A quirky romp through the peat bogs of northern Minnesota, for young readers
Cold,
wet, and acidic, bogs appear to be extremely hostile to life, yet
numerous plants and animals have adapted in fascinating ways in order
to survive there. In Big Belching Bog, Phyllis Root lets us
in on the secrets of the mysterious bog, describing such special
inhabitants as plants that eat insects, bog lemmings, and frogs that
stay frozen through the winter and thaw out in the spring. But what’s
that coming up from the bottom of the bog?
The
biggest bog secret of all, we learn, is the remarkable process of
methane gas belching out of the bog. The gas is created by decaying
peat moss and forms a bulge in the surface of the moss six inches or
taller before breaking through. Does this “belch” make a sound? No one
knows, says Root, because no one has ever heard it. In fact, bogs are
known as some of the quietest places on earth. Maybe you will be the
first to hear the big bog belch!
Illustrated by renowned woodcut artist Betsy Bowen, Big Belching Bog
also contains a section of bog facts, including more information about
the plants and animals mentioned in the book as well as tips for
visiting a bog. Big Belching Bog will stir the imagination of
young readers and teach them about the landscape and environment of
these mysterious and, ahem, gassy places.
"Not a nature guide but a lovely appreciation."
—Kirkus Reviews
"A beautiful thing. Big Belching Bog is a science book, really, but a science book wrapped in Root’s poetic words and Bowen’s unmistakable illustrations."
—Star Tribune
Phyllis Root is the author of more than thirty books for children, including If You Want to See a Caribou and Big Momma Makes the World (winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award).
Betsy Bowen is a Minnesota woodcut printmaker who illustrated Borealis, Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman, and Antler, Bear, Canoe: A Northwoods Alphabet Year, which she also wrote.
Phyllis Root, WE LOVE YOU!
