FOREST

PLB 0-06-056667-8 This heartwarming I Can Read provides a deft balance between the basic wording required for beginning readers and a realistic scenario about a girl’s awakening to nature. One day while planting potatoes on her parent’s farm, Jeannie hears a cry coming from the forest. She and her mother investigate and discover a newborn fawn. When night falls and it becomes apparent that the fawn has been abandoned, Jeannie and her parents take it home. To her disappointment, Jeannie learns from her parents that this abandoned baby will go to a place that cares for other wild animals. Godwin’s uncomplicated sentences and engaging plot will encourage even the uncertain readers. Coupled with Schuett’s warm and softly drawn illustrations’some of the finest she’s done—this gentle tale delights. (Picture book. 5-9)