The Way of the Willow Branch by Durga Bernhard, Emery Bernhard, Harcourt Brace Co 1996, Reinforced Hardcover: items on eBay.com

Synopsis
An old branch falls from a willow tree and has many adventures before eventually becoming part of a young boy's mobile.

During a storm a branch breaks off a tree and falls into a raging river, thus beginning a long journey out to sea. After many adventures, the branch--now weathered and smooth--washes up on a beach where it it picked up by a little boy. What will the willow branch's next adventure be? Gouache and colored pencil illustrations accompany the text.

Details
Publication Date:	1996-06-01
Illustrator:	Durga Bernhard

Size
Height:	10.5 in
Width:	9.5 in
Thickness:	0.5 in
Weight:	13.6 oz

Publisher's Note
The Way of the Willow Branch encourages readers of all ages to observe nature and the journeys of all things in the natural world in a new and unique way. Instructions for making a mobile are included. Full color.

Industry Reviews
Once again the Bernhards (Reindeer) prove that there is nothing nerdy about science. With a bright, gouache-and-colored-pencil folk art style, the Bernhards winsomely trace the path of a fallen willow branch. The branch is snatched up by a dog, who takes it to a boy, who throws it into a stream, where it begins a long metamorphosis into a piece of driftwood in a child's mobile. The wondrous, convoluted journey of the branch teaches much about the natural world, yet the tale feels more like an adventure story than a science lesson. The conclusion brings satisfying closure while perhaps inspiring further inquiry into the origins of everyday things: "The boy's mother hangs the new mobile over his bed. `I wonder where this driftwood came from?' she asks." Instructions for making a similar mobile out of seashells, wood, pinecones and such are also provided. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
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PreS-Gr 2 A pleasantly bucolic journey with a little something extra. When a boy flings a willow branch into the air for his dog to fetch, it lands in a stream and begins its trip downriver to the sea. On its way, the branch is seized by a beaver, snatched up by an osprey, caught in a fisherman's net, and discarded. Washed up at last on a beach, it is found by another dog that brings it to another boy. That boy uses it to make a mobile hung with a beachcomber's treasures. It hangs in his bedroom window where it "...floats on the soft nighttime air, always home...and always on its way." The story, though unexciting, is simply and gracefully told. While there are some mildly dramatic scenes, the book as a whole is placidly idyllic in both text and art. Illustrations executed in gouache and colored pencil are stylized with a strong sense of design. The palette of blues, lavenders, and mauves appropriately conveys an aqueous serenity. Small, framed illustrations of details in the story are inset on the double-page spreads for added visual interest. The pictures will work especially well for group sharing. The last page gives instructions on how to make a mobile out of a driftwood branch. A soothing addition to use in a story time built around the theme of either trees or rivers and oceans. Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
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