Where Fish Go In Winter (Easy-to-Read, Puffin)

Grade 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
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