At the end of a warm, dark night in the rainforest, dawn starts to break. Soon, animals will rise to greet the day. But not everyone is waking up. Some animals haven't even been to bed yet! Small brown bats have been busy all night, swooping and looping through the starry skies. Now it is time for them to settle in among the trees. But one baby bat wants to stay up and play. How will her mother convince her it's time to close her eyes and go to sleep? Lyrical text and soft, soothing illustrations show little readers that from bath time to lullabies, getting ready for bed looks very similar for bat babies and human babies alike. Fascinating scientific facts and photos from the Smithsonian Bat Lab showcase the amazing lives of bats and reveal how they are not so different from humans in their family behavior.
The Wildes have made some serious enemies in their last two adventures--and now they've all shown up in the little Texas town of Glen Rose with vengeance in their hearts. Moving the vaquitas to the Wilds has created quite a controversy and raised a national debate about how to save severely endangered species. Go behind the scenes of the Wilds facility with Ring and Asia and discover how a modern animal park operates--and the dramas they face. Asia and Ring are home and it turns out that home is even wilder than the places they've visited!
This lyrical adventure follows the bluefin tuna, puffin, sea turtle, and Atlantic salmon through their life cycle. Each of these special species has a characteristic called natal homing. They're born, leave home to eat and mate, and then return to precisely where they were born to start their own families. This is a scientific look at these animals' habits--but includes a parallel story reflecting humans' own tendency to return home. Science and nature backmatter includes additional information on the included animals as well as an author's note.
From their furry ears to their furry tails, baby bears are so cute! Discover more about these adorable animals with your own adorable little one. Filled with fun sound words and sweet photos, (human) babies will reach for Hello Baby Bear! again and again.
One child's year is punctuated by the life cycle of the swallows roosting in the eaves of the shed. She watches as they build nests and teach their young to snap up bugs, zipping through the air in loop-the-loops. Winter comes and she imagines their journey south, towards warmer, longer days. And when the swallows return? She greets them open armed as friends. This is a joyful celebration of seasons and life cycles, a lyrical ode to the wonders of nature around us. Back matter includes STEM content on swallows, their life cycle, and migration paths.
From their big eyes to their long necks, baby giraffes are so cute! Discover more about these adorable animals with your own adorable little one. Filled with fun sound words and sweet photos, (human) babies will reach for Hello Baby Giraffe! again and again.
From their wide eyes to their long arms, baby sloths are so cute! Discover more about these adorable animals with your own adorable little one. Filled with fun sound words and sweet photos, (human) babies will reach for Hello Baby Sloth! again and again.
From their feathery wings to their wobbly walks, baby penguins are so cute! Discover more about these adorable animals with your own adorable little one. Filled with fun sound words and sweet photos, (human) babies will reach for Hello Baby Penguin! again and again.
Long before its establishment as a national park in 1872, Yellowstone was home to the gray wolf, as well as other large predators. But the relationship between human and wolf has always been a tense and complicated one. Predator control programs were developed and by the mid-1900s, wolves had almost been entirely eliminated from the region and even the lower United States. The removal of even one strand of an ecosystem's complex web can have a ripple effect, though. Using the structure of "The House that Jack Built," science writer Mary Kay Carson shows the interconnectedness of the wildlife that lives in a place and how the presence (or absence) of a single species can impact an ecosystem so that the physical landscape itself is altered. Engaging text and colorful detailed artwork make the natural science understandable and accessible to young readers. With so many of Earth's ecosystems under threat by climate change, pollution, and loss of habitat, this is a critical and timely topic. Back matter includes information on the Yellowstone region during the wolves' absence and after their reintroduction.
Fireflies (or lightning bugs) are some the world's most fascinating--and illuminating!--insects. And one many children can find right in their backyards! With a simple story, perfect for read-alouds, and colorful illustrations, this scientific look at a firefly's life-cycle will captivate little entomologists. Informative sidebars are included that let children learn even more about these amazing insects.
