Book Description

Book Description

Far, far south, in the strange and beautiful land of Antarctica, it is dark both day and night all winter long. When at last spring comes, the penguins and seals raise their young. But, one year, loud, unfamiliar sounds announce the arrival of a new presence -- one the creatures hope can share this fragile world with them in peace.
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Reviews (2)

Beautiful Introduction to Being Green
This is a story about the emperor penguins of Antarctica and it touches on the Weddel seals and the Adélie penguins as well. The first have of this beautifully illustrated book explains how the female emperor lays her egg and how the male tends to it for up to two months while the female is at sea. It's just a fascinating introduction for a child about how different animals can be from us and also, how important they are.

The story also introduces the child to the effects man is having on the lives of the animals that live in the frozen south. Ms. Cowcher's drawings are just so captivating, that your child can't help caring about the animals. It's a good primer for the Greens, for caring, for perhaps a future Rainbow Warrior.

Sophie Cacique Gaul

Beautiful illustrations
The first thing that drew me to this nonfiction book was the gorgeous illustrations by Cowcher. They are beautiful. Her use of "cool" colors such as blue, purple, green, and gray add to the wonder of this book. If you are a teacher, this would make a great addition to your personal library to use with units on penguins or Antarctica. It also comes in a "big book" format and is worth the money! ... Read more

Book Description

"A scientifically accurate book which depicts the complex world of rain forests in easily understood text and sumptuous illustrations. The geography, climate and ecology of the rain forest are explained and the illustrations teem with the flora and fauna."--Children's Literature. ??? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gail should hire an illustrator or a photographer !
Ms. Gibbons is a WONDERFUL writer. Her drawings, however, are definitely not in the category of her writing. They detract from her books. I am a children's librarian and I have seen time after time that kids will avoid her books because the pictures are so unappealing. This is a shame since the text is usually outstanding. Ms. Gibbons should think about getting an illustrator or a photographer to supply an equivalent to her text. If she were to do this, her books would reach a much greater audience.

An excellent, accurate book
This book can be used as an excellent teaching tool. It provides a great introduction to the rainforests, and is full of facts about animals, medicines, and plants that are found in the rainforests. ... Read more

Book Description

An award-winning author and artist explain how every link in a food chain is important because each living thing depends on others for survival. "Clear, simple drawings illustrate the clear, simple text. Informative and intriguing, this basic science book leads children to think about the complex and interdependent web of life on Earth."'BL.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1996 (NSTA/CBC) ... Read more

Reviews (3)

My 2nd Graders Thought This Was Cool
Interesting, written on a level primary school students can understand, and packed with information

Good but not great
By the time the kids are at this level most of them already have some idea of the food chain concept (and anybody who has played Magic School Bus Animals definitely will!). It sits right at the cross roads of two levels- a solid first grade book, perhaps.

Great for elementary students!
This book is great to use when studying food chains. The kids love it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A vibrant look at a miniature world
"A Ladybug's Life" is written and illustrated by John Himmelman. The text and pictures look at the life cycle of a ladybug, including hatching, metamorphosis, and eventual egg-laying. The book includes a glossary of terms ("aphid," "larva," etc.).

Himmelman has crafted some wonderful images: golden ladybug eggs clustered on a green leaf, a ladybug dwarfed by a fierce looking preying mantis, and more. The artist brings to vivid life a world of savage beauty--it's like looking at an exotic science fiction landscape. The book shows predation and evasion of predation, but is not gory and deals with these realities of insect life in a matter-of-fact way. This book is another triumph for the talented Himmelman, who has created in these pages a world that is rich in color, action, and drama. ... Read more

Book Description

Explaining the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage, this book shows how glass, metal, and wool can be easily recycled. How Can I Help? boxes give suggestions for the young environmentalist who wants to recycle at home. ... Read more

Book Description

What is the strangest plant in the rain forest? Which rain forest animal is the creepiest? What medicines have been discovered there? How can we save our rain forests? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Rain Forests, Jack and Annie’s very own guide to the mysteries of the rain forest. Includes information on rain forests around the world; fun facts about rain-forest bugs, birds, plants, and animals; maps and photographs; and much more!
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Reviews (1)

Good info, v. readable
Our girls read this after a trip to the Amazon, and found lots that they recognized & enjoyed. The standard of information is rather higher than that in the Magic Tree house books, which is reasonable, given that they don't have to worry about plot & characters as well!

