Dig Hole, Soft Mole - Hardcover

Lesser, Carolyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152234918 ISBN 13: 9780152234911

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 1996

Synopsis

Enter the world of the Condylura cristata, the little-known star-nosed mole. The only mole that thrives in both earth and water, this animal lives in the wetlands of the American Midwest and southeast Canada. In this beautiful picture book, young readers get a mole’s-eye view of marsh life, following one star-nosed mole on an expedition through a dark tunnel deep underground and out into a sparkling pond. “This lyrical, read-aloud romance will endear Mole and his underworld to children.”--Publishers Weekly

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Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2-The engaging subject of this poetic picture book is a star-nosed mole, an unusual wetland creature that feels as much at home underwater as it does beneath the ground. Framed double-page paintings, done in oil and gouache, bring its marsh home to life and capture the lush flora and fauna that thrive there. "Pebbly paws, left, right./Underground is dark as night./ Nestled deep, bulbs sleep./Bugs creep, creep deep." From the dark and murky depths, the velvety mammal tunnels and scrabbles its way until it reaches water, where it becomes a "furry boat without a sail" and dives and feels for snails and fish. The minimal rhyming text, which could almost serve as an easy reader, is both informative and evocative. Yet, despite all of the active verbs, very little happens. Instead, this lovely book provides an appealing but quiet glimpse at a rather obscure marvel of nature-Luann Toth, School Library Journal
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Dense, tactile rhyming couplets and serene paintings transport readers through the twin worlds of the star-nosed mole, which flourishes in water as well as in ground. While Mole may travel nearly blind, readers' eyes will feast on Regan's (Sun Song; Welcome to the Green House) softly textured, pristinely composed oil and gouache illustrations. Mole visits, variously, a lumpy, purplish-brown tunnel, where spooky bulb roots drape the ceilings ("Starry nose feels and goes./ Hidden ears hear wood frog toes"); murky-blue water, where snails sway on leafy pondweed ("Pulling feet, sculling tail,/ Furry boat without a sail"); daylit marsh with "twiggy domes" and cattails, muskrats and blackbirds; and indigo night, where white water lilies shine and a "ghostly swan" drifts. This lyrical, read-aloud romance will endear Mole and his underworld to children; it may even mellow the exurbanite's perfectly rational mole-malice. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lesser (Great Crystal Bear, p. 376, etc.) provides an appealing introduction to a little known animal: the star-nosed mole, who is not only an expert digger, but an excellent swimmer. Here the mole tunnels under dirt and leaves, emerges underwater in a pond, and paddles to a meal of fish and snails, before resting on a rock in the moonlit pond. Rhyming couplets occasionally deviate awkwardly--``Crickets hop, twigs pop./Centipedes slink under leaves''--but are mostly fluid. The oil and gouache paintings in soft green, brown, and blue on a glossy paper lend a dreamy quality to this simple nature tale. Regan has filled the illustrations with creatures to discover: crickets, centipedes, turtles, frogs. Enchanting. (Picture book. 5-7) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 5^-8. Set in a midwestern marsh teeming with wildlife, this lively picture book relates the underground and underwater journey of an adorable star-nosed mole. The lyrical, rhyming verse is filled with wonderful imagery, descriptive language, and delightful action words: "Hungry, prowling, dinner wish / Dive and feel for snails and fish." Teachers will find this a natural tie-in with many language arts concepts. For example, Lesser's imaginative description of the swimming mole as a "furry boat without a sail" can be used to convey the difficult concept of metaphors. Regan's oil-and-gouache paintings, nicely rendered in muted earth tones, depict in detail the plethora of creatures that inhabit the marshland. In addition to language arts, this could be used in conjunction with a science unit on marshes. Lauren Peterson

Edition details

• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152234918
• ISBN 13: 9780152234911
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Regan Laura
• Number of pages: 32