PreSchool

PreSchool-Grade 1?Structured like 'This Is the House that Jack Built,' this environmental rhyme aims to show the interdependence of living things in the ancient forests. The pace of the poem gets bogged down a bit when readers encounter verses such as 'These are the voles and mice that tunnel,/And eat the tiny, underground truffles/That grow on roots that draw food from the soil,/To nourish the three-hundred-year-old tree/That grows in the ancient forest.' The theme, as well, is a bit belabored?pine cones falling and startling a marten are part of the process. Acrylic paintings dominate the pages; they are mostly dark and somber and may seem slightly menacing. An introduction, in small dense print, outlines the meaning of interdependence, and a final section elaborates on the cast of characters. Not a vital purchase.?Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NYCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.