If your child enjoys Magic Tree house, and would like to know more about the Amazon this is fine, but I would also recommend One Small Square: Tropical Rainforests (by Donald Silver). We took this with us to the rainforest (see review) and found it to be excellent. ... Read more

Book Description

The ocean is an adventure made for kids!Underwater mountains that are larger than Everest. Giant squid with tentacles long enough to wrap around a school bus.Murky waters lit by luminescent fish.And glorious coral reefsNalas, endangered by plastic pollution. With Diving into Oceans, dozens of action-oriented marine activities let children explore these and many other magical and mysterious phenomena of the salty sea, whether they live on the coast or far away. ThereOs no need for them to even leave the classroom to get a taste of the salt in the airNat least in their imaginations! Part of the newly revised NatureScope¨ education series of creative, activities-centered resource books, this volume is dedicated to inspiring in children an understanding and appreciation of the natural world, while developing the skills they will need to make responsible decisions about the environment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Really great
We got this book for our inquisitive-minded kid; it's great because it's plainly written but not in a condescending tone (my kid hates that!). The illustrations are really good too. Our son tried a few of the internet links which were really great. Then it disappeared to resurface in the bathroom! Let's just say it's become a parent favorite too! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

great book for elementary school students!
I've used this book with first graders when we talk about plant and animal relationships. This book has wonderful pictures to go with the words. The students often stop me to ask me about the pictures. I love how it shows many different ways that plants and animals can "help" each other. I'd highly recommend it!

Cactus Hotel
This is an excellent book for children for learning about the interaction of plants and animals in the Southwestern desert environment. Many multi-disciplinary activities can be developed using this marvelous book!

A great book - an engaging story and great learning too!
I love this book. My kids (ages 2 and 4) love this book. Its hard to believe a story with the main character being a cactus could be so beautiful and engaging. But it is. And, at the same time as enjoying the story it teaches the kids about saguaro cacti and desert life. When I first read it I almost cried when the giant 200 year old cactus falls to the ground in a storm.

CACTUS HOTEL IS A REMARKABLE BOOK
Cactus Hotel is better than a good book. It's a marvelous book. It tells, without sentimentalizing it, the story of the life and death of a saguaro cactus. Though it is the story of one plant in nature and how other animals and insects benefit from its gifts, it is a metaphor for living--for all of us. That does not mean the book is heavy or preachy. Far from it. The text is simple in the best sense of that word and lyrical. The illustrations make you feel as if you were in that desert world, living that life. Through its generous time on earth, the cactus is home to, and provides nourishment for, various desert animals--a Gila woodpecker, an elf owl, many others. It uses its span on earth to be exactly what it was meant to be. All of nature is revealed here in its wise splendor--heat, drought, rain, cold, wind, sun. I have read this book to my daughter countless times, and I will continue to read it to her. I think I love it as much--more--than she. The book is poetry. Pure poetry.

Life cycle of the giant Saguaro brought to life for kids!
This book brings to life the life cycle of the remarkable Saguaro cactus. With delightful easy-to-understand illustration, it is a "must read" for third graders studying the desert and related topics. ... Read more

Book Description

Spark children's imagination with over 90 environment-friendly activities. These instantaneous art and nature activities encourage the understanding and appreciation of the earth and other living things. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

We LOVE this book!
This is such a Wonderful Book! It has Easy and Fun ideas for crafts to do with children! Everything from making a small fairy garden with real grass, to Easter crafts, to interesting Harvest time crafts! We have had this book for a few weeks now, and have enjoyed making three of the projects so far! My seven year old daughter adores sitting and reading this book to get ideas for us to work on together next! We own several craft books...But this one is by far the easiest and most creative for children to use! I love the fact that everything is nature based! A must buy, for nature loving families!

