This is probably one of the lesser known works by this author, Lois Ehlert and has been around for a bit over ten years now. This is sort of a pity as, in my opinion, it is one of her more striking works and is certainly popular with the wee ones when it is read to them or they are allowed to flip through the pages on their own.
According to the author, this 36 page work was inspired by a portion of a Seneca Indian Tale the author had read ago. She then took this wonderful story of animals and a problem they had, and transported the location to the woods of Wisconsin.
The story is rather cute and children are able to comprehend the problem involved here quite readily. Mole, who spends her life burrowing as moles will, has raised a molehill right in an area that Fox, Raccoon and Skunk want to build a path through in order to get to the pond and as Fox so elegantly puts it, "Where there's a mole, there's a mess. The animals, led by fox (Raccoon reminds Mole that she had better listen to Fox..."he's got big teeth," go to Mole and tell her that she must move his molehill by the time the maple leaves turn red and orange.
Good grief! What is Mole to do? The solution is ingenious, creative and simple but I have no intention to give it away here as I hate spoilers. Suffice to say that our little industrious mole is able to keep her molehill and at the same time make the others quite happy.
Ah, but now we get to the art work! My goodness what a feast for the eye! Again, the author informs us that she was inspired by two art forms of the Woodland Indians: ribbon appliqué and sewn beadwork. This combination motif works wonderfully. She of course has used her usual technique of geometrically cut paper of brilliant colors and blends which she is so effective with.
Each illustration covers two pages and in accompanied with a very nice laid-back kind of text which is easy to read. If you examine each print carefully you will find stylized plants and flowers of all sorts including jack-in-the-pulpit, lady's slipper, hepatica, morels, trillium, bloodroot, wild asparagus, grape, strawberry, raspberry and of course wonderful sugar maples.
Visually stunning, wonderful story and text, great group reading book or one to just set and contemplate...and the kids love it! What more could you want in a book?
This book is appropriate for ages 4 through 8.
As a side note: Those interested in crafts, décor and the like would do well to turn to this work for a bit of inspiration. Many a good idea can be gleaned from its pages.
Word Count: 419
Page Count: 36
Accelerated Reading level: 2.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 51258
Lexile: AD230L
ISBN-10: 0152018905
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