Friday, February 8, 2013

Underground





As tiny feet, big feet, and all sizes in-between feet spring on the spongy grass or slough through the mucky mud, there lurks, burrows, or tunnels a myriad of strange, furry, slimy things--UNDERGROUND. Deep among the "squirm-ways and worm-ways" an entire world opens up to the eager readers who "dig into" this fascinating and exceptionally illustrated tale of exploration.

Cross section scenes give peeks into the lives of many a multi-legged creature such as a trapdoor spider, a cicada nymph, and even a shy little fox. Denise Fleming's large, sparse text rhymes its way across each page. A creature identification chart awaits at the end of the adventure as both a chipmunk and a mole work themselves up to the surface.

Fleming's earth-tone palette combined with her signature cotton fiber "pulp paintings" enliven each scene and invite the curious child to identify both the critters and the scattered, long-buried keys, toys, and tools.

MightyM