Drawn from Nature

Gr 2–5—A feast for the eyes. Ahpornsiri's artwork is created using leaves and flowers, intricately arranged to form owls, foxes, butterflies, branches, nests, insects, and more. The book is divided by season and describes common flora and fauna related to that time period (apparently based in a temperate climate, though that is never actually stated). Sections of headlined text such as "Butterflies & Blossoms," "In the Reeds," and "Forest Fungi" accompany the botanical collages which twist and spiral across spreads, and delicately surround the text. While solid basic information is presented about such things as the life cycle of frogs and butterflies and how and why leaves change color in autumn, the real highlight of this book is the illustrations, making the text seem slightly tacked on. Back matter consists of an author's note, photographs regarding the illustration process, and a small glossary.