Whistling Thorn - Hardcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A successful description of one of nature's quiet miracles. On Africa's scorched grasslands, beneath hot purple skies and a hazy orange sun, grow the juicy green acacias that rhinoceros and giraffes find so delectable. Over time, the bushes have developed gall-shaped thorns into which ants chew entrance holes to make their nests. As the wind blows across the holes, strange flutelike music is created. The thorns, combined with their stinging inhabitants, help to deter overgrazing of the individual plants and, thus, achieve a natural balance. As in Cowcher's Rain Forest (Farrar, 1988), her soft realistic watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the area's flora and fauna, often from unusual perspectives. Ant's-eye and bird's-eye views and closeups from a human perspective are combined to create an intimacy not readily achieved in real life. The vastness of the plain stretches across double-page spreads in hot reds and dry oranges, giving a feeling of timeless, open spaces. The brief text is to the point and accurate, and while the book works as a story, its main appeal lies in its dramatic, expertly executed illustrations.
Lisa Wu Stowe, Great Neck Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Again, an outstandingly beautiful offering from Cowcher (Tigress, 1991), this time in a simple, fascinating explanation of the acacia's symbiotic adaptation--which allows it to survive despite the giraffe's fondness for its leaves--that is almost a pourquoi tale: Long ago, both giraffes and rhinos enjoyed the acacia, but rhinos didn't damage the trees as did the giraffes, which reached even the highest branches. Eventually, acacias developed thorns shaped like galls (the wind whistles through their holes), bearing a sweet nectar that attracts ants that sting the giraffes when they feed, limiting their browsing. Cowcher's bold, graphic designs, featuring elegant giraffes and lacy acacias, are rendered in luxuriantly dramatic colors. An intriguing bit of natural history, emblematic of nature's intricate, delicate balance. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.