Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest

by Audrey Fraggalosch, Crista Forest (Illustrator)

Moose Calf spends a summer easting and growing in a Canadian boreal forest, preparing for the winter ahead. When spring arrives, Moose Calf grows his first antlers and is ready to live on his own.



Book
- Colorful illustrations and interesting facts
- Poster and bonus facts
- 36 pages
- Paperback 8 x 10 inches
- Appropriate for 3-7 years

Genres: Picture Books

36 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Manybooks]

A delightful both textual and visual celebration is Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest. Audrey Fraggalosch’s featured text descriptively and with just enough facts presents the first year of a moose calf’s life (how the mother moose protects her offspring from predators and other threats, basically what life is generally like for moose in the boreal forests of Northern Canada), with Crista Forest’s lushly vibrant accompanying artwork for Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest providing and featuring a colourful and realistic aesthetic mirror to and for Fraggalosch’s printed words (from the calf’s birth, until as a yearling, it is finally chased away by the mother to make its own way, since mother moose is pregnant again and ready to give birth to another calf or calves, if twins are in the offing).

Now I have to say that I do kind of find the book title of Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest a trifle misleading, as I was originally rather expecting an account about boreal forest animals in general and not primarily a story about just one moose calf and mother combination (and while other animals of Northern Canada do make quasi guest appearances in Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest, it is generally only in relationship to the mother moose and her youngster, which I do rather think makes the scope of Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest a bit too limited).

And furthermore and finally, although Audrey Fraggalosch’s writing (both stylistically and thematically) for Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest is rather densely descriptive and probably most suitable for children from about the age of six onwards, I do think even with younger children being read to, since Fraggalosch does not use all that much sophisticated and complicated vocabulary, in my humble opinion, Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest also would likely still work very well and be an engaging and educational, pleasurable reading and/or listening experience, provided that parents, caregivers take their time, read slowly and take breaks.

But with my star rating for Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest, although I both enjoy and appreciate the combination of Audrey Fraggalosch’s narrative and Crista Forest’s artwork, and do recommend both the text proper and the supplemental information on boreal forests and the message that they and the animals inhabiting them require environmental protection, that there is no included bibliography is for me a very problematic academic oversight and enough so for me to consider not the four stars I was originally considering for Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest but only three.

[Abigail]

One of a number of picture-book stories intended to highlight various ecosystems that Audrey Fraggalosch has written - others include Great Grizzly Wilderness: A Story of a Pacific Rain Forest and Land of the Wild Llama: A Story of the Patagonian Andes - Northern Refuge sets out the tale of newborn Moose Calf, and his first year of life in Canada's boreal forest. From the time when his legs are still unsteady, and his mother hides him in clumps of willows, through the summer months of feeding on browse (twigs and leaves from trees), and the lean winter months of subsisting on bark, and running from wolves, the events of Moose Calf's year demonstrate how interconnected the lives of a given habitat's creatures (in this case, that of the northern boreal forest) truly are.

The only copy of this title owned by my library system is the one which includes the audio tape, so I read Fraggalosch's text, and looked at Crista Forest's illustrations, while also listening to the narration of Randye Kaye. I found all three solidly engaging, and think that Northern Refuge: A Story of a Canadian Boreal Forest would be an excellent title for primary school teachers to use, in a habitat study unit. That said, because it focuses primarily on one species, the moose, I don't know if it is the best introduction to the habitat in question, so I would recommend using it with a title like Life in the Boreal Forest .

[Clinton]

Great book for young Canadiana, beautiful nature illustrations and art, should be called a short story about baby moose :)