Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk Series by Jannifer Powelson, Illustrations by Kalpart (Review & Giveaway)

Author Jannifer Powelson has graciously shared her first three books in the Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk Series with me for a review.  She will also provide one of my readers a set of these very cute, beautiful, insightful, and fact-ful books as a giveaway prize.  Now let's see just what Rachel and Sammy have been up to.....

First of all I was drawn to the charming illustrations of Sammy and Rachel.  They are beautifully drawn, expressive, and exude a charm and beauty that is sure to draw children and parents alike.  Each discovery by Sammy and Rachel is also illustrated by photography of the specific discovery  showing in accurate detail the particulars of that subject.  The both artists - illustrator Kalpart and author/photographer Jannifer Powelson are to be commended.  I simply regret that these books are not in a more lasting hardcover format because they will surely get a lot of use.

Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie - Book 1

These two adorable critters take a little stroll in the prairie and Rachel instructs Sammy on the various grasses and flowers they find. Each plant is discussed for its specific features - leaves, flowers, stalk, stems -  and beautiful photography shows the detail of each plant. They discover the similarities of plant leaves, stalks, and flowers and how they are related. The variety of plants they learn about is interesting.

Rachel and Sammy Visit the Forest - Book 2

As Rachel and Sammy enter the forest they begin to see that all is not trees in the forest for there are beautiful small flowering plants that you can only see in their full beauty during the early Spring when the foilage of the trees is not fully developed.  They discuss the various leaves, stems, veins, colors, small plants and flowers.  They learn that the forest is trees and small plants.

Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees - Book 3

Jannifer Powelson's text and photography with the illustrations by Kalpart have brought rachel and Sammly to the reader in book 3 in this series along with their school friends who hike along a nature trail and learn all about trees.  They learn the definition of a tree:  "perennial woody plant that has a main trunk and several branches."  They learn the two main types of trees:  coniferous and deciduous.  Ms. Powelson's photography of the leaves, trunks, fruits of trees, and products that come from trees rivals many books in academia on the study of plant life.  Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees

This series of books holds a plethora of information for the growing child to use for continued learning and review.  These are not just story books.  They are "adventures with nature" in story form but packed full of education material.  Ideal for the homeschool library, personal library, and classroom.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Begins October 17 - ENDS October 31)
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About the author: Jannifer Powelson was raised on a farm in West Central Illinois. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where she first started to get interested in the prairie. She received her Master’s Degree in Biology from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. It was during her thesis research, which took place in Northern Illinois, that she began to learn, identify, and photograph prairie plants. She conducted research on wild raccoons and also had a few “incidents” with skunks, and that is how the characters from Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie, the first book in this series, were derived. Rachel and Sammy Visit the Forest – A Guide to Spring Woodland Wildflowers is the second book in this fun and educational series, and Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees is the third book in the series.

Jannifer is employed as a conservationist and resides in Princeton, Illinois with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys reading, writing, photography, and travel. She is completing work on her next book entitled: Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve.

DISCLOSURE: The author Jannifer Powelson provided a copy of each of the three books for my review.  Opinions expressed are solely my own and I was not obligated to render a positive review.  Ms. Powelson will also provide a set of the three books as a giveaway for one of my readers chosen at random from the Rafflecopter entries.
NOTE: I do not agree with the author's statement that the prairie plants began 10,000 years ago.  As a believer in God's creation, I believe the Earth to be younger.