What are some things we can learn about animals from the shape of their mouths, beaks, or bills? What can we infer about animals with sharp teeth compared to large, flat teeth? Are there any animals that dont have mouths? Following in the footsteps of Animal Eyes, award-winning nature photographer and environmental educator Mary Holland shares fascinating animal mouths with readers of all ages.
Daisylocks needs a home that is just right. She asks Wind to help her find the perfect habitat to spread her roots, and he accepts the challenge. Wind blows Daisylocks to the plain, the mountain and the wetland. She objects to each place one by one too cold, too hard, too wet. Daisylocks is not ready to give up! They try the humid rainforest and then the warm beach; those are not just right either. Will Wind find the perfect climate and soil for Daisylocks to place her roots and grow into a beautiful flower?
The Tree That Bear Climbed is a creative twist on the classic, The House that Jack Built. Young listeners and early readers will love the rhythmic repetition as they learn about the many parts of a tree. Beginning with the roots that anchor the tree, this cumulative verse story climbs to a surprise ending. Why is bear so eager to climb the tree and what happens when he gets to the top?
Do you ever wonder how animals stay warm in the winter? Well they wonder how humans do too! In a twist of perspective, wild creatures question if humans use the same winter adaptation strategies that they do. Do they cuddle together in a tree or fly south to Mexico? Take a look through an animal's eyes and discover the interesting ways that animals cope with the cold winter months in this rhythmic story.
Beatrix the beaver longs to be good at something. Her brother Bevan is an expert at repairing the lodge with mud and twigs. Her sister Beverly is a superb swimmer and underwater gymnast. What makes Beatrix stand out? One day, she runs away by swimming up the creek and finds some fresh garden plants to eat, and yummy trees to gnaw. When her siblings set off to find her, all Three Little Beavers wind up trapped! It takes some simple engineering on the part of the humans who set the traps, and Beatrix's discovery of her special talents, for the people and beavers to finally find a way to live in harmony.
Penelope Parker lives with penguins! Short ones, tall ones; young and old--the penguins are from all over the Southern Hemisphere including some that live near the equator! Do the penguin antics prove too much for her to handle? Children count and then compare and contrast ten different penguin species as they learn geography.
Baby Bat loves his cave home and never wants to leave it. While practicing flapping his wings one night, he falls, and Pluribus Packrat rescues him. They then explore the deepest, darkest corners of the cave where they meet amazing animals--animals that don't need eyes to see or colors to hide from enemies. Baby Bat learns how important bats are to the cave habitat and how other cave-living critters rely on them for their food. Will Baby Bat finally venture out of the cave to help the other animals?
Two friends take off on a butterfly hunt, only to find themselves tangled in a mathematics net! Written in rhyme, award-winning author Barbara Mariconda takes you along as the narrator, Rose, and her friend Ed race to see who can catch the most butterflies on this addition adventure. "How many in all? Let's add them again!" shout the butterfly hunters. Who will win? Ten for Me makes math fun, easy, and entertaining, while adding a touch of the natural world into cross-curricular education.
Cozy up for a rainy day read and explore the prairie ecosystem through its ever-changing weather. Each month features a storm typical of that season and a prairie animal who must shelter, hide, escape, or endure those storms. Told in lyrical prose, this story is a celebration of the grasslands that dominate the center of American lands and the animals that live there.
Sing along to this light-hearted romp while learning about different food chains within a single ecosystem. Which animals come out on top, and which animals end up as snacks? Hey Diddle Diddle teaches children about the food web, the circle of life, and the part that each living creature plays within an ecosystem. This book is so much fun, kids will have a hard time believing they’re actually learning. You’ll be singing long after you close the book. Animals in the book include: beetle, snake, hawk, frog, bass, lizard, caterpillar, and bobcat.
Soar into the Solar System to witness the first Favorite Planet Competition, emceed by none other than the former-ninth planet, now known as dwarf planet Pluto. The readers become the judges after the sun can't pick a favorite and the meteors leave for a shower. Who will the lucky winning planet be? Could it be speedy-messenger Mercury, light-on-his-feet Saturn, or smoking-hot Venus? Readers learn all about each planet as Pluto announces them with short, tongue-in-cheek facts. Children will spend hours searching the art for all the references to famous scientists and people of history, space technology, constellations, art, and classic literature.
Chicken Little may have thought the sky was falling but Peter Pika is sure the glaciers are melting and is off to talk to the Mountain Monarch about it. Joined along the way by friends Tammy Ptarmigan, Sally Squirrel, Mandy Marmot, and Harry Hare, they all wonder what will happen to them if the glaciers melt. Where will they live, how will they survive? When Wiley Wolverine tries to trick them, can the Mountain Monarch save them? More importantly, can the Mountain Monarch stop the glaciers from melting?
Told in rhyming narrative, Habitat Spy invites children to find plants (or algae), invertebrates, birds, and mammals living in thirteen different North American habitats: backyard, beach, bog, cave, desert, forest, meadow, mountain, ocean, plains, pond, river, and swamp. Children will have fun discovering the characteristics of each habitat as they "spy," identify, and count the resident plants and animals and learn about the interactions between living and non-living things.
Catchy desert twists on traditional children's songs and poems will have children chiming in about cactuses, camels, and more as they learn about the desert habitat and its flora and fauna. Tarkawara hops on the desert sand instead of a kookaburra sitting in an old gum tree. And teapots aren't the only things that are short and stout--just look at the javelina's hooves and snout. Travel the world's deserts to dig with meerkats, fly with bats, and hiss with Gila monsters! Whether sung or read aloud, Deep in the Desert makes learning about deserts anything but dry.
