accurate; I wish that more had been included. Jean Craighead George has written almost 100 books for young naturalists, among them JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, the ONE DAY. . .series, and the ECO-MYSTERIES, so check these out as well. Also, musician Chris Kubie has released a spellbinding CD of the Thirteen Moons entitled MUSIC OF THE THIRTEEN MOONS. Read along with the music and you're sure to find a very enjoyable reading experience.