Traditionally patterned verses celebrate the flora, fauna and wide sky of the mixed-grass prairie of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. "Out on the prairie where the snakeroot greets the sun, / Lived a shaggy mother bison and her little calf One." As she did in Deep in the Swamp (2007), Bateman has chosen representative features and creatures to introduce a remarkable ecosystem. Counting from one to 10, she goes on to include pronghorns, meadowlarks, prairie dogs, grasshoppers, grouse, owls, rattlesnakes, coyotes and toads in a series of verses that also span the day from dawn to night. The poetry is not sacrificed to the information; she pays careful attention to language and rhythm, using splendid verbs. It reads aloud smoothly. Swan's energetic cut-paper, mixed-media illustrations delight and instruct. She includes found objects and hand-painted paper, collaged and digitally combined on double-page spreads that blend into a spatter-paint frame in the story section. Plants and animals are identifiable in the pictures and described further in the backmatter, 10 pages of "Prairie Flora and Fauna Facts." This describes the animals' child-bearing and -rearing habits, offers further information about the plants, and defines the term "prairie." Another outstanding appreciation of the natural world for young readers and listeners both. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Modeled on "Over in the Meadow," this rhyming verse introduces prairie wildlife, covering animals such as pronghorn, rattlesnake, and sharp-tailed grouse. Valuable back matter expands information about flora and fauna, carefully separating fact from fiction by pointing out which species of animals do not care for their young. Though busy, the mixed-media art provides a good sense of prairie ecology.

Traditionally patterned verses celebrate the flora, fauna and wide sky of the mixed-grass prairie of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. "Out on the prairie where the snakeroot greets the sun, / Lived a shaggy mother bison and her little calf One." As she did in Deep in the Swamp (2007), Bateman has chosen representative features and creatures to introduce a remarkable ecosystem. Counting from one to 10, she goes on to include pronghorns, meadowlarks, prairie dogs, grasshoppers, grouse, owls, rattlesnakes, coyotes and toads in a series of verses that also span the day from dawn to night. The poetry is not sacrificed to the information; she pays careful attention to language and rhythm, using splendid verbs. It reads aloud smoothly. Swan's energetic cut-paper, mixed-media illustrations delight and instruct. She includes found objects and hand-painted paper, collaged and digitally combined on double-page spreads that blend into a spatter-paint frame in the story section. Plants and animals are identifiable in the pictures and described further in the backmatter, 10 pages of "Prairie Flora and Fauna Facts." This describes the animals' child-bearing and -rearing habits, offers further information about the plants, and defines the term "prairie." Another outstanding appreciation of the natural world for young readers and listeners both. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

PreS-Gr 2 Using the traditional rhyme scheme of "Over in the Meadow," this book does its predecessor proud, and then some. Children will encounter possibly unfamiliar flora and fauna (yucca and grama grasses, howdy owls and pronghorns) in this beautiful exploration of a prairie. "Out on the prairie where the wispy clouds soar,/Lived a mother prairie dog and her little pups Four." A different native animal is showcased in each lavish spread. Swan's illustrations are unique and quite astounding; made using collages of digitally scanned objects, found objects, and hand-painted papers, they are vibrant and have an almost 3-D quality to them. The grasshoppers seem to be jumping off the pages to spectacular effect. Back matter includes an extensive section, "Prairie Flora and Fauna Facts." This book would be a great choice for any prairie ecosystem lesson, and it would make a sweet habitat storytime paired with Christopher Gunson's Over on the Farm (Scholastic, 1997) and Marianne Berkes's Over in the Ocean (Dawn, 2004). Alison Donnelly, Mississippi Valley Library District, Collinsville, IL