One Day in the Woods

By Jean Craighead George

Book Overview

It is sunrise in the Teatown Woods of New York's Hudson Highlands. Rebecca, a young explorer, climbs a beech tree to the canopy-the highest layer of plant life-to begin her vigil for the mysterious ovenbird. "I'll know an ovenbird," she says to herself. "Uncle Luke said it's a wizard. A wizard does magic. That's easy." During her day-long outing, Rebecca discovers that wizardry abounds in this magnificent woodland. She is enchanted by the magic of a flying squirrel, disappearing deer, and wood ducklings. But Rebecca does not know in which layer-the canopy, shrub, or field-the ovenbird lives. And the elusive bird keeps her waiting. Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George vividly describes the beauty and symbiotic relationships present in the Northeastern Deciduous Forest. Her lyrical prose, enhanced by Gary Allen's thoughtful, detailed illustrations, exquisitely captures a young girl's spirit of adventure and sensitivity to nature.

• Format: Unknown Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 069004724X
• ISBN13: 9780690047240
• Release Date: October 1988
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.6" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

One Day in the Woods Book Review

One Day in the Woods and One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest are both books by Jean Craighead George. They are both about kids who are looking for something . They both take place out in the wilderness. If you need some interesting facts about animals, this is the book for you. One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest is about a boy and a doctor looking for an unnamed butterfly so they can save the rain forest from 11 bulldozers and 4 trucks, will they do it in time? One Day in the Woods is about a girl trying to find a wizard in the Teatown Woods. Will she do it? I hope you enjoy these two books.

Come spend ONE DAY IN THE WOODS

Jean Craighead George, author of nearly one hundred novels, picture books, novellas, guides, and stories about nature, presents a story of the perfect length about our most familiar ecosystem, the woods. Ms. George does a terrific job of placing readers in the feet of her main character, a young girl named Rebecca (Ms. George's granddaughter and perhaps the same Rebecca from her picture book DEAR REBECCA, WINTER IS HERE). One beautiful spring morning, Rebecca takes a trip out to the woods near her home to search for a rare and remarkable bird, the ovenbird, which her uncle tells her is a real natural wizard. While Rebecca searches for this wonder of the woods, she finds lots of other incredible creatures--owls, flying squirrels, deer, ducks, and a skunk--and even runs into danger and excitement. Fine descriptions, fondly and accurately written, make birds a lot of us see every day--towhees, robins, and cardinals--all the more special and important, as Ms. George's admiration for even the smallest things in nature is evident. And when Rebecca finds the ovenbird wizard, it really is an eye-opener. The illustrations are woodsy and a nice companion to Ms. George's words. This is a great story for anyone who loves nature and the special words of the author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.