(1) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. In 1882, surveyors mapping northern Minnesota made a mistake; subsequently an old growth forest was ignored until 1958. The protected forest still exists today in Chippewa National Forest. Root includes surveying details and the ecology of such pine forests that once covered the northern U.S. Bowen's painted backgrounds and survey-notebook inserts capture the texture and colors of fresh-cut pine or yellowing maps. Substantial back matter serves as a field guide. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Beckie Prange & Betsy Bowen. This Minnesota nature–centered counting book begins with one moose that "browses by a cobble beach / by one great lake / under one north star." Each spread continues adding numbers but changes creatures and scenery, with tongue-twisting, poetic phrases extended by the striking woodcut and watercolor illustrations. Detailed back matter about the natural environments, animals, and plants common in the "North Star State" is included.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. There isn't much prairie left in the U.S., thanks to human farming and development. Readers are encouraged to reverse this trend by planting native plants in their own backyards and watching what animals are attracted by each plant species. Mixed-media illustrations are placed on white backgrounds, their chunky outlines a modern twist on botanical illustration. The conservation and restoration message is universal.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. This new edition of native Norwegian Lunge-Larsen's collection (still available from Houghton as an e-book) contains nine tales (plus a brief bonus story). The author's satisfying retellings and additional commentary about trolls honor the spirit of their oral origins. Bowen's rustic woodcuts, with their earthy colors, thick lines, and enormous, ugly trolls, pay homage to traditional Norwegian woodcarving and design.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. This book invites readers into the stillness of a northern Minnesota bog. Root's prose conveys the mellow characteristics and funkiness of the bog, while Bowen's stylized woodcut illustrations, predominantly black, blue, purple, and green, capture the murky but nonetheless teeming-with-life place. The book ends with further factual information about these fascinating and eerie natural environments.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. With notes as rich as the tales, Lunge-Larsen traverses the landscape of the troll story, beginning with "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" and ending with what amounts to a troll knock-knock joke, "Trolls Shouting." In between come eight tales alike only in their suitability for rambunctious reading-aloud. Bowen's woodcuts, strong in line and rustic in flavor, hew to the boldness of the stories.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999