Goodbye, Jean Craighead George

Newbery Award winning author, Jean Craighead George passed away Tuesday, May 15, 2012. She wrote over 100 books, both fiction and nonfiction and will be remembered for her love of the natural world. My favorite book is My Side of the Mountain, the story of young Sam Gribley who leaves his crowded home in NYC for a mountain in Vermont. Sam carves out a home in an old tree and finds food with the help of a falcon he names Frightful. Written as a diary, we share Sam's exciting year surviving on his own.

Visit George's author site for more information about her life and her books.

Stop in the Library and check out her books. They are perfect for a family read aloud.

A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer

A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer; Illustrations by Robin Brickman
S&S. 1997

As the weather warms up and families spend more time outdoors, A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer is an excellent book to share with young readers. In simple language and amazing cut-paper collage, the book introduces to young readers the life cycle of a tree. 

Beginning with a great oak, we see it teaming with life. Squirrels live in a hole in the trunk, a woodpecker searches for insects in the rough bark, wood-boring beetles burrow under the bark chewing wood. Then, during a storm, the tree is hit by lightning and topples to the ground. Over the course of many seasons, summer, winter, fall, and summer, as many animals and insects find shelter in the downed tree, it also slowly rots. And soon, there is no log left but fertile earth. Soon, a seedling oak sprouts and grows and grows until it becomes majestic. Then, another storm and the tree falls, and the cycle begins again.

Scholastic provides lesson plans or go to YouTube for the book trailer.