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Library | Material Type | Call Number | Child Count | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
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Searching... Branch | Juvenile Paperback | E PB KOSS (READER) | 1 | Stacks | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Why does popcorn pop? How do cats purr? Do islands float? What do clouds feel like? These are a few of the questions about the natural world that are asked and cleverly answered in this easy-to-read book. Written in rhyming poems that manage to be funny as well as informative, and illustrated with friendly, accessible illustrations, Where Fish Go in Wintermakes learning fun.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-In 14 poems of 3 to 7 quatrains, Koss attempts simple explanations of natural phenomena ("Why do leaves change colors?"; "How do cats purr?"; "How do birds fly?"; "What is the Man in the Moon?"). While the questions will hold appeal for newly independent readers, the author's emphasis on end rhyme often pulls attention away from the poem's content and results in a cursory explanation rather than the sort of detailed description that would satisfy a young audience. Some of the vocabulary is too sophisticated for the intended age group. ("Gravity sensors/Within each young root/Teach it to follow/A straight downward route.") Attractive, brightly colored two-page paintings show the subject of the poem in its natural setting. Oddly, all of the people, animals, plants, and natural objects inside are softly detailed realistic/impressionist, but the pictures for the fish featured on the cover and in the title poem are cartoons. While a few of the poems do work, most lack both informational and poetic quality.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When we cut an onion up, / We break apart its cells. / Inside the cell is onion oil, / Which really, really smells! This newly illustrated collection ponders fourteen familiar questions, including How do birds fly? and What is the sound in a seashell? The cheery art reflects the tone of the lighthearted, informative verse. Despite a few singsongy passages, the accessible poems will find many classroom uses. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Fourteen "mysteries" of science are answered with lighthearted but informative rhyming poems in this upper-level easy reader first published in 1988, but freshened with new illustrations. The title poem explains that fish are still there under the ice in winter, with slower swimming, breathing, and heart rates, "And except for occasional / Lake bottom treats, / The whole winter long / The fish hardly eats." Other poems explain why popcorn pops, how birds fly, how cats purr, why leaves change colors, and why we see a man in the moon, among other mysteries. It's quite a feat to clarify scientific concepts succinctly for young children, but even more difficult to explain things in rhyme with a dash of humor, and Koss (Stolen Words, 2001, etc.) handles the challenge well. Several of the poems present information that will be intriguing to kids (and news to most adults): snakes shed the clear skin over their eyes along with the rest of their skin, and spiders don't stick to their own webs because they know which strands are dry and which are sticky. The illustrations add to the humorous flair of the poetry, with buggy-eyed fish, cuddly cats, and a mysterious man in the moon. This collection will be a welcome addition to any easy-reader collection or to the classroom science shelves, and teachers will find the individual poems useful for adding a literature component to science class. (Easy reader. 6-9)
Booklist Review
PreS^-Gr. 2. It's hard to explain such things as how a cat purrs and why onions make people cry in straightforward easy-reader language, but Koss manages to pull it off--in rhyme. And not just singsongy doggerel (although there is a rather repetitious rhyme scheme). The text does quite well at painting vivid word pictures: "Their belly muscles flutter / When people pet their coats. / The flutters send small puffs of air / Up to the kitties' throats." Other topics covered include why popcorn pops, why spiders stick to their own webs, and why islands float. The richly colored illustrations are very nice; no slapdash quality to the art here. This entry in the Dial Easy-to-Read series will be fun to read alone and will work well in the classroom. --Ilene Cooper