A Day at the Sugar Bush: Making Maple Syrup

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

A Day at the Sugar Bush is a simple, documentary-style look at how maple
syrup and maple sugar are made. Though text on each page is kept to a
minimum, the author manages to convey a wealth of information. The
climatic requirements for tapping (cold nights, warm days); the fact
that the sugar maple, though best for syrup, is just one of many
varieties of maple trees; the step-by-step process involved in producing
the syrup and sugar; and how techniques have changed from pioneer times
to the present are all included. The final few pages of the book contain
a history of maple syrup, some recipes, and supplementary notes.

With its large print and many full-colour pictures, the book is easily
accessible to primary readers, yet enough detail is provided to satisfy
those in junior grades. Recommended.