Woodpecker Forest
PreSchool-Grade 2-- Once again Tejima captures a simple story of one of nature's creatures in bold and powerful woodcuts. The growth of a young woodpecker is pictured against the changing seasons of the forest in which one can almost feel the rough textures of the bark of the hollow trees. As the bravest of the young birds leaves the nest and faces his fears in the forest alone, the lines separating the woodcut and the white space for the text change. What was formerly a straight line is swirled up in the turmoil of that first flight and the fear of the first night alone in the forest. Young viewers will identify with this character and his fear of the dark when even familiar sights and sounds become frightening. As the young woodpecker grows and learns and goes off to live on his own, he takes a memory of "the way his father filled the whole night sky" with him and is not afraid. As is often the case with Tejima's books, the woodcuts are more effective from a distance, which, along with the simple text, makes this an excellent choice for reading to a group. The power of these woodcuts is, however, also the weakness of the story, as they sometimes work against the text. It is difficult to believe in the fear of the main character when the illustrations convey such strength and when, even in the darkest night, the young woodpecker is surrounded by a protective wreath of green leaves which lighten the scene metaphorically as well as actually. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.