Netherlands in Pictures Book

Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com

THE ECO-DIARY OF KIRAN SINGER opens with letters between Kiran and her grandmother. Kiran's grandmother invites her to spend time with her on a conservation crew that is working to restore a bog. Along with the invitation, Kiran's grandmother sends her a birthday gift of a new journal. Kiran's five-day visit is told through a series of thirty-five poems written in her journal. The collection is organized by daily entries and each day has several poems.

The new journal proves to be the perfect place for Kiran to record her impressions and experiences during the week she spends working in the bog. The poems are light, lilting, and as warm as the summer days they describe. Each poem conveys a sense of wonder for the beauty and magic of nature. The poems contain highly evocative words that transport readers to the bog and allow you to experience things as she must have. In "Bog Walking," for instance, she writes, "...Don't ever step in the bog/or the moss and the mud and the peat will suck/schlupp! schlupp! on your shoe/and you will be stuck...".

The story and the poems within it were inspired by the time author Sue Ann Alderson spent working on the restoration of Camosun Bog in Vancouver, B.C. The poems reflect the real experiences and real people that she encountered during that time. The illustrations by Millie Ballance contribute to the warm, peaceful spirit of the book. They are the perfect balance to the poems and the images and colors are as soothing as the words they accompany.

Whether you are a lover of poetry, nature, or just good books, you are sure to enjoy the time you spend reading THE ECO-DIARY OF KIRAN SINGER.