School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-- An alphabet book that is novel in overall concept, ABC words, and illustrations. Bowen has taken as her theme ordinary life in the Minnesota northwoods from January (``Aa'' for ``Antler'') to December (``Zz'' for ``Zero'' temperature). Each letter-word pair is accompanied by a brief, explanatory anecdote. Above it is a -page full-color woodblock illustration that contains true-to-life details that increase effectiveness. There are good find-it-in-the-picture text clues for pre-readers, while older children--especially those familiar with northwoods life--will reread and enjoy the book for Bowen's bold accuracy of concept and presentation. --George Gleason, Department of English, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
PW singled out the ``memorable, unusually fine woodcuts'' in this ABC book, saying also that the author/artist affords a ``telling glimpse... of a life that is close to the rhythms of nature. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This intriguing concept book not only tours the alphabet, but successfully captures a year in the great northwoods. Facts about northwoods life and history are offered in simple prose and wonderful woodcuts. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In a picture book debut that uses handsome woodcuts to present a regional theme (recalling Azarian's A Farmer's Alphabet, 1981), Bowen chooses subjects that typify Minnesota's north woods, cleverly ordering them by a year's cycle as well as by the alphabet. ``Fishing'' can be done through March's ice; ``Junk'' appears when the snow melts; ``Loons'' hatch in July, when ``Northern lights'' may appear; and so on to ``Zero,'' December's cold. Well-chosen bits of information combine with the woodcut's vigorous black and skillfully added watercolor to give the flavor of this attractive region. (Picture book. 5-9)
Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. From Antler to Zero, Bowen's handsome woodcuts and anecdotal text evoke life in the Minnesota northwoods from winter in January through the seasons to December. Underneath the large framed picture on each page, there's a smaller frame with the letter and word cut large, as well as a few handwritten lines about the woods, the animals, and what the people do through the months of the year. In February, the drama of Dogsled (with the light on the musher's head pointing out the trail through the dark) is opposite the cozy interior of Evening (with a family reading, waxing skis, or ordering summer garden seeds from a catalog); turn the page, and there's Fishing on a wide sweep of ice. One of the most beautiful spring pictures is for Kayak, where the woodcut lines stretch and move like the wake in the water. There's some unobtrusive play with language (Yarn is for knitting and stories), and the combination of plain telling and wilderness lore (they keep the paddles tied high in a tree "because last year a bear chewed one up") will give the read-aloud audience a warm and immediate sense of a special place. ~--Hazel Rochman
