Deep in the woods A folk tale

Christopher Corr

Book - 2017

Deep in the woods is a little wooden house, with nine neat windows and a red front door. When a little mouse decides it will make the perfect home, so do the other animals in the woods. One by one other animals are welcomed to share the home until the little house is full. All the animals live happily together until the day a great big bear wants to squeeze in too. But will the bear be able to put everything right when their home comes tumbling down? Find out in this beautifully illustrated retelling of a classic Russian folk tale.

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Children's Room jE/Corr Due Apr 7, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Folk tales
Published
New York, NY : Frances Lincoln Children's Books 2017.
Language
English
Main Author
Christopher Corr (author)
Item Description
"First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Frances Lincoln Children's Books"--Back cover.
A retelling of the classic Russian folk tale: Teremok.
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 31 cm
ISBN
9781847807267
9781847807274
Contents unavailable.
Review by New York Times Review

ONE RISK OF RAISING bookish children: You create little shut-ins. No matter how blue the sky, how warm the day, how the susurrations of leafy trees beckon, they want to stay in the dark, cool house and read. I should know. I was one. "Put that down and go outside," I often heard, along with a lot of importuning about the benefits of fresh air. Four new picture books bring the outside in, taking young readers on adventures in illustrated forests. Strange, inscrutable creatures live there. These are unruly tales that conjure mystery and a little fear, bringing the wildness of nature to the cozy couch. The sensory pleasures of the woods are on display in "A Walk in the Forest," a quietly beautiful book written and illustrated by Maria Dek. Simple prose describes the "wonders" and freedom that await among the trees: The chance to "find treasure," "follow footprints" and "shout as loud as you want." Dek's illustrations are warmly colored and full of movement - birds wheeling in a sun-dappled canopy; another flock flushed to the sky (possibly by that loud shouting); the hind quarters of a deer leaping out of the frame. Shifts in perspective abound. One spread shows a wooded pond from the viewpoint of a bird above. The next shows ticklish pond weeds and a blissful pair of submerged feet. These clever visual leaps show how small and how big the forest can feel, and how many different places the forest can be. One of those places is "a little scary." As the book progresses it gets wilder and darker. Our hero encounters birds with "secrets" and an imperturbable fox, animals nestled in their woodland burrows, nightfall and the wide eyes of an owl in a dim, piney tableau. He retreats indoors and watches the night woods from the safety of his window. "You'll go there tomorrow," Dek concludes, "when you're older." Forest animals are the main characters of "Deep in the Woods," a vibrant modern retelling of a classic Russian folk tale from Christopher Corr. Rendered in electric hues - neon coral, Starburst pink, Jolly Rancher orange - against cool, unusual grounds of lilac, aqua, violet and periwinkle, the book looks more like a delectable candy box than anything photosynthesis would produce. "Deep in the Woods" is alluringly strange. It tells the story of a white, wooden house in a forest, with "nine neat windows and a red front door." The house stands "empty, cold and sad" - until some woodland creatures happen along and make it their own. A mouse, a fox, a lavender bunny, a swooping speckled owl: Most of the animals have eyes shaped like human ones, which make them look more sophisticated - knowing, mischievous, sometimes sad - than your average picture-book fauna. This diverse menagerie keeps house together until a big orange bear ambles along and wants in on the action, causing first strife and heartbreak and then - after some light woodworking to make a house that will fit his lumbering frame - rejoicing. There is a lesson here - about friendship, and sharing - but the book never feels plodding or pedantic. Its rhythms are as surprising as its vivid hues, full of small but powerful subversions of kid-lit logic: The animals show up in bunches, not page by page; there are a dozen or so creatures crammed into those nine neat windows. What's more, there are no grown-ups here. The animals are peers: They create their own society, and resolve their own conflict. Which may be why the lesson just goes down like the truth. If you were to accidentally rake "The Gold Leaf" into an autumn pile, you could be forgiven. The book, written by Kirsten Hall ("The Jacket") and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe ("Do Not Open This Book"), takes almost all its hues from nature. It is awash in wonderfully earthy yellows, greens and browns. The only surprise in this palette is gold itself. Hall's grandfather was an expert gilder who applied gold leaf to buildings across New York City, and the technique is used in the book's pages, lending a metallic glint to this tale of what happens when something covetable and shiny - a leaf made of actual gold - sprouts unexpectedly in the forest. The animals don't handle it well. First a warbler, then a chipmunk, then a mouse, then a deer take the gold leaf because they can. A fox grabs it because "if everyone else wanted it, well then, he did too." As the leaf passes from claw to nibbling mouth, it crumbles, until "tattered and torn, it lay in pieces at the animals' feet." The shredded leaf disperses in the wind, and the animals pass the rest of the year back at their usual forest pursuits (not a bad fate, given the subdued beauty of Forsythe's richly textured murk). Then spring brings a new gold leaf - and the wisdom to leave some of nature's mysteries alone. "Little Fox in the Forest," the authorial debut of the children's book illustrator Stephanie Graegin ("The Lost Gift"), is a wordless but action-packed adventure that uses comics-style panels to advance its narrative. It would be an intriguing title for a young reader to try on her own, although the threat at the heart of its story - a lost lovey - may evoke a primeval fear for kids and parents alike. Our heroine brings a beloved toy fox to class for show and tell. Thanks to Graegin's nifty panels, in which an array of old photographs serves as a flashback, we can see this has been a tender companion from when she was a babe. But at the playground after school, a real fox sneaks out of the forest to snatch his stuffed doppelgänger. Despondent, the girl sprints after it, followed by a concerned pal. In the woods, the duo find a secret world: tiny doors in trees, a soda fountain just for animals -and the culprit, a young fox enjoying story time with his new toy. Our protagonist makes a surprising decision about what to do next, one that will give young readers something to ponder. After all, what the forest offers children is independence, and a sense of what it might be like to grow up. Of course, that's something reading can offer too. JULIA TURNER is the editor in chief of Slate.

