The Busy Beaver. Nicholas Oldland. Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2011. 32 pp., hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-749-5. Subject Heading: Beavers-Juvenile fiction. Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8. Review by Ian Stewart. **** /4

excerpt:

There once was a beaver who was so busy
that he didn't always think things through.
The beaver's carelessness was becoming a problem.
His dams leaked, and he always made a mess of the
forest---he left trees half-chewed, and, worse, he
felled more than he needed.

Nicholas Oldland's latest book is as enjoyable as his two previous titles, Big Bear Hug and Making the Moose Out of Life. He tells a simple tale to which children can relate, and, without being heavy-handed, he turns it into a nice lesson that helps readers understand the needs of others.

     In this tale, our buddy Beaver is busy doing what beaver's do, i.e. cutting down trees. However, much to the dismay of his forest friends, Beaver was not always as careful as he should be. He made a mess of their forest when he left trees half cut, and, even worse, he cut down more than he needed. He was not a very ecologically friendly beaver, to say the least.

      His friends worried for their lives. Beaver once dropped a tree on top of a poor bear and chewed the leg of a moose. One day, Beaver dropped a tree on himself and found himself in hospital. Looking out the window, he saw the mess he had made and what his unthinking behaviour had done to his friends.

      Beaver resolved to be a better friend. He resolved to be more careful in how he cut his trees and to show concern for all the forest creatures. Soon, everyone was happier, and safer, including Beaver. The forest became a better place to live now that all its inhabitants showed concerns for the needs of others.

Highly Recommended.

Ian Stewart is a Reading Recovery teacher at Cecil Rhodes School in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - February 3, 2012.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME