Before & After: A Book of Nature Timescapes    by Jan Thornhill Order:  USA  Can Maple Tree, 2004 (2004) Softcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Jan Thornhill introduces her intriguing, oversize, richly illustrated picture book by telling us that 'As time passes, all living things change.' Within the covers, she shows us a series of double page landscapes before and after, as they change over varying time periods. Each set of pictures has fascinating detail and surprising changes from one to the next. Nature Notes at the end of the book explain more about what's happening in each pair of scenes. There's a tropical coral reef with all its colorful aquatic creatures (shown and named around the edges of the illustration), changing over a few seconds. A lionness springs and flamingoes fly as a minute passes in an African savannah. We see how animals react as the rain stops in an Australian forest edge. Night darkens in a wetland, a day passes in a meadow and a month in the rain forest. Finally, a year goes by in a school yard, where children grow vegetables. Before & After is a wonderful book to explore together, or to use to supplement school lessons. Kids of all ages will enjoy spotting all the animals, birds and insects, and then seeing what's happened to them in the after image. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews