underGROUND

by Denise Fleming

Discover the down and dirty secrets of underground creatures in this vibrant picture book from a Caldecott Honor medalist.

What young child doesn’t love playing in the dirt? And who hasn’t wondered what goes on in the lives of all the creatures who live underground?
Celebrated Caldecott Honor medalist Denise Fleming applies her signature bold and bright pulp-paper-collage style to a universal childhood topic in this dynamic, rhythmic book that’s just right for reading aloud—and comes complete with a detailed glossary.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Storytime, Science, Childrens, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2012

About the author

Denise Fleming has written and illustrated many children’s picture books, including In the Tall, Tall Grass, Shout! Shout It Out!, and Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy. She won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. Denise creates her colorful illustrations by pouring colored paper pulp through hand-cut stencils. She lives in Toledo, Ohio.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/denise...
http://www.simonandschuster.com/autho...

Reviews

[Gela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the animal illustration in the back.

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underground, beneath the trees and the grass many animals are born, live, eat, and sleep. Moles dig and squirrels store food for the winter. Box turtles bury their eggs and worms make squirmy tunnels through the dirt. Although it may seem tranquil from above ground, the world beneath our feet is teaming with life!

In very sparse rhyming text, just a handful of words per page, Fleming highlights the many parts of the underground ecosystem. The two page spreads, beautifully illustrated using pulp painting with pastel pencil and copy transfer accents, show the interconnectivity of the underground world. The proximity of the animals and plants is emphasized and Fleming includes every day occurrences of the natural world, from robins eating worms to ants tending for their eggs and larvae. The illustrations are cross-sections showing a few inches of above ground at the top of the page, which provides context. There is a slight visual plot of a young boy in an orange shirt planting a bing cherry tree, however the subterranean world is the star of the story. The book finishes with two pages of creature identification which includes a sentence or two about the creatures activities underground, as well as thumbnail size close ups of each creature taken from illustrations in the book.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having mentioned Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle as members of my "Illustrators So Good The Idiots On The Caldecott Committee Ignore Them" list,here is another member's latest work.

It's similar to In the Small Small Pond and In the Tall Tall Grass though it does not have a single creature to show you the proportional size of the animals you are observing. That's only a small thing as this has the other features that made those books so good a simple text that can be read to a toddler, but evocative pictures with lots to talk about with an older child. Another winning work by Fleming.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using her trademark pulp painting technique to show off the natural wonders of spring and summer, the author/illustrator provides a close-up examination of the world beneath our feet. The rhyming text and color-drenched illustrations move from a squirrel on the title page and a robin on the opening page to the underground from which the robin tugs a worm. Subsequent pages reveal a rabbit munching on plants while a mole tunnels through the soil. As in the case of Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, there seems to be just as much action in the ground and below the surface than there is above it. I particularly liked how each double-page spread shows both action above and underground. Back matter includes thumbnail sketches that identify all the creatures that appear in the illustrations. This would be a wonderful addition for an elementary science classroom library.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

We launched our "Underland" story time with this picture book. The text is sparse (example: 1st double-page spread - "Low down"; 2nd double-page spread - "Way down"),but the pictures are big, bright and clear. We fleshed it out by asking questions such as...
Q: "What do you see?"
R: (response) "A bird!"
Q: "Do you see a rabbit too?"
R: "I see it!"
Q: "Is the rabbit looking at you or is it looking away from you?"
R: "At me."
Q: "Is there another rabbit?"
R: "I see it! This one is looking away."

TURN PAGE
Q: "What is the bird doing now?"

By the third or fourth page we see a MOLE, which is what the rest of our stories will feature. A little further along a toad is shown. We printed the toad mask and the mole mask from the Jan Brett website for our craft segment. Hence, this book was PERFECT to launch this story time event.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much going on in every picture! Did you see the toy car in the dirt on the frog page?

Great earth tones with those rich red highlights. I love that Fleming's paper-pulp method matches her topics so well: organic and a little messy.

I like how she brings us down to earth over the first few pages: On the copyright page, there's a bird in the air, then the next page has the bird on a branch, then just about to light on the ground, then tugging on the worm still half underground. And then the carrots that we see near the worm on that page? They are picked, and in the boy's hands, heading home, on the last.

Great "creature identification" end notes with just the right amount of extra information--they make me want to go back and pour over each spread again!

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Denise Fleming's style. My favorite thing about this one is how many interesting things you can see if you take time with each spread. There are treasures hiding in the dirt! Scissors! A toy car! Tools, toys, bits and pieces of this and that, not to mention animal homes, seeds, veggies, etc.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, simple introduction to things that live underground. The text was simplistic, and I felt disappointed until I got to the guide in the back for identifying the animals illustrated in the book. That was a nice touch, and the illustrations are lovely and tactile. Probably a nice book for a wee kid who likes playing in dirt.

[Chessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2.5-year-old LOVES this book. There is so much to see and talk about on every page and he has such a blast pointing out every animal and vegetable and insect! Great fun, and gives kids a peek into what's going on beneath their feet.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4* art
4* story

This is a brilliant book. It looks simple, but there's so much to talk about. I do wish there were more words, but I guess the point is to talk about what you see. Squirt is very interested by the buried car and scissors, and tries to dig them up with his fingers every time.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playful rhyming text, engaging vocabulary, and well-researched information reveal life underground. Scientific facts in the back matter about each animal portrayed.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using illustrations similar in style to her previous books, In the Tall, Tall Grass and In the Small, Small Pond, this lovely picture book is broader in scope and more informative. Large detailed illustrations present the wildlife that depends on the ecosystem beneath the earth such as squirrels burying seeds and nuts, beetles laying their eggs, or box turtles digging burrows. The pictures are absolutely fascinating and make this a valuable addition to any backyard science unit. Don't miss the creature identification pages at the back!

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction to zoology -- up close and personal, living in the dirt.

What a magnificent way to direct the natural curiosity of most children, gently coaxing them in the direction of animals who are, for instance:

"working
their way
through
sand and clay."

FIVE STARS, for the right-sized text and glorious artworks by Denise Fleming. Even as somebody who has lived above ground for quite a few decades now, my sense of wonder is shining brighter, thanks to this generous-and-educational book. It reads like a labor of love.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because the cover is what originally caught my attention. When i read it the first thing i thought about was it would be great to teach vocabulary, there were words that would be new to most younger students. It would be good to also talk about animals because each page had a different animal on it. It was a good book with lots of good coloring that would keep kids attention

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely way to explore things that you might find underground in your own back yard. Carrots, chipmunks, moles, toads, a bone the dog buried, and - of course - worms! Fleming's illustrations are delightful and there is a guide in the back to help you identify all the different underground things mentioned in the book. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers!

[Jennifer Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello. Does your child like dirt? Does your child have questions about what, why, where? This is a simple and colorful way to talk about the nature in our backyard and under our feet. You should be warned there will be lots of grub talk--but what a great way to learn about things we don't always get to see.

[Karen Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denise Fleming books are characterized by simple text stories accompanied by exuberant, stylized signature art. They’re excellent for lap-books as well as toddler and preschool story times. I love every one of them! Denise Fleming won the prestigious Caldecott honor medal for “In the Small, Small Pond”. Another favourite.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's really no story line, but this book presents lots of the things that happen under the ground. I am not a fan of the "mushy" quality of the artwork, no clear lines. But the colors are pretty and the depictions are varied and accurate. A good book to explore the illustrations while sitting in a big person's lap, not a good book for a group story time.

[Camille Rickis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of creatures, plants and dirt that uses pulp painting to create a unique view of the world under the ground. With the colorful and inviting back-matter section, both older and younger readers can learn something about the things that go on below ground.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book about what lays beneath the earth both vegatation and animals. A nice afterward about the animals seen in the book elevates the book to elementary but with just the main part, baby and up

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple text invite us to explore what's underneath our feet: a magical world of stone and bones, ants and bunnies, moles, rabbits, squirrels, and roots. Perfect for littles.

Themes: underground, nature, dirt, animals, curiosity
Ages: Toddler-PreK
Pub year: 2012

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely lesson in rhythm for the youngest, vocabulary for the slightly older, and Science for older children. Includes back matter guide. I rounded down from 3.5 because my older eyes aren't compatible with the art media.

LFL find.

[Addison Children's Services · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone loves playing in the dirt, now the reader can explore what burrows, digs, grows and lives in the dirt in this informative tale.

[Carol Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great illustrations - would be a great STEM storytime book. Very basic text about things that live underground and the back has more information about all of the creatures met in the story.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

could not love any more
great illustrations
short and sweet
promotes deeper research too
A+

[Marianne Tabner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated non fiction book in rhyme. Love it!

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady]

n/a. 05/09/22 Bookwalk

[Diana Salazar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The visuals deserve 5 stars, the writing is very much lacking

[Miss Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that explores what lives underground.

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very easy informational book for young readers. The illustrations bring a bright atmosphere to the story and will keep children engaged in the story. I enjoyed how this book was both fun and educational. In the back matter of the book they had descriptions of each animal that was displayed in the text.