What Forest Knows

by George Ella Lyon, August Hall (Illustrator)

Stunning illustrations and poetic text fill the pages of this enchanting picture book that celebrates nature and its evocative, peaceful beauty.

The forest sees every season, from the first snowflake to the blossoming flower buds. The forest sees the ever-moving life in nature and the beauty it emanates. With lyrical language and rich and textured illustrations, What Forest Knows takes you on a hike through the trees, beyond the meadows, between the deer and foxes, and into the heart of the outdoors.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Nature, Childrens, Animals, Science, Environment

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2014

About the author

George Ella Lyon is a Kentucky author who has published in many genres, including picture books, poetry, juvenile novels, and articles.

Reviews

[Madison Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find the illustrations in this book magical. They help tell the story. I think this book could be read to all grades and could even be read in an art class while learning water colors. This book is written almost like lyrics to a song with how it all flows together and can be read in a sing-song way.

[Kaitlin Schraeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this book fits under the genre poetry because of the language used and the lyrical text. This book is about a boy and his dog walking through the forest as the forest changes through all four seasons. Throughout the seasons changing it shows you what happens to the animals and plants. The four things the forest knew were waiting, walking, growing, and gathering in. In the book you see parts of the dog in each season and then at the end there is a page that shows the whole dog face which I thought was a cute and funny surprise. I really liked this book and would be a good read aloud to a class for learning about seasons or could be a good bedtime story because of the lyrical text in it. The illustrations were beautiful and really brought out the text. I think kids will like trying to find the dog on each page and pointing it out. Some of the words children might not know the meaning to which is why it wouldn’t be a good book to have them read themselves. It personalizes and humanizes the forest which I think would attract kids to the book even more. I would recommend this book to parents to read to kids or teachers who want to do a read aloud in their class.

[Lauren Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Forest knows is a great story that takes the reader through the woods during the Winter. You meet all kinds of animals and find out what the forest knows. I think this book can be read by a first grader and up. This would be a great read aloud in any classroom! It has really strong illustrations and that is what mainly pulled me into it.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his dog take a walk through a forest in all four seasons. The illustrations match the lyrical narrative in mood and energy making the reader feel like a participate in the nature walk. Observant readers will enjoy catching a glimpse of the dog romping in each double spread page.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A celebration of the changing seasons and the abundance of life in the forest.

[Cosette]

Pictures are amazing. I did not care for the written part...

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phrases like "cupping sunlight" and "while creeks wriggle on to rivers" were so captivating. The images were so playful and simultaneously poignant sometimes.

[Enrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, very similar to City dog and country frog by Mo Willems I believe. It had almost the same flow and illustrations so it was like a reread of a book we read early on in the term with a few differences such as this time we had a fox and a boy throughout the story and mostly all of the story there was snow/winter time. Loved the illustrations and how we can clearly see how the snow is around in the forest and how if you look farther into the distance it begins to get fuzzy.

[Cristina Olivares · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Ed 230 class only
Teaching Ideas
- creating art with watercolor, stamping
- learning about what is in the forest
- Segway into different environments, ie: savannah, jungle, arctic, forest, etc.
discussion questions
- before reading, what do you think is in the forest?
- how many animals do you think we'll see in book?
- what kind of weather do you think the book is set in?
-after reading, were we correct w predictions?
- what was different, what was similar?

[Cinthya Murguia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was great! First of all, I loved the texture look the illustrations had. It was like spectacles, the art looked sandy and gritty. In the story, the dog runs everywhere through the forest. You are able to see how the first looks like for all the animals living in it and how the seasons change with the animals as well. This book is great for read out loud.

[Angelina Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for vocabulary and impressions. It's a little abstract, so it might lose impact if read on its own. But paired with a non-fiction book or a discussion about seasons, its a good read for a family or a classroom.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait, so there's a lost dog? Not 100% clear what's happening in this book. I guess it's about the seasons changing? And the artwork is beautiful. It makes me want to go camping...but my 3-year-old had no idea what was happening.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful message and language--poetic, lyrical, and wise.

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! The illustrations and story are wonderful.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit long for very young children but beautiful art

[The Campbell Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and a great vibe.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quiet story about nature and the seasons.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for story time. Poetic language and presentation. The illustrations push the lyricism as well.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this simple yet poetic exploration of the changes in the woods throughout the seasons. The soft, gentle illustrations match well with the tone of the story.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice

[WALEED · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at the forest and learn how to root deep, reach high, and know that you belong.

[Cheryl A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry, just meh for me. I'm not convinced that forest would agree that people, and esp. loose dogs, belong in a vulnerable patch of wilderness. And by now they're all pretty vulnerable, tyvm.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful, sensory exploration of the seasons from the forest’s point of view.

[Aviara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to add to my personal collection! A beautiful story and incredible illustrations.

[Oak]

The story follows a forest through the seasons, but not super clearly/explicitly, which could make things confusing for some young readers. I like the art.

[Tate Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hidden review

[Marytza Mundo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is useful to use for students to use when teaching about the different seasons. I think a discussion that can be used with this book is have kids understand how the color changes the feeling of each season. What I liked about this book is all the warm and cool color choice and the information given to children about what animals come out in what seasons.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetic exploration of the seasons invites young readers into the forest to see what happens to the animals and plants as the seasons change. It begins with snow, which is something the forest knows well. It also knows about waiting, so it waits as the animals in the forest sleep and rest during the cold. Then buds come and creeks run and birds fly and it’s spring. All of the animals and insects awaken and come out into the growing grass. Fruit arrives with fall, nuts ready for squirrels to harvest. Animals eat to survive the next winter. Finally, there is snow again in the forest and an invitation to make the forest yours too.

Lyon’s poem is glorious. She winds through the forest along with the breezes, touching down and pointing out exactly the right things. It’s a poem that is organic and natural, celebrating everything in the woods, the ongoing changes, and allowing us to see ourselves reflected in the woods as well. This book is an invitation to explore during all seasons, to look for birds and bugs and mammals as we walk.

Hall’s illustrations add to that immense appeal of nature and the forest. His paintings play with the light as it changes through the seasons as well as the colors of the trees and the grass as the time passes. They are dappled and lush, filled with the movement of the wind and the movement of the leaves.

A great addition to the crowded shelves about seasons, this picture book combines poetry with gorgeous illustrations. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a completely accidental blind date with a book. While at the library, the librarian helping me accidentally scanned this title for checkout in addition to the one I had reserved... she immediately offered to return it, but I said if it's available I'd love to read it with my kids. We are always on the look out for new pretty picture books to enjoy. I based this 100% on the colors on the cover since I didn't even see the cover fully until tonight.

I'm so glad I took it home. This is a beautifully illustrated tribute to the forest and the various, sometimes tiny, living parts that make the forest whole. The story follows Forest, I guessed him to be the dog in addition to the actual forest, from season to season and we as the reader get a peek at tiny details of the living forest as a wider landscape of life and our part in it. A great addition to children's environmental perspective reading, on how we are only a part of the wider world. Beautiful details with an environmental awareness bent, but a simply enjoyable story for those too young to quite grasp the larger picture.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover looks so mysterious and frosty that it beckoned me to read What Forest Knows. It's a soft and gentle walk through a forest's year. George Ella Lyon shared an Aldo Leopold quote in the dedication, "The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, 'What good is it?' If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not."

A forest is a beautiful, mysterious, and living part of our world. Lyon and Hall only share a beautiful glimpse into the happens of a forest. It would be interesting to see another book in a different ecosystem.