A walk through the woods into a salt marsh over the dunes and onto the beach brings encounters with a variety of animals and plants whose identity is revealed by folding out flaps that appear on alternate pages. - (Baker & Taylor)
On a walk through the woods and a marsh to the seashore, the reader is encouraged to notice all sorts of plants, animals, insects, and shells. - (Baker & Taylor)
On a walk through the woods and a marsh to the seashore, the reader is encouraged to notice all sorts of plants, animals, insects, and shells, in a title that includes a key to the plant and animal life pictured. - (Baker & Taylor)
Find a place to sit and watch and listen ... on the beach or in the woods or in a salt marsh. What can you see and hear? - (HARPERCOLL)
Booklist Reviews
PreS-K. Similar in approach and format to Cole's I Took a Walk (1998), this picture book provides young children with an introduction to wildlife near the seashore as they search the illustrations for individual animals and plants named in the text. A little girl, glimpsed only in an inset picture on the cover and on the title page, narrates as she walks to the beach on a summer morning. Along the way, she tells what she sees. In design, the left-hand page folds out to make a wide horizontal spread of the scene. Visual and verbal clues will help children (and adults) find the snowy egret, the prickly pear cactus, and the tracks in the mud, but kids can also check the last page for a smaller, labeled version of each picture and confirmation of identities. Cole's acrylic paintings include graceful landscapes as well as clear, close-up pictures of the smaller ecosystems. Parents looking for an early introduction to nature study will find this an informative offering with a playful approach. ((Reviewed May 15, 2003)) Copyright 2003 Booklist Reviews
Horn Book Guide Reviews
A quiet walk through four habitats--woodland, marsh, dune, and beach--reveals interesting creatures to the patient observer. Panoramic double-page spreads alternate with foldout pages that provide lists--and close-up views--of animals and plants. Not all the plants and animals are easy to guess, but the last page provides a numbered key for each habitat pictured. Copyright 2003 Horn Book Guide Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
The mid-Atlantic coast with its myriad plants and animals comes to life in this marvelous search-and-find book. A walk to the beach on a summer morning leads the narrator through the woods, into a salt marsh, over the sand dunes, and onto the beach. In each spot, the narrator sits very still, and looks around to see "who's watching me." Native flora and fauna are the focus: Virginia creeper, loblolly pine, a nuthatch, a mosquito, sea oats, a red fox, an osprey, and a flock of pelicans. Every other page folds out, and features a list of plants and animals found in each of the four habitats. Cole's (Rosie's Roses, p. 382, etc.) marvelously detailed and accurate illustrations give readers a peek into the natural world. Children and adults alike will love the challenge of matching the names on the list with the correct illustrations. The concluding message encourages young readers to experience the excitement of seeing the animals in the area where they live by finding "a place to sit and watch and listen," something that is sometimes difficult for squirmy, noisy children to do. Perfect for introducing youngsters to the world around them, and especially appropriate for anyone who visits or lives near the seashore. (answer key) (Picture book. 4-12) Copyright Kirkus 2003 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Henry Cole encourages youngsters to take a closer look at their surroundings in his paper-over-board On the Way to the Beach. Gatefold flaps on spreads of marsh, dune and beach environments open to reveal animal life that seem to be hidden in the everyday natural world. As the unseen narrator sits "very still in the sassafras beneath a loblolly pine," for instance, she sees "a swallowtail butterfly,/ a summer tanager,/ a scarlet snake" and more. A final page labels each creature clearly. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. #
School Library Journal Reviews
PreS-Gr 3-An open door and a path leading through the trees invite readers to join a young narrator on a nature walk and to observe the plants and wildlife that thrive in several different habitats. Each locale-the woods, a salt marsh, dunes, and the beach-is gloriously depicted in a three-page foldout that is entered through a die-cut. The scenes are filled with foliage and animals native to the particular environment and each one has a list of things to look for; some may be familiar to youngsters ("tracks in mud" or "a mosquito") and some may not ("salt marsh fleabane" or "a diamondback terrapin"). Phrases such as "an osprey with dinner" or "a clapper rail at its nest" give hints about which creature is which. A helpful key at the end assists with the identification of any flora or fauna that are missed. The outstanding realistic acrylic illustrations depict the scenes in an almost three-dimensional perspective, allowing children to feel as though they are entering the pictures. Double-page bridge illustrations show the gradual changes as the focus moves from one habitat to the next. Offering a wonderful opportunity for one-on-one sharing, this beautiful, interactive book encourages discussion, develops observation skills, and provides a learning experience that will bring children closer to nature.-Marlene Gawron, formerly at Orange County Library, Orlando, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
