Big Belching Bog

Gr 2—3—Couching the adaptations of plants, insects, and animals that live in the Big Bog in Minnesota as secrets of survival, this oversize picture book becomes a real page-turner. Readers learn that lady's slippers get the nutrients they need from fungi, and that frogs sleep through the winter without freezing because they have a sort of antifreeze in their blood. The stunning full-color woodblocks, many full spread, are beautiful enough to frame. The deep purples, browns, and teals are highlighted with stark white circles heralding the biggest secret of the bog. An expressive hermit thrush on every page finally spreads its wings in shock as a white bubble of methane gas works its way to the surface of the sphagnum moss and belches free into the quiet air. However, since no one has actually ever heard a bog belch, the story ends with a morose-looking thrush challenging readers to become the first person ever to visit the bog and hear the sound. A glossary of species and bog terminology is included, as is a two-page summary of bog facts.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA