Sugaring Time
by Kathryn Lasky
On This Page
Description
Text and photographs show how a family taps the sap from maple trees and processes it into maple syrup.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Prolific children's author Kathryn Lasky tells the story of sugaring season - that "time between the seasons... when winter seems tired and spring is only a hoped for thing" - in this beautifully-written work of picture-book non-fiction. Her lyrical but informative text is paired with her husband Christopher G. Knight's photographs, and word and image together document the process whereby Vermont farm family, the Laceys, make maple syrup from the sap they gather from their sugar bush...
Published in 1983, Sugaring Time was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1984, and it's not difficult to see why. The text here is highly descriptive, with many beautiful passages about the natural world and the farm life of the Laceys. It's unusual for a show more work like this - the book is a text-heavy picture-book - to be honored by the Newbery committee, so I went in expecting something special, and was not disappointed. Naturally, as a maple syrup and maple candy lover, I found the book quite interesting, and I came away with a greater appreciation for all the hard work involved in creating these treats. I also came away with an appreciation for the role that horses - the Laceys owned two large Belgian workhorses, Jumping Jack and Tommy, seen in the photograph on the cover - still play on some farms. Recommended to anyone looking for works of non-fiction about sugaring off, as well as to Kathryn Lasky fans. show less
Published in 1983, Sugaring Time was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1984, and it's not difficult to see why. The text here is highly descriptive, with many beautiful passages about the natural world and the farm life of the Laceys. It's unusual for a show more work like this - the book is a text-heavy picture-book - to be honored by the Newbery committee, so I went in expecting something special, and was not disappointed. Naturally, as a maple syrup and maple candy lover, I found the book quite interesting, and I came away with a greater appreciation for all the hard work involved in creating these treats. I also came away with an appreciation for the role that horses - the Laceys owned two large Belgian workhorses, Jumping Jack and Tommy, seen in the photograph on the cover - still play on some farms. Recommended to anyone looking for works of non-fiction about sugaring off, as well as to Kathryn Lasky fans. show less
Read on openlibrary for the Newbery discussion. Child me would have been even more bored by this than adult me. We knew, in Northern Wisconsin, that there were people who did this, but never attempted it ourselves. It was just a background thing for people who had even more energy than my incredible father. New to me is the idea of making 'sap tea' which seems like a quick and easy bit of fun, if I ever do make it north in the winter again.
Can't rate. The writing style is, unsurprisingly, gorgeous... but again, how many children appreciate that? Maybe some?
Can't rate. The writing style is, unsurprisingly, gorgeous... but again, how many children appreciate that? Maybe some?
A lovely, cozy book about maple sugar season on a farm in New England. The photos are wonderful.
Goodwill
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Best Newbery Honor Books
257 works; 32 members
Newbery Honor Books By year - II - 1981-2035
143 works; 4 members
Photograph illustrations -- children's/young adult fiction and non-fiction
97 works; 3 members
Books Read in 2023
5,638 works; 147 members
Author Information
198+ Works 58,916 Members
Kathryn Lasky was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 1944, and knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she was ten. She majored in English in college and after graduation wrote for various magazines and taught. Her first book, I Have Four Names for My Grandfather, was published while she was teaching. She has written more than seventy show more books for children and young adults on everything from historical fiction to picture books and nonfiction books including the Dear America books and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Many of her books are illustrated with photographs by her husband, Christopher Knight. She has received many awards for her titles including Sugaring Time which was a Newberry Honor Book; The Night Journey which won the National Jewish Book Award for Children; Pageant which was an ALA Notable Children's book; and Beyond the Burning Time which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She has also received the Washington Post's Children's Book Guild Award for her contribution to children's nonfiction. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
All Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1983
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 407
- Popularity
- 76,484
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.96)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 16
- ASINs
- 4
