The Brook Book: Exploring the Smallest Streams

by Jim Arnosky

A babbling brook may seem peaceful on the surface, but look closer—it’s full of life! A crayfish pokes among the pebbles for food. A salamander sits on a smooth stone. Over there, a small catfish darts around in a slow pool. Acclaimed naturalist and author Jim Arnosky offers this informative guide—a field trip in book form—to brooks and streams that is perfectly pitched to young explorers and scientists. Through simple, respectful language and lively, engaging illustrations, readers are encouraged to touch and discover—instilling a lifelong appreciation for the natural world.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 2008

About the author

Jim Arnosky was born in New York City, NY Sept 1, 1946. He was raised in Pennsylvania. Jim graduated from high school in Philadelphia and joined the US Naval Reserves. His active duty took him to Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany.

In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.

Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.

Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.

Reviews

[Julia Jasztal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy's review from 10/29/11 -


We've gone through a number of Arnosky's nature books in the past week or so. They're each very worthwhile if a little dragging. I don't know if Julia felt the same way because she said she really didn't know but in some strange way, even though they're interesting, these books by him kind of drag along for me.
It can't be that I know all of the info - I don't. I think I've learned from each of his nature books, especially this one. I've never had the thought to gather some supplies, go to one of the numerous streams or brooks around our house, and explore.
The author explains how to do just that in this book and he goes a step further and makes sure the reader knows how important safety is. He also goes into the wildlife you may find around these areas, much like with his other books.
If you have a little explorer - or a sketcher - these will probably interest your child. I wouldn't recommend for the very young though. Maybe mature preschooler and up.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Includes lots of information about brooks..where the water comes from, types of rocks you might find in a brook, animal tracks you may see near a brook and so on. Seems especially useful for a classroom...or for a parent before/after taking a child exploring in a brook.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the things that young explorers can do when visiting a brook are highlighted in this engaging picture book guide from author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, who has created more than one hundred works of natural history for children during the course of his career. From the stones found in the bed of a brook to the insects and fish found in and around it, from the flowers growing nearby to the birds perched in brookside bushes and trees—there's plenty to see and lots to learn. An author's note at the rear explains how the book can be used by educators and parents to improve the experience of the children in their care, when visiting brooks, and a list of further reading is provided...

Published in 2008, The Brook Book: Exploring the Smallest Streams appears to be a follow-up to Arnosky's earlier 2004 Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore , also published by Dutton Children's Books, and is presented in the same format. Like that earlier book, it is intended to be informative, presenting some interesting facts about a brook and the creatures and objects to be found in and around its waters. That being said, this title is also meant to be a guide to activities that children can engage in, when visiting such an environment, with the author suggesting necessary supplies and steps to take, while also emphasizing awareness of safety issues. I did wonder about the geographic specificity of some of the information—would the brookside flowers be common everywhere, for instance, or just in the northeast, where Arnosky makes him home?—but leaving aside that issue, I would recommend this one to those who intend to visit a brook with children, as I think it can provide some useful hints on how to get the most out of such an experience.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very niche book. It would be great if you were traveling to a brook and wanted to show your kids what to expect. Unfortunately it wasn’t a very fun book and did not keep my child’s attention.

[Amber Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kindergardener brought it home from the school library. He loved it and pointed everything out to the different types of rocks and where the brooks go, whether it's to the wetlands or all the way out to the sea.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It reads like a “how to” for exploring. It will be fun to do some of the things it suggests at our own little brook.

[Trisha Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated informational book about brooks.

[Dede · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandson got bored very quick with this book. I would recommend this book for older children or if you were going to visit a brook. It was very detailed for a child’s book.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Jim Arnosky's books and we were excited to read this book about exploring life in and around a small brook. The narrative is fairly detailed and we read the book slowly, only a couple of pages each night so we could fully appreciate the details in the illustrations and absorb the information presented.

Overall, it's a terrific book for explaining how to enjoy and safely explore the smallest streams. The illustrations are amazing, as we've come to expect from his books and our girls loved pointing out their favorite critters. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It explains all the wildlife surrounding a brook. It also tells how to safely explore a brook.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades K-3. Stream ecosystem told in field trip format.