Title: All on a Mountain Day
Author: Aileen Fisher
Major Themes: Bobcats, Coyotes, Deer, Grouse, Marmots, Mountains, Nature, Pack Rats, Porcupines, Rabbits, Water Ouzel
Synopsis: A day in the life of nine animals on one mountain in the Rockies is described, as the animals interact with each other.
We love All on a Mountain Day! I read it over and over while I was growing up, and now I’ve read it aloud to my children a few times. I just finished reading it to my 6-year-old, but the older children wanted to hear it, as well—I even had a request to read it first, of the books I was reading to him that day, so one of the oldest ones wouldn’t miss out!
Aileen Fisher has done a wonderful job of describing the lives of the animals who live on a mountain in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. She tells a story about each of 9 animals, the Snowshoe Hare, the young Porcupine, the Marmot, and others. Each of the animals interacts somewhat with the others throughout the day, and both predators and prey are described. It’s quite interesting to view the same incidents through such different eyes. The last chapter, then, wraps up the story with a few paragraphs about each of the animals, and then there are a couple of pages with a bit of information about each species.
One thing I love about this book and its sequel, Trapped by the Mountain Storm, is that the animals are very definitely animals, unlike the Burgess books. These animals act completely naturally, and although some thoughts are attributed to them, they do not talk or think like humans would.
All on a Mountain Day is a great story to give to children who like animals, although even those who aren’t such animal-lovers will likely still enjoy it. Who wouldn’t like to see a coyote teasing a bunch of marmots and drawing their attention away from danger?
No warnings, unless your children can’t handle the thought of predation.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Other Places: Milestone Books—Hardcover
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