MY FOREST IS GREEN by Darren Labeuf.  Illus. by Ashley Barron.  Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2019.  32p.  ISBN 978-1771389802 hc. $16.99     PreS - Gr. 1     E PIC

Barron's cut paper collage provides a colorful, textured background for a young boy who loves the forest.  He describes the forest from a youngster's perspective, using descriptive words such as, "My forest is rough.  My forest is smooth," to match his experiences with different tree barks.  He incorporates the seasons to talk about "crispy" fall leaves, as opposed to the "soft" green leaves of summer.  The book also includes an inside look at the young nature lover's journal, revealing a watercolor page of invented color names to describe the plants and animals being referred to, such as "carefree red" for a ladybug and "tiptoe gray" for a bird walking by. At the end of the day, the boy brings the forest home with him by wallpapering his room in drawings from his journal.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI