---

Reviews

Midwest Book Review

September 2008
Children’s Bookwatch

Reviewer’s Choice
A Child’s View of a Prairie
by Susan C. McDermott
Author House
1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
ISBN: 9781434361912 www.authorhouse.com

Filled cover to cover with stunningly beautiful color photographs, A Child’s View of a Prairie is a softcover children’s picturebook that shows young people a dazzling array of the plants and insects that can be found in a native Wisconsin prairie. Two children talk to one another as they explore the prairie, and narration outside of their dialogue teaches young readers amazing facts about the prairie’s living creatures. “’Let’s touch the leaves. The leaves feel smooth on the front but rough on the back. Why do the leaves feel cold?’ ‘Mike, Mom says that it is because the tap root goes deep in the ground and brings up cold water to the leaves.”’ A wonderfully educational picturebook, highly recommended.
 

---

Pacific Book Review

Title: A Child’s View of a Prairie
Author: Susan C. McDermott
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-4343-6191-2
Genre: Educational Children’s Book / Nature
Pages: 48
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

Author Susan C. McDermott has created an heirloom publication of two young brothers, Dave and Mike, as they wander through a prairie on a warm summer day exploring the fauna and insects. In her book A Child’s View of a Prairie, each page is adorned with original nature photography of the young boys intensely observing the many varied types of flowers, grasses, insects and even a hummingbird. Alongside the photos are the names of the plants plus some details about their characteristics.

As readers page through the scores of photos and descriptions, it is not long into the book when the minds of the readers are transported to the field of wildflowers; viewing the many beautiful plants with the innocent curiosity of young children. Having a sharp focus on the many photos enables readers to enjoy the beauty of Nature as they meander around the open field. Stopping to investigate certain places, such as a spider web strung between tall grass, enables readers even with arachnophobia to still enjoy the beauty of the sunlight glistening off the silken threads of the spiderweb – although I preferred the second of the two photographs with the spider in the center of its web; the first one of the web without a spider made me wonder, “Where’s the spider?”

Fauna of the prairie is varied in shapes, color and texture, as well as being extremely robust with its ability to survive the harsh environment. Readers see the miraculous detail of the Purple Prairie Clover, looking like a bottle brush with details of never-ending complexity as you zoom in. The orange and yellow of the Turk’s-cap Lilly with its six pedals and brown spots are so intricate one has to wonder how this creation of Nature came into being, I really was astounded by the Spiderwort, looking like a small bouquet of flowers and learning that native Indians used to use this as a remedy for insect bites.

After the boys stopped for lunch, they put on light jackets for their afternoon explorations, and in the end, as the sunlight was changing the exposure of the photos, the boys called it a day; and they couldn’t wait for the next time to do more exploring!

A Child’s View of a Prairie achieves exactly what its title suggests, enabling children to share in the adventure of roaming about a prairie on a nice sunny day. It is a fine way to stimulate the interest in Nature’s gifts of beautiful wildflowers while entertaining reading audieneces with a walk through a prairie field. The more often this book is paged, the more facts and names of the various plants will become familiar to readers. It will make an ideal addition to any family’s library.
 

---

The US Review of Books

A Child’s View of the Prairie
by Susan C. McDermott
AuthorHouse

book review by Barbara Bamberger Scott

“Welcome to a Wisconsin prairie. This is a different world with many interesting things to see.”

Two little boys, Mike and his older brother Dave, lead readers on a guided tour of a western prairie illustrated with large color photographs on every page. Through their dialogue, one learns that there are no trees or bushes in the prairie, but flowers and grasses can get up to ten feet tall, blooming and thriving through the year. Perhaps the most prolific are the black-eyed Susans with their bright yellow petals and dark brown centers. Yellow and purple coneflowers are distinguished by their “droopy” petals. Native Americans used purple prairie clover with its tall stems for healing wounds, while delicate pink bergamot blooms were made into tea. Prickly white rattlesnake master was believed to help heal snakebite. Bright orange butterfly weed attracts honeybees, and its seedpods are used to fill life jackets. Insects—bees, moths, ladybugs and dragonflies—are also seen in their habitat and examined by the enthusiastic boys.

The author (and mother of Dave and Mike) has made a study of all the plant species depicted. She uses her photographs to lead educational workshops, having once owned a plant nursery specializing in prairie plants. Her clear, professional photographs show her sons strolling about, animatedly discussing the lore that McDermott has shared with them about each newly-discovered wonder. The result is an enjoyable method for teaching children about their natural environment. The book, though designed for children, contains enough factual material to interest a parent or grandparent who can equally appreciate this book as a read-to with the photographs of the boys’ adventure as vivid accompaniment. In fact, there is a subtle attraction for the older generation, who may not only add prairie species to their own home gardens but also, through the youthful perspective presented, draw their children or grandchildren into the project.