January 2014
Photo © Dan Formento.
Alison Ashley Formento is the author of multi-award-winning nature picture books This Tree Counts!, This Tree, 1, 2, 3, These Bees Count!, These Seas Count!, and These Rocks Count! (2014). Her debut young adult novel Twigs (Merit Press) is edited by New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Mitchard and was named one of New Jersey's "2013 Hottest Teen Reads." Alison has written for several national publications including The New York Times, The Writer, and Parenting, and regularly appears at schools, libraries, bookstores, conferences, and festivals. She donates a portion of her book proceeds to AmericanForests.org.
"In a charming...small-town drama, Madeline 'Twigs' Henry navigates family secrets, boyfriend troubles and a friendship with a spirited older woman. The larger-than-life characters and gestures bring humor and action to the story.... Twigs is a compellingly flawed character, and [her] growth is palpable."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Not only does this tree count, it matters!...The message branches out into a concisely written story with a child’s point of view that is enlivened with realistic and artfully composed paper-cut and digital-collage illustrations. Teachers will welcome this “going green” tale, which ends with the junior tree huggers planting more trees."
—Booklist
"...the adventures of this multicultural class of kids are sure to interest readers, and Snow makes it easy to identify and count the items in the pictures. After learning all about how bees count, readers will be counting on Mr. Tate's class to give them another environmental armchair trip."
—School Library Journal
"Captivated readers will imagine they feel the warm sun, salty ocean spray, and cooling breezes along with the students."
—School Library Journal
"Formento once again underlines the value of the learning that takes place outside the classroom."
—Publishers Weekly
"This useful addition to classroom units on ocean life and pollution is the sequel to This Tree Counts! (2010) and These Bees Count! (2012)."
—School Library Journal
Twigs by
One pint-sized girl. Ten supersized crises. And it's high noon. Madeline 'Twigs' Henry is a small teen in the shadow of some big problems. Born prematurely, and still so tiny in stature that people think she's in the fifth grade, Twigs has a mighty spirit. She needs that spirit when life throws a bucket of stones at her. It starts with a drunken deserter dad. Mom and little sister are so obsessed with their own love lives that Twigs has to take care of both of them. Her adored soldier brother Matt is suddenly missing in the Middle East. Just as Twigs is trying to figure out how she can solve everybody's problems (and find out if her boyfriend is cheating on her after just one week away at school), the flash of a knife slices her life, and Twigs must stand up to a gang of thugs to try to save the person she loves most--the very father who left her all alone.
These Rocks Count! by
Mr. Tate's class is about to learn there's more to rocks than being dirty lumps on the ground. On this field trip they're visiting the rocky ridge mountains to learn about rocks. At first the children think rocks will be boring, but they soon learn that rocks are all around us in ways we might not expect--such as glass and toothpaste!
These Seas Count! by
Mr. Tate's class helps clean up a local beach and listens to the sea as it tells them about all the wildlife that make it their home. One whale, two giant sea turtles, three marlins. . . and more. Of course, the class discovers that "this sea counts!" These Seas Count! explores the environmental impact and importance of the seas, and how crucial it is to keep them healthy. Alison Formento's gentle story and Sarah Snow's amazing collages combine for a powerful message about the environment and what we can do to preserve our oceans.
