Welcome to the Green House

From Publishers Weekly
In the current freshet of rainforest books, Yolen's rises to the surface not as a mere tour guide, but a gracious host to earth's "dark green, / light green, / emerald green / bright green / copper green, / blue green, / ever-new green house." The author's atmosphere-laden free verse, which falls into unexpected, pleasing rhyme and repetition, correlates with Regan's sumptuous gouache artwork. While the text focuses on the relentless noise of forest inhabitants, borderless, painterly illustrations seem to spill off the pages in their intricate depictions of animals cavorting amidst tropical flora. The illustrations are just literal enough--allowing youngsters to match familiar and unknown species with names in the text. Yolen's language begs for reading aloud but for a common problem: her generous use of onomatopoetic translation of animal calls and other sounds may be difficult for readers to imitate without jarring the beauty and rhythm of the language. A stimulating challenge, however, in a strikingly vibrant package. Ages 4-8. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-- Yolen explores a tropical rain forest in an entrancing poem full of internal rhyme, alliteration, and evocative images. "But it is not all green/ in the hot green house:/ a flash of blue hummingbird,/ a splash of golden toad,/ a lunge of waking lizards,/ a plunge of silver fish . . . ." These are only a few of the many creatures that the author catalogs and Regan depicts in her lush gouache paintings. The illustrations include all of the animals mentioned in the brief text, but readers are left to their own devices to identify the extra treats the artist includes. Ideal for introducing rain forest ecology in the primary grades, this book may be also be used by preschool teachers. Its many animal sounds and closeup views of snakes, sloths, and primates will perfectly suit their inquisitive students. A page of remarks about the continuing destruction of tropical rain forests and an address where youngsters may write to obtain information about preserving them is appended. The next best thing to a guided tour. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT grades 3-6Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Taking as her text a sentence from Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle--``The land is one great wild, untidy luxuriant hothouse, made by nature for herself''--Yolen lyrically compares a house to the rain forest (``...no roof in the green house,/only the canopy of leaves'') and notes its animals (``the quick-fingered capuchin/make their slow-quick ways/from room to room...a splash of golden toad,/a lunge of waking lizards,/a plunge of silver fish'') and their sounds. Regan makes an outstanding picture-book debut with lush full-bleed spreads rendered in gouache, with luminously diffuse light, exquisitely detailed wildlife, and decorative forms--close to the picture plane--that recall Leonard Weisgard's art. Unlike the plethora of contrived or sentimental books on the subject, this one is simplicity itself--eloquent and effective. (Picture book. 4-9) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Card catalog description
Describes the tropical rainforest and the life found there.

From the Author
From the artist, Laura Regan: This was the very first book that I illustrated and the first time that I painted with gouache (opaque water color). I really enjoy working with this medium because it allows me to include a lot of small detail work. The entire process of creating artwork for a children's book is tremendously rewarding for me. I look at each project as a new adventure! Because all of the books that I have illustrated focus on the environment, I feel that they are a wonderful way to help to teach young readers about our beautiful but fragile planet. I'd love it if you came to visit me at my Laura Regan website where you can learn more about my work. If you are interested, you can also arrange for a school visit.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

PreS-Gr 3-- Yolen explores a tropical rain forest in an entrancing poem full of internal rhyme, alliteration, and evocative images. ``But it is not all green/ in the hot green house:/ a flash of blue hummingbird,/ a splash of golden toad,/ a lunge of waking lizards,/ a plunge of silver fish . . . .'' These are only a few of the many creatures that the author catalogs and Regan depicts in her lush gouache paintings. The illustrations include all of the animals mentioned in the brief text, but readers are left to their own devices to identify the extra treats the artist includes. Ideal for introducing rain forest ecology in the primary grades, this book may be also be used by preschool teachers. Its many animal sounds and closeup views of snakes, sloths, and primates will perfectly suit their inquisitive students. A page of remarks about the continuing destruction of tropical rain forests and an address where youngsters may write to obtain information about preserving them is appended. The next best thing to a guided tour. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT grades 3-6


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices