Stranger in the Woods takes a creative approach for a children's book; it will please your eyes and possibly leave you pondering, "Why didn't I think to do that?" Two professional wildlife photographers use their talents to capture breathtaking moments of different wildlife reacting and interacting with a snowman built in the woods. The book won a Benjamin Franklin Award from the Publishers Marketing Association, which is one of the highest national honors in small and independent publishing one can earn. The story also lives up to the pictures, with poetic sentences like, "Daybreak came softly moving through the woods and yawning as its rays slowly stretched across," that are arranged in clusters in different locations on each page in order to keep the animals as the primary focus.
Encourage your little one to interact with the book by naming each animal they see. The real life photographs will teach them more accurately than the cartoon version usually presented in children's books. Readers get to see deer, an owl, birds, a muskrat, squirrels, a porcupine, a rabbit, and more. There is a even a cute 'Recipe For A Snowman' after the story ends, including directions such as, "Preheat a winter's day to 32 degrees F or 0 degrees C." If you have the ingredients where you live, go ahead and give it a try! For those who live in climates that don't get snow, this is a great way to teach your child about snow and show them how it really looks.
I first read this story with my niece Emily. Both of our favorite parts was when a doe walks right up to the snowman and takes his nose in her mouth! "Wow! A Carrot! Do I have to share it?" Emily squealed with delight when she saw that picture, and we both giggled.
--Audra
