The Deer Watch

Gr 1–4—After the family returns to its summer home, a boy and his dad go on a much-anticipated outing to find a deer. They climb the dunes and tramp through the marsh and onto conservation land. Throughout their quest, they see birds and other animals, but no deer. The child's sneeze and his feet that dance in eagerness might have frightened them away. Certainly the men with their bulldozers, hammers, and drills have scared them off. Indeed, wildlife was far more abundant here, Dad laments, before humans encroached on the habitat. Still, for those who take the time to look and listen quietly, seemingly hidden creatures can make an appearance. And sure enough, after a warm rain, a doe and her two fawns step out of the shadows and then disappear, a gift for patient waiting. The large oil paintings on linen are richly textured and depict the forest landscape in quiet pastel hues. The poetic text is lovely, though it may stretch credulity to believe the young narrator would really describe their house as smelling like "old trees," or a boat as having a "moth-wing sail." Pair this story with Nicola Davies's Outside Your Window (Candlewick, 2012) to spark children's interest in the natural world and generate ideas for its preservation.—Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT