• Age: 3 to 7
• Grade: p to 2
• Reading age: 3 to 7

With art supplies in tow, a young boy explores the urban forest near his home, then interprets what he sees with his art. The boy is a keen observer who uses poetic, rhythmic language to describe the diversity he finds through all four seasons. His forest is both “fluffy” and “prickly,” “dense” and “sparse,” “crispy” and “soft.” It's also “scattered and soggy, and spotted and foggy.” His forest is made up of many colors --- but he decides that “mostly it's green.” Each aspect of the forest inspires the boy to create a different kind of art: charcoal rubbing, rock art, photography, sponge painting, snow sculpture, cut-paper collage. To this artist, there's always something new to discover, and to capture!

In this delightful picture book, Darren Lebeuf, an award-winning photographer, encourages small children to look closer at and appreciate the nature that surrounds them. And by providing such a broad range of ideas for artistic expression, it's sure to awaken the nature artist in every child. Bright, deeply textured illustrations by Ashley Barron bring the forest and the boy's artworks to vivid life. This story provides an excellent depiction of nature-based education in an outdoor classroom. The specificity of the concrete and abstract adjectives used in the text works as a perfect complement to primary science lessons on investigating, comparing and identifying the physical characteristics of plants and animals. This book also makes for an enjoyable, lyrical read-aloud.

Darren Lebeuf is an award-winning photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a background in design and visual communication. Darren has done numerous illustration projects for schools and charity organizations and also teaches illustration courses. He is also the author of My Forest Is Green and My Ocean Is Blue.

Darren Lebeuf's profile page

ASHLEY BARRON’s vibrant cut-paper collage illustrations appear in more than twelve picture books, including Chaiwala! by Priti Maheshwari, My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf (winner of the Schneider Family Book Award), City Baby by Laurie Elmquist (a Bank Street Best Book of the Year) and Pretty Tricky by Etta Kaner (a Kirkus Best Picture Book and an Outstanding Science Trade Book). Ashley lives with her partner and three cats in Toronto, Ontario.

Ashley Barron's profile page

• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, Ontario Arts Council
• Winner, OLA Best Bets, Ontario Library Association
• Winner, First & Best List, Toronto Public Library
• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre

... a simple, satisfying tale that's just in time for spring.

Booklist

A lovely celebration of all things green ...

School Library Journal

... stunning ...

CM Magazine

Nature and art intertwine in this multifaceted homage to the beauty and creativity that surrounds and resides within each of us.

Kirkus Reviews, starred review

... a success on many levels ...

Quill & Quire, starred review

A joyful celebration of the natural realm awaits all who enter this book.

Canadian Children's Book News

... offers gentle encouragement to get outside, observe carefully, and create joyfully.

Publishers Weekly

... wonderfully captures how a curious young artist uses all sorts of different art techniques and mediums to bring the natural world into his city space.

The Globe and Mail