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 24, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Vibrant text, a cheery animal cast, and enchanting illustrations artfully combine in this retelling of a classic Russian tale. In the forest, a little wooden house with nine neat windows and a red front door sits empty, cold and sad. That is, until a mouse spies it, moves in, and begins fashioning a cozy space. Soon, a frog notices the house, asks the mouse if there's room for him, too, and is welcomed in. Progressively, rabbit, fox, owl, and more join them and make a cheerful home, filled with song and dance. But when a bear, drawn by their festivities, seeks residence, the animal occupants worry the house isn't big enough. Sure enough, when Bear tries to fit inside, the house tumbles down. But the bear is determined to make things right, and together, the creatures build a new home, perfect and spacious enough for all, in a happy, harmonious conclusion. The lively narrative, incorporating repetition and sound effects, is ideal for reading aloud. The fanciful folk-style artwork depicts the characters and scenarios in vivid hues with neon-bright touches, enhanced throughout by decorative embellishments, varied layouts, and playful details, such as a spread featuring a band of forest creatures wielding musical instruments. Well told, charmingly illustrated, and with a positive portrayal of inclusiveness and creating community, this noteworthy picture book is sure to delight.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Corr's neon colors and joyous folk-naive artwork set this Russian folktale aglow. A mouse is first to discover an empty house in the forest-"It was painted bright white, with nine neat windows and a red front door"-and when other animals and birds arrive, he invites them to move in. Corr (All Aboard for the Bobo Road) paints the animals as flat, sinuous shapes with black-rimmed eyes and serene facial expressions. In a bewitching spread, an owl, its wings lined in pale blues, spots the house as he flies overhead, the sky bathed in pink twilight. The animals live together joyously until an enormous, butterscotch-colored bear shows up: "The music stopped. The dancing ended." The bear crawls over the roof with disastrous consequences. Corr stays true to his folk idiom by showing the animals' grief not with frowns or grimaces, but with torrents of stylized tears. All cooperate to repair the damage; the fox and deer examine a blueprint, and the mouse sits on the bear's shoulder, whispering to him. The animal household embodies cooperation and peaceful resolution, and Corr's artwork mesmerizes. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-In this retelling of a Russian folktale, a little mouse takes up residence in a cold, sad little wooden house. A string of other forest creatures discover the cozy dwelling and move in, too. The sprightly writing style, with repetitive phrases and dialogue, keeps the plot moving. The animals turn the house into a perfectly happy home and fill it with singing, dancing, and playing. A bear attracted to the sounds also seeks to move into the house, but the animals agree that there is no more room. Insisting on entering, the bear unsuccessfully tries the windows and door. When he climbs onto the roof, the house collapses. In an unexpected twist, the book does not end here but continues on as the bear builds a roomier house with the help of the animals. Stylized, full-color folk art illustrations have a nostalgic, stiff feel and set the story in a wooded area filled with an interesting variety of tall trees. Heavy black outlines around the animals' eyes detract from their facial expressions; sometimes the animals have an oddly sinister look that conflicts with the mood of the text. Cheery yellow endpapers are busy with small insects and plants; young readers will find some of these plants and insects again later in selected illustrations. VERDICT This modest tale is somewhat reminiscent of "The Mitten" and offers a lesson on the marvels of what can be accomplished when creatures work together. A colorful addition for storytimes and one-on-one sharing.-Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A variety of woodland creatures live in a house they find in the woods until a bear brings disaster; but together they build anew in this retelling of a classic Russian folk tale. "Deep in the woods was a little wooden housewith nine neat windows and a red front door." First a mouse moves in, then a frog, and soon the charming structure is full of critterssome predator, some prey, but all welcome and of modest size. Happily they sing and dance, celebrating their perfect home. But when a bear arrives, the cozy shelter cannot hold, much as in the familiar folk tale "The Mitten." Here, however, the ursid is a problem-solver, and together with the other animals, he erects a new home, able to fit all. The artist's illustrations are infused with an Indian aesthetic, and while objects painted with vibrant colors or repetitious patterns do not necessarily reflect the colors of the natural world, Corr creates a natural order that is energetic and extremely appealing. Similarly, the creatures' humanlike eyes connote an intelligence or reverence for the animal kingdom not necessarily portrayed in Western cultures. Their anthropomorphic activities are enchanting, as they cry, talk, play music, and finally celebrate togetheran inclusive message ripe for discussion. Readers will delight in the striking illustrations and captivating characters, while text repetition makes for a wonderful read-aloud. Corr's artwork is a feast for the eyes. Dazzling. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.