Text by Phyllis Root
Illustrations by Betsy Bowen
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS, $15.95
This gorgeously illustrated volume leads young readers on a journey through the ecosystem of a bog, revealing “bog secrets” page by page like breadcrumbs dropped in a trail. Even mature readers are bound to learn something from the captivating, oft-poetic text. (For example, nobody knows whether the methane “belches” that bogs emit make noise or not.) The simple lines and rich colors of the illustrations echo the spare complexity of bogs themselves. This big, beautiful book will inspire you to take a closer look at an important feature of the northern landscape. –Shelby Gonzalez