Big cats are fierce predators that roam the world from the mountains to the deserts. How are these wild cats that hunt for their food the same as pet cats that might chase a mouse or ball of yarn? How are they different? Children learn the days of the week as they travel to seven different world habitats to meet the big cats, and then back home to compare and contrast the domestic cat's behavior to that of its relative. The award-winning prequel to this book, One Wolf Howls, introduces children to counting and the months of the year as they watch the seasons change
Hurricane . . . just the word brings to mind the power of these natural disasters. Humans watch the news and know of impending arrival. We board up windows and gather supplies. We might huddle in our homes or go inland. Then we wait for the storm to arrive. But what do wild animals do? Do they know when a storm is coming? If so, how do they prepare? This book explains how nine animals sense, react, and prepare for a hurricane. Based on research or observations, the brief portraits are explained in simple, poetic language for children of all ages.
When Sophia dreams that howling winds whisk the fur and feathers right off her animal friends, she shares some of her clothes with them. But her clothing doesn't work well for the animals. Seeing their disappointment, she offers to sew each one the "right" coat. Animals line up to explain what they need and why. Polar Bear needs white fur to stay warm and hide in the snow. Fish needs scales, but with slime. Snake needs scales too, but dry ones. And how will Sophia make a prickly coat for Porcupine? The award-winning team of Halfmann and Klein (Little Skink's Tail) reunite to bring animal coverings (and classification) to life in an imaginative way.
Come spend A Day on the Mountain, the follow up to Kevin Kurtz's award-winning first book, A Day in the Salt Marsh. Rhyming verse and vibrant illustrations take readers up a mountain, from the forested bottom to the snow-covered top. While climbing, they witness the changing habitats and meet the plants and animals that live there. Learn about Black bears, Great Gray Owls, Garter snakes, Clark's nutcrackers, Bighorn sheep, Hummingbirds, Yellow-bellied marmots, Mountain goats, Salamanders, and Snow fleas.
Children facing cancer--whether their own, a family member's, a friend's, or even a pet's--will find help in understanding the disease through this book. A young boy discovers his dog's lump, which is then diagnosed with those dreaded words: "It's cancer." The boy becomes a loving caretaker to his dog, who undergoes the same types of treatments and many of the same reactions as a human under similar circumstances (transference). Medical writer and award-winning children's author, Sherry North artfully weaves the serious subject into an empathetic story that even young children can understand.
Astro is a stellar Steller sea lion! Only a few days old when found orphaned, he is cared for and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When big enough to be released to the wild where he needs to be, he has other plans! Just like a lost dog finding his way home, Astro keeps swimming back towards the Center, crossing miles of open ocean water to do so. After several attempts, people realize that Astro is too accustomed to humans and will just keep coming back. Based on real events, readers follow Astro through some of his travels that have now taken him across the U.S. to his current home at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a wolf? What would you do in the cold winter months? Where would you sleep? What would you eat? Spend a year in the world of wolves in One Wolf Howls. This adventurous children's book uses the months of the year and the numbers 1 through 12 to introduce children to the behavior of wolves in natural settings. The lively, realistic illustrations of Susan Detwiler complement the rhyming text and bring each month to life. From January to December, howl, frolic, and dance, while learning important lessons page-by-page! The "For Creative Minds" learning section includes a "Wolf Communications Matching" and "Wolf Calendar" activity.
Can a swan survive without winter migration? Marcel, a young tundra swan, is tired from the first half of a winter migration. One thousand miles is a long way to fly--too long for Marcel, so he hides in the rushes to stay behind while his parents and the flock continue south. But with the lake nearly frozen over, he soon realizes that he is not cut out for life on ice. Other animals offer advice about how to survive the winter, but their ways of living aren't right for the swan. Hungry and scared, he falls asleep - only to be awakened by a big surprise! The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes "Tundra Swan Fun Facts" and a "Tundra Swan Life Cycle Sequencing Activity."
This delightful adaptation of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, shares zoo keeper and animal preparations for the upcoming "Zoo Day." But things aren't going according to plan . . . The llamas won't quit spitting, the giraffes are drooling, and the zebras aren't happy at all with their stripes. Meanwhile, the zoo keepers are scurrying this way and that, cleaning up poop, ringing mealtime bells, and trying to get the animals bathed. Will "Zoo Day" go off without a hitch? The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes "Creative Sparks: imagine you're a zoo keeper," and "An Animal Adaptation Matching Activity."
Little turtle was lost! Free from his egg, he climbed out into a big, beautiful new world. Lost and alone, he wondered--where did he really belong? The bear told him to live in the woods; the frog said, "The swamp!" But turtle just didn't feel at home. He needed help, but where could he turn? Author Susan Ring helps turtle in this whimsical story of self-exploration and nature, Where Should Turtle Be? Detailed illustrations by Laurie Allen Klein give these friendly animals personality, and in the end, an unexpected tickle and tumble help turtle find his place in his new world. The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes "Turtle Fun Facts" and "Match the Turtle to its Habitat."
You can celebrate the huge difference caring people make for endangered animals while you practice subtraction skills. In this sequel to her popular addition title, What's New at the Zoo?, Slade presents a new subtraction problem in each clever rhyming verse. The colorful watercolors include realistic animals set in lush spreads by illustrator, Joan Waites. So join in the celebration of our world's precious animals with this exciting title, and have fun practicing math skills along the way! The "For Creative Minds" educational section includes: Endangered Animal Vocabulary, Food Chains and Webs, Missing Links in Food Chains, Endangered Animals, and Fact Families.
