The Horn Book Guide

PRESCHOOL

Ryder, Joanne

Each Living Thing

32 pp. | Harcourt/Gulliver | April, 2000 | Trade ISBN 0-15-201898-0 $$16.00

(4) PS Illustrated by Ashley Wolff. At first this simple text seems cautionary, warning readers to "watch out for" spiders and snakes, but then it urges them to "take care of" worms, snails, ants, and sea turtles as equally important elements of nature, and pleads ultimately to "let them be." The shifting characters and ecosystems depicted in the earth-toned gouache illustrations, showing seashore, everglade, desert, and woodland habitats, may confuse some readers.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey