Childrens' Corner Book Review By: Elaine Lowell

Book-- "Know What I Saw?" by Aileen Fisher Illustrated by Deborah Durland DeSaix

A little girl's joy at discovering the many surprises of life in the country is captured here in gently rhythmic verse by one of America's distinguished poets for children.

Aileen Fisher's delightful backwards counting rhyme is vividly brought to life by the rich and beautifully detailed oil paintings of noted artist Deborah Durland DeSaix. This could be a book written just for our Cottonwood preschoolers and early readers! It brings to life the childhood excitement of discovering nature's wonders that hide just around the corner, up in a tree, in a cool dark barn, behind a stone wall, inside a nest or by a stream.

The illustrations are very large and drawn from a child's perspective, up close and low to the ground. They capture action and expressions beautifully. The verses are rhythmic in style, simple in content and very descriptive. They don't shy away from helping to build a child's vocabulary with words like "squatty" to describe a mother chicken, or "brambly" to describe a rose bush. The language is clear and fresh. This book is new to the library and is waiting to be checked out and enjoyed.

Book-- "Bats in the Library"
written and illustrated by Brian Lies,

This book has brought smiles to the faces of everyone I have shown it to. Everyone, that is, who is from Cottonwood and remembers the bats and bat stories from our old library. This is a storybook we can all enjoy.

Brian Lies' illustrations of glowing light, stretched and expanding shadows, translucent bat wings and adorable expressions, leads a child into a tale of bat adventure.

One inky night, with tummies full of yummy bugs the neighborhood bats find themselves bored. Suddenly word spreads quickly that one of the windows at the library has been left ajar.

After playing in the water fountain, copying their images with the copy machine, playing 'wing-tip tag' and hanging with their friends from the library's lamps, all the youngster bats settle down beneath and around the stout legs of the library tables for a night-long story time.

As dawn breaks, everyone- old bat and pup- has been completely swallowed up and lives inside a book instead of simply hearing something read. The bats retreat once more as morning shines through leaded glass. But maybe a librarian will give us bats this chance again and leave a window open wide to let us share the world inside!

Brian Lies' playful tale will pull children in with its adventure, enhanced by rich and glowing illustrations. His story is capable of holding them with images from stories they know and love, and makes them hungry to return for more. What more could a parent hope for!

This book is new to the library and can be found on our - New to the Library - bookcase that has recently been erected in honor of Dr. James and Mary Reifert.