Award-winning author Eve Bunting pens a tender tribute to maternal love. The love between mother and child is a deep, profound bond, and that is true whether the pair walks on two legs, flies through the air, or swims in the ocean. A mother knows how precious her child is. Through gentle, rhyming text, human and animal mothers tell their little ones why they love them, sharing what is beautiful and unique about their children. From wrinkly skin to sharp claws to prickly quills, mothers love their babies just as they are.
Just after World War II, the people of McCall, Idaho, found themselves with a problem on their hands. McCall was a lovely resort community in Idaho's backcountry with mountain views, a sparkling lake, and plenty of forests. People rushed to build roads and homes there to enjoy the year-round outdoor activities. It was a beautiful place to live. And not just for humans. For centuries, beavers had made the region their home. But what's good for beavers is not necessarily good for humans, and vice versa. So in a unique conservation effort, in 1948 a team from the Idaho Fish and Game Department decided to relocate the McCall beaver colony. In a daring experiment, the team airdropped seventy-six live beavers to a new location. One beaver, playfully named Geronimo, endured countless practice drops, seeming to enjoy the skydives, and led the way as all the beavers parachuted into their new home. Readers and nature enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy this true story of ingenuity and determination.
2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Book Award, Long-list Dragonflies are some the world's most beautiful (and fascinating!) insects. And one many children can find right in their backyards! With a simple story, perfect for read-alouds, and colorful illustrations, this scientific look at a dragonfly's life-cycle will captivate little entomologists. Informative sidebars are included that let children learn even more about these amazing insects.
Though small in size at approximately 5/8 of an inch (15 mm), Apis mellifera, otherwise known as the honey bee, is one of the most important insects on the planet. Due to their status as super pollinators, it is estimated that a third of the food we eat each day can be attributed to bee activity. And the delicious honey that our winged friends produce makes its way into numerous food, health, and beauty products. This is one busy bee! But the health and welfare of honey bees are in dire need of our attention and help. Habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change are threatening bee colonies around the world. Helping to better educate readers of all ages, beekeeper and wildlife rehabilitator Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen gives a "behind-the-hive" peek into the world of the honey bee in H is for Honey Bee: A Beekeeping Alphabet.
Feeling quite ordinary, a plain gray moth sadly compares itself to its more exotic kin, such as the Luna Moth, the Spider Moth, and the Hummingbird Moth. And the little moth feels even worse when a young girl sees it and says "Eww!" But things change when her brother explains that this particular type of moth is his favorite kind of insect. Maybe an ordinary moth is really extraordinary after all. Back matter includes fascinating moth facts, along with a special activity.
Did you know that the stripes on a zebra run vertically on the main part of its body, while the stripes on its rump run sideways? Or that an elephant can drink 50 gallons of water a day? Ten African animals, including lions, zebras, giraffes, and elephants, are brought to life in colorful artwork, accompanied by fun nature facts. Written by John Platt and Moira Rose Donohue, each animal portrait is painted by a student from the How to Draw a Lion program. Established in 2018 by New York artist John Platt, How to Draw a Lion is a nonprofit art education program that provides art classes for children in sub-Saharan Africa.
With a French name that means "spiny pig" and wearing a coat containing needle-sharp quills, the porcupine is usually not thought of as a cuddly mammal. Unless, of course, one is a porcupine's mother. And who better than mama porcupine to remind her little one of all the wonderful physical characteristics that make him unique, as she helps him explore his world. Rhyme and witty wordplay take readers through a night in the life of a young porcupine, relaying facts about its environment, eating habits, and physical attributes. Budding naturalists and readers of all ages will enjoy learning about the not-often-seen but mighty fine porcupine. STEM-based back matter includes photos and additional information.
