Where Fish Go in Winter: And Other Great Mysteries

Cute one page poems about interesting facts. Why does popcorn pop, etc. Good book for kids. Great illustrations.

Each of Amy Koss's poems quickly catches the young reader's attention: Would clouds feel fluffy,/ Soft and grand,/ If I could touch them/ With my hand? Her "emphasis on end rhyme" provides the kind of gentle draw into poetry that children need. My children clearly grasp each poem's content, asking to hear one or another at bedtime. Koss does not "attempt" explanations she nails them. "They're made of tiny water drops,/ So light they float/ above rooftops..." is not a "cursory explanation" but "the sort of detailed description that would satisfy a young audience" of five to nine year olds. My five year old daughter joins our dog in his bed and reads these poems to him. She enjoys the pictures that complement the same quiet interest the poems generate. I do not expect she will get into any Esthetic Analysis of Bryant's illustrations, it only matters that they catch her attention and work with each poem, and they do. Some words my daughter does not understand, and unbeknownst to some professionals, parents can anticipate questions, and kids can just ask. Terms like "gravity" and "sensor" give parents a chance to offer ostensive explanations: "Gravity is what makes that book fall; it pulls the book and the ground together." "Your hand is like a gravity sensor because it can tell which way the book pulls, much like a root does." Amy Koss shows children that both facts and poetry can be fun. She does not stoop to impart knowledge by disguising it with nonsense, as so many children's book authors do. Get this book, and you will surely enjoy more time with your brightening child.

This little gem tackles some of the great childhood science questions. The simple rhyme scheme makes the information friendlier and more accessible - yet the book never talks down to the kids. One of the professional reviews complained that this book had vocabulary that was "too sophisticated" for young children. I was annoyed by this. If you dumb everything down to what kids already know, then where will they learn new terms? My 5-year-old enjoyed reading this book, and I enjoyed listening to her. I found the book charming and informative. For example, I didn't know that when fish are waiting out the winter, "Except for occasional / lake bottom treats / the whole winter long / the fish hardly eats!"