Into the Deep Forest: With Henry David Thoreau |
Publication Information
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Author: Murphy, Jim |
Illustrator: Kiesler, Kate |
Title: Into the Deep Forest: With Henry David Thoreau |
Date: 1995 |
Publisher: Clarion Books |
City: New York, NY |
ISBN, paperback: 0-395-60522-9 |
ISBN, hardback: |
Recommended audience:
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ABE/ABLE:
Yes |
ESOL:
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Family:
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Young Adult:
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Picture:
Yes |
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General Information:
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Book Type(s):
diaries and journals, biography and autobiography, memoirs/reminiscences
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HSE Descriptor(s):
language arts - reading
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Summary: |
Thoreau's journal entries have been placed into a broader context and are accompanied by stunning paintings and pencil drawings in this 39-page book. The use of present tense verb form may be off putting for some readers. |
Teaching Ideas: |
Teachers, especially teachers who want students to study Thoreau, will find dozens of ways to approach this book. It would be a good introduction to a field trip to nearby woods. Each student could record the trek in a journal, noting animals, birds, tracks etc., using compasses and natural signs to find their way. Students could put together an ecology chart from the book (11 types of fish are listed. What kind of water do they live in? How does the terrain change with the higher altitude?). The book provides material for a discussion and writing project about how we use our solitude and self-sufficiency or for discussion on our preoccupation with making money. Students could study the metaphors and similes (e.g., p. 37, "It's like sitting in a chimney and waiting for the smoke to blow away."), could write their own for passages without them, or could use a thesaurus for vocabulary expansion. An advanced group might look at Thoreau's Civil Disobedience essay and discuss the influence on M. L. King. The book ties in with other New England books like Waiting for the Evening Star or fictional biographies of other American writers (i.e., Cooper's Coming Home; Bedard's Emily). Students may want to do map reading skills and plot Thoreau's progress. Finally teachers may simply want to read this aloud and let students appreciate the art.
www.geocities.com/~freereligion/1thorea.html |
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