The Big Woods Orchestra

PreS-Gr 1-With inky pages showing the night’s last wink of blinking stars, a solitary owl’s Hoo-Hoo, and pages gradually lightening from indigo to “sky” blue, this title introduces a growing gathering of birds “at the first glimmer of dawn.” A solo thrush, woodpecker, wood pigeon, crow, robin, cuckoo, and, finally, a rooster create an array of sounds–rhythm, range, and timbre presented in onomatopoeia.  Each bird merits a simple sentence as it begins, its voice revealed in a change of font and color and its image delicately drawn and brushed with a hint of motion and gleaming eyes. A spread dedicated to the drop of a feather, the hush of silence that is always a part of music, creates anticipation for a finale of combined sounds and an invitation to other creatures of the wood. The simplicity of this book provides a venue for both reader enjoyment and instruction on several levels.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX