Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book

by Betsy Bowen

Follows the people and animals of the northwoods as they starting gathering for the winter months as early as the start of spring, from planting and harvesting to searching for cozy boots and socks, in an enchanting celebration of the changing seasons that features vibrant woodcut illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Mathematics

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Miranda Reads]

"One Seed.
In late May, we start planting. Each vegetable in the garden starts with just on seed."

I've been on a Betsy Bowen kick recently and couldn't be happier with her various ABC and counting books - and this one is no exception!

In this book, we go from numbers 0 to 12 as she takes us through a year's worth of events in the north woods. Each number is accompanied by a short paragraph describing what is happening in the year and a beautiful illustration.

"Four Bears
... We see four of them one afternoon, a mother and three cubs, eating raspberries in the woods. They have to eat now, because their food will be gone when the snow comes ..."

I really enjoy how this book felt like a journal, we see holidays, and adventures, and seasonal activities. It's a fun way to talk about all the cool things you can do during the year.

I also really like the pacing - this isn't a LET'S COUNT EVERYTHING book - it has a slower style to it and a calming flow of the words.

All in all, I really adore this author and her series!

[Carolyn Wilhelm]

This book begins with May when it is still cold in the Northwoods and continues through December.  It is the story of how summer days in the north are savored and appreciated as the people prepare for winter.  Many children have thoughts like these, but more to enjoy summer days in preparation for school days, and so they will relate to the sentence:  "Summer is the time . . . to collect lots of warm memories to make it through the long, cold winter."  Surely people everywhere there are cold winters who can understand such thoughts.

[Abigail]

Minnesota author and illustrator Betsy Bowen celebrates the seasonal rhythms of life in the northwoods of her home state in this lovely counting book. Starting in May and moving from zero to twelve, she describes how the summer and autumn months are spent in preparation, both practically and spiritually, for the coming winter. Planting, harvesting and putting away crops, fishing on the lake and storing up warm memories of summer fun—these are all ways to prepare...

Published in 1995, Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book is the third of Bowen's own picture books, which she both wrote and illustrated, and is a worthy follow-up to her 1991 debut, Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year . I am an admirer of her wonderful woodcut illustrations, which I have enjoyed in her own three books, as well as the books she has illustrated for other authors, and I was not disappointed on that score here! I love the simple yet sophisticated folk-art sensibilities of this artwork, and thought it captured the beauty of the world being described. While not from this part of the world, I have fond memories of my childhood summers spent in northern Michigan, and could appreciate the wonder of the summer activities depicted here. Recommended to anyone looking for more advanced counting books, for picture books depicting life in the Upper Midwest, or for woodcut artwork.

[Maggie Panning]

I snagged this lovely book at a thrift shop last week and what a happy find. We live in rural MN and can easily relate to most of the book. Often these sort of informational counting books are dry and after one read you feel done with them, but I will happily read this book any time my son wants. This would be a great book for any child living in or dreaming of a northern land and a great book to keep at the cabin.

[Emily]

This book is a sweet, cozy read.

[Janice]

We have been trying to pick out books about gardening and taking care of the land, and everyone really liked this one. It discuses all the different chores that need to be done before winter comes, and I love the simplicity of the life coupled with happiness and reward that comes with hard work. The pictures were cute, different from what we usually see, but fun to look at. We liked this book.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

I savored this book, lingering over each page, amazed by how differently people in the North Woods live. This would be a great book to read to a class that was learning about how people live in different parts of the country.