Wait, Rest, Pause
Dormancy in Nature
by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Millbrook Press, 2019. 32 pages.
Starred Review
Review written October 22, 2019, from a library book
Here’s a children’s picture book about science simple enough to use in Preschool Storytime – yet it taught me some things.
The book looks at six creatures that go dormant for some amount of time. Each one gets two spreads, the first about what happens when they are dormant, and the second about what happens when they are active again. The language is simple and repetitive between creatures, and the spreads are filled with big, beautiful pictures.
Here’s an example:
If you were a dormant ladybug, you would…
fatten up,
pile up,
stiffen up.You would swarm into a ladybug pile, sharing warmth together.
You would pause.
In spring you…
wiggle awake,
feast,
flit away.
The dormant creatures featured include trees, ladybugs, Arctic ground squirrels, chickadees (dormant for a few hours on cold winter nights), alligators, and earthworms (dormant when it’s too dry).
Here’s how the book finishes off:
If you were dormant, you would be…
silent,
still,
waiting,
just waiting,
until…maybe the spring,
maybe the warmth,
maybe the rain
helps you…
stir,
burst,
appear!
This is a simple and clear science presentation for very young learners. There are more details at the back, including different types of dormancy.
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