THE HIDDEN FOREST

BOOK REVIEW - THE HIDDEN FOREST

A. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baker, Jeannie. The Hidden Forest. Asheville, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2000. ISBN: 0688157610.B.

B. PLOT SUMMARY

At first Ben does not respect the little minnows that he catches in his fish trap. He throws them into his rowboat and leaves them to die. Ben realizes that his fish trap is stuck in the seaweed, so he asks his friend Sophie to help him untangle the trap. Ben returns to the water with Sophie. Ben timidly enters the water and watches as Sophie dives deep to release the trap. After helping Ben untangle the seaweed from the trap, Sophie gives Ben a tour of the water and introduces him to the various types of kelp growing along the rocks. Sophie teaches Ben to hold his breath and dive deep into the water to search for sea dragons. After discovering amazing sea and plant life in the ocean, Ben returns to his fish trap and releases the animals back into the water.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jeannie Baker uses collages to create a three dimensional view of kelp forests. The specific cultural maker would be the kelp forest. The entire story takes place in the water. In the beginning of the story, Baker shows the kelp covering up both the water’s surface and Ben’s view of the underwater life. His murky understanding of the water included thoughts about ocean life as dispensable and something to make a profit on as the bag in his boat indicated: “Fresh, Real Value!”

Ben is frightened of the sensations of the slimy kelp gliding over his body and the unknown mysteries lurking in the water below the surface. Once Ben frees his boat from the kelp and his thoughts clear and he remembers his friend Sophie. Baker portrays Sophie as a strong, brave girl that helps Ben not only release his cage from the kelp, but also teaches his how to dive and in the process he discovers a respect and admiration for the ocean.

As Baker uses the collage to illustrate, how instead of being repulsed by the feel of kelp on his body, Ben watches the kelp glow underwater and float in the tide. Through the use of collage, Baker is able to show the numerous species of kelp and the ocean animals that live among the plants. Baker uses the whale spotting to finalize Ben’s awakening and to expose the immenseness of the ocean’s animals. The reader understands that Ben’s transformation is complete when Ben releases the small animals that were caught in his fish trap.

Baker’s uses specific adjectives such as shimmer, golden, gleaming, and mysterious and nouns such as creatures, dinghy, waves, textures, and fascination to describe the Ben’s exploration of this underwater world in a kelp forest. In the back of the book, the author notes that the kelp forest in the story was modeled after one that is located on the east coast of Tasmania. She also includes facts about kelp forests, describes Giant Kelp, and mentions that scientists are concerned that it is vanishing.

Ben, Sophie, and the beach goers have light colored skin and live off the island of Tasmania since the author based the story on the kelp forests growing there. THE HIDDEN FOREST gently guides readers along Ben’s journey from disliking the kelp and unknown elements beneath the water to appreciating the layers of the kelp forest and the marine life that live in the ocean.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS

Giverny Book Award Winner 2003 Best Children's Science Picture Book United States

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 7))Vivid, inventive collages by author/artist Jeannie Baker make this picture book on the hidden underwater world of kelp forests a compelling addition to the ecology section of school and public libraries. For her collages, the author/artist used collected natural materials, (pressed seaweed, sand, and sponges) or translucent artist's clay to model kelp and resin to make seawater. These visually striking illustrations extend the story of Ben, a young boy who holds little regard for sea life... He returns to the surface of the sea with a greater appreciation of the sea and the life within it.] This title captivates the viewer while celebrating the environment. Not to be missed. 2000, Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $16.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 5 to 9. Starred Review. © 2000 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Booklist: Susan Dove Lempke (Booklist, Sep. 1, 2000 (Vol. 97, No. 1))

In this picture book for older children, Ben, who is fishing in some weeds, gets frustrated because he's catching only minnows. He fights with the weeds to free his trap, but he has to call his friend Sophie, who knows how to dive, to untangle it for him. Sophie agrees, if Ben will come below the water with her to see "the world under the waves." The remainder of the book describes the underwater sights of a kelp forest and an encounter with a whale. The text is far less interesting than Baker's fascinating sea collages, which combine pressed seaweed, sponges, and sand to luminous effect. They reveal an amazing array of color, light, texture, and movement that appears so three-dimensional it's hard to believe the pictures are flat.

E. CONNECTIONS

Giverny Book Award 2003

Children could research ocean life and kelp in websites such as: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/ or general information about Tasmania using the website: http://www.discovertasmania.com/us/.

Teenagers could research ocean preservation and other environmental conservation in websites such as http://www.greenpeace.com/ and http://www.kidsregen.org/.

These are some other resources that provide more information about marine life.

Jackson, Kay. EXPLORE THE OCEAN. ISBN: 0736864067

Berkes, Marianne and Jeanette Canyon. OVER IN THE OCEAN: IN A CORAL REEF. ISBN: 1-58469-082-8

Bessensen, Brooke. LOOK WHO LIVES IN THE OCEAN: SPLASHING AND DASHING, NIBBLING AND QUIBBLING, BLENDING AND FENDING. 1-932082-82-4

Hall, Howard. THE SECRETS OF THE KELP FORESTS: LIFE’S EBB AND FLOW IN THE SEA’S RICHEST HABITAT. 0-9766134-9-2

Ramsden, Julie and Michael Ramsden. DISCOVER THE DEEP. 0-7910-8974-6

Rhodes, Mary Jo. LIFE IN A KELP FOREST (UNDERSEA ENCOUNTERS). 0-516-24396-9