This book is GREAT!!
As a homeschooling mother, I'm always looking for simple, easy learning activities that can benefit my children from preschool age to late elementary. Earthways is one of the best books I've seen on this topic. The activities are geared toward younger children (preschool/early elementary), but even my pre-teen enjoys the varied activities. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

The inspiring story of the River with the Pebbled Bottom
What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival. "River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley. Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures. The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today. Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua. All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

This book is fantastic for third graders!
I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying the effects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had already studied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the two subjects together. The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the Nashua River helped my children learn about how they were harming the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two great subjects that are highly interesting to children. Any teacher that teaches either Native Americans or water pollution should include this book in their lessons!

This is one of the greatest books ever written.
This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 and it is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautiful pictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, and even adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the world around them and learn that they can, and should, do their best to save it.

Scenic AND educational!
This is a beautiful book! The illustrations are breathtaking and it follows an almost "illuminated" type of text structure, similar to that found in "The Mitten" by Jan Brett. Each page is bordered by illustrations of items pertaining to the period in history that the page is depicting - the implements used by Native peoples, animals that live by the river, inventions of the Industrial Revolution, etc. There is much more to talk about on each page than just the environmental theme of the book. This book would fit well in units about Native people, progress/inventions, ecology, water habitats, etc. A must-have for classrooms, homes, and teachers ... Read more

Book Description

Did you know that an oil spill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year? Berger and Mirocha focus on one of the worst spills in history—the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill—to explain in simple terms and with bold, full color illustrations why oils spills happen, how experts clean up after them, and what effect spilled oil has on ocean plants and wildlife. "A good introduction to the subject."––BL.

1994 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1995 (NSTA/CBC) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book with lots of great info
We just read this book as a read aloud for science in our homeschool. We learning alot about oil spills and the damage they can cause. At the end of the book was the idea for kids to write to Senators about laws for oil tankers and such. My son and I plan to do this. This is a great lesson on how kids can be involved and can make a diffrence in the world today. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the ways in which animals and plants, energy and matter, are linked together in different habitats around the world.

Here is a spectacular, thought-provoking , and highly informative guide to the fascinating story of ecology. Superb color photographs of animals, plants, and ecosystems reveal the ideas and discoveries that have changed our understanding of life around us. See how plants store their food supply, how dung enriches the soil, how biodiversity is measured, the damage caused by acid rain, and a field-digger wasp capturing a fly. Learn how plants create their own food, how and when the world's human population "exploded", how your back yard provides a small-scale model of life all over the Earth. Discover the links in the seashore food chain, how the buffalo was saved from extinction, why insects such as locusts are subject to population explosion, natural pest control, and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very informative and entertaining.
This book does a wonderful job explaining exactly how an item gets recycled. Its thought provoking and entertaining. The illustrations are wonderful. ... Read more

Book Description

Fish and fungi, plants and protists, mammals and monera all seem to get along swimmingly in and around the peaceful-looking pond environment. But a closer look at a small square reveals an ever-changing world. . .home to a larger variety of creatures and goings-on than you'd ever imagine, even in just a drop of its water! This beautifully illustrated "you are there" science book--part of the critically acclaimed One Small Square series--is brimming over with fun-to-do experiments and activities for children ages 7 and up. Includes a pond field guide, a glossary-index, and a resource list. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One Small Square -- Pond
This is one of the best books in a spectacular series that represnts the world, particularly to the young child, as a place of science, high drama, and magic. The magnificent illustrations of Patricia J. Wynne, the world-renowned natural history artist, pull the reader into the world of the small small pond with power and intimacy that no photograph could ever match; the clear and concise text of Donald M. Silver encourages the exploration of science and the joy of reading. I highly recommend this book to teachers, libraries, and parents everywhere, and suggest pursuing the rest of the series as well. ... Read more