Animals at the Edge: Saving the World's Rarest Creatures by Jonathan and Marilyn Baillie

Animals at the EDGE: Saving the World's Rarest Creatures by Jonathan and Marilyn Baillie

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Be sure to visit Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day for lots of nonfiction choices.

This week, I'm serving up a brand new book that introduces children to 11 of the world's rarest and endangered creatures and the scientists that study them. The featured animals in the book are all part of the Zoological Society of London's EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) project.

The book is organized into spreads that provide interesting facts about an endangered animal, a narrative from the scientist who studies it, and a notebook with the scientist's field notes.

Image courtesy Maple Tree Press

In the featured spread above, the endangered animal is the long-eared Jerboa, a mouse-sized animal that lives in the desert of China and Mongolia. Little is known about this mysterious animal, including reasons why it's disappearing. That's what scientists like Uuganbadrakh Oyunkhishig, the scientist in this particular spread, are trying to find out so they can save it from extinction.

The content in the book is written in digestible chunks in "kid-friendly," "you-centered" language. The scientists write their narratives in first person as if they are talking to the reader, and the inclusion of the field notes section adds a nice touch.

The end of the book contains a colorful map of Earth showing where all of the featured animals can be found, a glossary, and more information about the EDGE project.

Not only do children learn interesting information about some of Earth's endangered animals, but they get a glimpse into what it's like to be a scientist, a more "unconventional" career that may interest them. Unlike other books that "preach" about conservation, this book shows kids WHY it's important to take care of the Earth.

Learning Opportunities:

• Use as a supplemental resource in science and social studies classrooms in units on species, conservation, geography, and endangered species
• Visit the EDGE project's website to view more rare and endangered animals. For a project idea, kids can research and develop their own presentation about one of the animals found on the site.
  
  

More Info:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Maple Tree Press (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897349335
• ISBN-13: 978-1897349335
• Source of book: Review copy from publisher
  

Nonfiction Monday: Amazing Things Animals Do by Marilyn Baillie, illustrated by Romi Caron

Amazing Things Animals Do by Marilyn Baillie, illustrated by Romi Caron

All four titles in the award-winning series, Amazing Things Animals Do, are now available under one cover with the same name, giving young readers an encyclopedia of fascinating facts about animals.




The book is divided into four sections:

1. Side by Side: Animals Who Help Each Other
2. Little Wonders: Animal Babies and Their Families
3. Time to Eat: Animals Who Hide and Save Their Food
4. Wild Talk: How Animals Talk to Each Other
   

Each section features 13 full-color spreads, presenting information about animals around the world.

For example,

• Baby sea otters are born in the ocean and live in kelp beds
• Some female cuckoo birds lay eggs in other birds' nest, leaving others to raise and nurture her young
• Ring-tailed lemurs claim their territories by leaving a smelly scent
• Elephants communicate long-distance using deep rumbling sounds that human ears can't hear

In addition to Romi Caron's captivating and realistic watercolor illustrations, a small photograph of the featured animal is on most spreads.

Image courtesy Maple Tree Press

In the back of the book is a "Who's Who" guide giving more information about the animals and their habitats.

This would make an excellent choice for kids who are interested in animals, and would also make a great resource for science teachers, especially when covering species and habitats. Because Ms. Baillie does not overwhelm the reader with content, this would make a perfect choice for reluctant readers.


Visit the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Picture Book of the Day.

More information about the book:

• Reading level: Ages 5-8
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Maple Tree Press (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897066864
• ISBN-13: 978-1897066867
• Source of book: Review copy from publisher
  

This is My Planet: The Kids' Guide to Global Warming

This Is My Planet: The Kids' Guide to Global Warming by Jan Thornhill

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 64 pages
Publisher: Maple Tree Press (September 28, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1897349076
ISBN-13: 978-1897349076


It's Nonfiction Monday, and in honor of Earth Day on Tuesday, here's a book that gives children a comprehensive look at global warming.

Did you know that sea levels are rising at a rate that's three times faster than a hundred years ago? That climate changes are causing Adelie penguins to travel so far that they're arriving too late at their nesting grounds to rear their young? That native peoples of the far north are having a more difficult and dangerous time hunting due to the warming climate? You'll learn more about this and much much more in This Is My Planet: The Kids' Guide to Global Warming.

Using simple, straightforward language Jan Thornhill shows how the world is interconnected and the cascading effects caused by global warming. The book reminds me of a scrapbook with color photographs and illustrations scattered throughout that will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers.

*image courtesy of Maple Tree Press

Presenting basic information like the carbon cycle and different climate types and more complex concepts such as greenhouse gases, Ms. Thornhill never comes across as preachy or accusatory. Instead, she presents straight facts and gives readers solid recommendations for what they can do to help protect the earth.

The back of the book includes additional online resources where readers can go to find more information. This would make an excellent resource for a science class. Highly recommended.

Visit the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Picture Book of the Day.

Nonfiction Monday: Let's Go! The Story of Getting From There to Here by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here by Lizann Flatt, illustrated by Scot Ritchie

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Maple Tree Press (September 28, 2007)

Sometimes when traffic is heavily jammed on the highway during my morning commute, I take an alternate route to my Alexandria, VA office past George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate. That leg of my route is only eight miles long and takes about 15 minutes, but I often wonder how long it took Washington to travel the same distance to do business in Alexandria. Certainly, the roads weren't paved and he didn't have a car. Did he encounter danger along the way? Who traveled with him? It makes me appreciate the fact that technology has enabled us for the most part to travel great distances quickly and safely. But it took quite a while and numerous inventions and innovations to get us where we are today.

Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here by Lizann Flatt and illustrated by Scot Ritchie tells the story of transportation from the Ice Age to today and beyond. Through the book we see the first travelers who migrate to North America on foot carrying backpacks and pulling their possessions in travois. We see European ships arriving carrying horses which become a major mode of transportation for quite some time. We see the invention of the steam engine, trains, streetcars, cars, and airplanes. How will we get around in the future? Flatt poses this question in the end. Will space travel become as common as automobile travel?

Without overwhelming readers in detail, Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here gives a fantastic introduction to all of the different modes of transportation. Readers get just enough information in the text to learn the basics about the featured mode of transportation.

For example:

"A noise up above! Machines in the air! Propeller planes skipped through the skies. Landing on lonely lakes like giant geese, bushplanes buzzed in with supplies and the mail. "

With details down to the type of clothing people wore during the time period, children will enjoy all of Scot Ritchie's vibrant illustrations that provide an even clearer picture of the different types of transportation and the people who used it. Children will also have fun finding the dog that appears in each spread.

The back of the book features a "Did You Know" section with even more information.

Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here would be an excellent resource for a social studies classroom and a great book to spark discussion.

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Be sure to check out the rest of Nonfiction Monday at Picture Book of the Day.