When Mae the mayfly first hatches she learns she'll have just a day to enjoy the world. But soon a hungry trout has her racing for cover! As she peeks from her hiding spot and notices some of nature's most beautiful sights, she realizes she must live in the moment and experience everything the--sometimes scary--world has to offer. This tender story reminds us all--young and old--to be present and mindful in all we do.
For decades, as the monarch butterflies swooped through every year like clockwork, people from Canada to the United States to Mexico wondered, "Where do they go?" In 1976 the world learned the answer: after migrating thousands of miles, the monarchs roost by the millions in an oyamel grove in Central Mexico's mountains. But who solved this mystery? Was it the scientist or the American adventurer? The citizen scientists or the teacher or his students? Winged Wonders shows that the mystery could only be solved when they all worked as a team--and reminds readers that there's another monarch mystery today, one that we all must work together to solve.
When a family spends a day at the beach, the children investigate various footprints to see what type of creatures live along the shoreline. Rhyming text turns a sandy beach into an outdoor classroom. The tracks and habits of local wildlife, including hopping sandpipers, scuttling crabs, and burrowing turtles, are identified and explained for young ecology detectives. Even Daddy's feet make an appearance! And at day's end, it's time for tired feet to make their way home. STEM-based back matter includes information on how clues like footprints can identify the type of wildlife inhabiting any given habitat.
Explorer Basil Bernard Barnswhitten (B.B.B.) has a list of creatures he needs to verify for an important report so he visits the Finchhaven Museum of Extraordinary Curiosities, Oddities & Improbabilities. But he finds that one of the glass exhibit cases is damaged - something appears to be missing. Or did it escape? To complete his report, B.B.B. travels around the world to track down each creature on his list, all the while asking the same three questions: Is it alive? Is it extinct? Did it ever exist? By deciphering the clues in his journal, young explorers can accompany B.B.B. as he tries to locate each mysterious creature. Finding them won't be easy; lushly detailed scenes serve not only as camouflage but also as habitats to other strange and mysterious marvels
From acclaimed U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis comes a delightful exploration of the wildlife easily found in our backyards and along the seashore. Simple rhymes and riddles are used to help the youngest of readers identify our wildlife neighbors, including birds, small mammals, and insects.
One spring evening an old bear finds a young bird, still learning to fly, has fallen to the ground. When the bear lifts the bird to safety, a friendship begins. Bear and Bird soon become constant companions, spending their days together, searching out berries and watching out for one another. They are only separated during the winter months when Bear hibernates and Bird flies south. As the years pass, their friendship grows stronger. Then one spring day, when Bird returns from his winter trip, Bear is not there to greet him. Days and then weeks pass and still no Bear. When Bird finally learns why his dear friend is absent, memories of their time together bring comfort and acceptance. In this tale of an unlikely but loving friendship, the cycle of life, including its joys and its sorrows, is gently explored.
When Jack and Ella come across a friendly--and talented!--lion in their backyard they are thrilled to take him in as their pet. And they're positive they know just how to care for their new pet, ignoring Grandpa's cheeky asides. But soon Leopold the Lion grows despondent and chubby. Even the circus who lost him won't take him back! Do Jack and Ella know what to do to get Leopold healthy again? A sweet story with a subtle commentary on making healthy choices.
Patience is a South African penguin. She is small at roughly 6 pounds and approximately 20 inches tall; but at 24 years old, she is the "penguin in charge" of the penguin exhibit at New Orleans's Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hits, devastating the city and surrounding areas with its catastrophic winds and flooding. The aquarium is severely damaged. With no electricity or relief in sight, the temperature in the aquarium reaches dangerously high degrees, putting the penguins in peril. Patience, and the 18 other penguins, along with some of the other zoo animals, must leave their home and their favorite human, Tom, the penguin keeper. Tom drives his penguins to Baton Rouge where an airplane transfers them to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Here the penguins will recuperate and live until they can return home to New Orleans. After nine long months away from Tom and their home, the aquarium is finally restored. And Patience, who has been patient, and her penguins return to New Orleans to a cheering homecoming.
