Where the Wisdom Lies: A Message from Nature's Small Creatures

Hope Ives Mauran
AuthorHouse (2006)
ISBN 1425969712
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (2/07)

"Where the Wisdom Lies" by Hope Ives Mauran is a book with a target audience of children between the ages of eight and twelve, but there is an important message for all people.  In this story, a young female is magically brought to a place known as the Underground where a council of creatures has been assembled to instruct her on how to spread their message to the rest of the human population.  This council consists of talking animals, such as a toad and a snake, whose physical size is much larger than normal in order to signify their importance in the environment.  These animals offer the lady some important lessons over a two-week time period.  First, they educate her about time.  They explain how progress by humans has led to a decrease in the standard or quality of life for many other species.  They suggest that clocks need to be reset from artificial (or manmade) time back to natural time when the seasons dictated when things would be done.  Another lesson they taught her is the interactions among all inhabitants of the earth are vital to its preservation.  If you take something from the earth, you need to give back to maintain a balance and stability among the inhabitants.  All creatures of the earth have special gifts and perform important duties so we should respect all life even if we see no obvious benefit to some creatures' existence.

I really liked the picture and the vivid colors on the book cover.  It is eye-catching and really captures the lessons this book is trying to convey.  This book is a good length for kids and delivers an important message without getting too preachy.  I can envision “Where the Wisdom Lies” would make for a good classroom discussion and offer possibilities for assigning projects to get students actively involved in helping preserve the land.

We all need to be ambassadors for preserving the earth and its resources.  One person alone may not be able to physically accomplish this task but he or she can set the wheels in motion and inspire others to join in this important crusade.

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