In November
PreSchool-Grade 2-A poetic text reflects on the month when "the earth is growing quiet." A friendly mouse draws readers into the book by peeking from under a leaf on the cover and title page, scurrying across the dedication page and onto the first spread, and then disappearing. Birds and animals experience the cold, which causes the cows to sleep and the horses to shiver; bees hibernate in "deep, earthy holes-And dogs lie before the fire." A large extended family visits and shares a meal to give thanks, then travels home at night. The well-paced, skillfully painted oil-on-paper paintings are mostly full spreads. Dramatic angles, strong composition, and interesting perspectives enhance the descriptive text. Although not as colorful and appealing as Lois Ehlert's Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (Harcourt, 1991) or as funny and entertaining as Dav Pilkey's 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving (Orchard, 1990), this book establishes the mood and feel of November. It is an agreeable storytime companion to the above titles, helpful for classrooms wishing to explore the month using their senses, and satisfying for one-on-one sharing.Debbie Stewart, Grand Rapids Public Library, MICopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.