Two artists, two styles, and one book that may not be big enough for the both of them. See, Ink (the mouse) likes things to be clean and precise. Scribbles (the cat) is the opposite. But while there should be plenty of room for each of them to make their art without getting in each others way, or on each others nerves, THEY CAN'T MANAGE THAT! And from there paint splatters, ink goops, pencils get broken and brushes go wild until...it's not a work of art, IT'S A MESS! Discovering that they are no longer having any fun, the duo tentatively tries to collaborate instead of clobber, and, thus, a disasterpiece becomes a masterpiece. Include a giant fold-out and a detachable sketchpad. With this much creative friction, will this disaster-piece ever become a masterpiece?
Jump like a squirrel, dunk like a raccoon, and - uh-oh - watch out for the skunk! Children learn the ways of forest animals to the rhythm of "Over in the Meadow" in this delightful introduction to the woodland habitat. They will also count the babies and search for hidden animals. And when they see how each illustration is made from cut paper, they may be inspired to try cut-paper art, too.
A dandelion can teach much about seeds and seasons and cycles, and the big world that a wind-blown seed can travel, but it also can make us appreciate the challenges it must overcome. This gorgeous book is at once simple and profound. You may be surprised and pleased by the questions and observations of your children after reading this together.
Go on a field trip between two covers with Tony to a special, brilliant habitat, a tidepool. A whole community of creatures lives there! Humor, a fun rhyme, good science, and brilliant illustrations come together in a clear, easily understood package. Two pages of Field Notes and fun facts at the back of the book offer intriguing glimpses of these creatures, from snails to sponges.
This brilliant picture book adaptation of the first hit song of John Denver is all about roots, family, and country. Set in Appalachia, a humorously diverse bunch of relatives and their in-laws go up, down and around the hills of West Virginia to converge by car, pickup, and motorcycle to a family reunion at Grandma and Grandpa's country home. True to Appalachian style, Canyon portrays it all as if on a quilt, complete with little stitches between the fabric.
Just imagine all of nature - mountains, prairies, oceans, and all - lying on your bed as a patchwork quilt! Take flora and fauna in their unique habitats, fold them up and you have a book, this book. Earth's major habitats are spread before you, ready to be examined. Here in this beautiful package are revealed the key concepts of natural science. This patchwork quilt of nature covers the whole Earth, your home - yours to learn about, to enjoy, to care for, and to love.
Named a prestigious CBC/NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, this is a poetic yet accurate description of the life cycle of salmon. For kids, it is fun and eye-opening. For teachers, it is a valuable supplement to a unit on water, fish and ocean animals, and life cycles. Fast-paced prose and brilliant illustrations follow the salmon from their form as eggs in a stream to the wide ocean, eventually making a hazardous journey home to their stream of origin. As in her earlier best-selling book, The Tree in the Ancient Forest, author Carol Reed-Jones uses cumulative verse--a literary technique that is not only enjoyable but suggests how interconnected salmon are with their habitat. At the back is a section on salmon facts and what makes a good habitat for them, teaching the basics of ecology and why clean streams and waters are so important.
Here, in luminous illustrations, is the life cycle of an oak - and how it supports life even after it is gone. An acorn drops from a great oak and grows. Animals nibble at it, a fire threatens it, but overcoming many challenges it eventually towers high in the forest, observing the changing human scene below. Eventually its energy passes into many other life forms - even the cherry pie enjoyed by the boy in the house below.
This heartwarming book--an adaptation of one of John Denver's best-loved songs--is a lovely reminder of the good, pure things in life. "Sunshine On My Shoulders" celebrates friendship, sunshine and simple joy. Children and adults alike will love Christopher Canyon's whimsical and humorous illustrations, that capture the innocence of childhood. This is one of a series of picture book adaptations of John Denver's songs that reflect the gift of friendship and nature.
Teachers! Here is another field trip between covers from Tony Fredericks, a funny but very astute professor. Here he visits wetlands inhabited by leaping frogs and zip-zipping dragonflies. Teachers will appreciate the accurate science and great illustrations. Kids will appreciate the humor and cadence of the text, while learning how the wetland creatures interact in their community. Two pages of Field Notes and fun facts at the back of the book offer intriguing information on these creatures.
Australian animals are unique. Their babies may be riding in mama's pouch, or hitching a ride on daddy, piggy-back! Children will sing, clap and count to the rhyme of "Over in the Meadow" as they learn about wallabies, koalas, wombats, and more. Cut-paper illustrations add to the fun.
Here is the ideal introduction for preschoolers and early elementary children to insects that are not only amazing but also critically important to humans. Inside-the-hive views of a wild colony of honey bees offer close-ups of the queen, the cells, even bee eggs. Simple verse will engage a young child, while sidebars with fascinating information satisfy the somewhat older child. Parents, teachers, and interested children will enjoy much more information about both wild and domestic hives in the back of the book. The detailed art shimmers with life, highlighting each hair or grain of pollen on the bees. A wild hive in a tree in her own backyard served as a model for the artist!
Elementary science teachers! Here is a low-cost field trip between covers from Tony Fredericks, a funny but very astute professor. Plus, the habitat lies under just about every rock. A whole community of insects and other creatures lives under rocks--worms and ants, spiders and slugs, crickets and beetles. Dr. Fredericks focuses on the whole community of neighbors where the ground beneath a big old rock is home to them all. Two pages of Field Notes and fun facts at the back of the book offer intriguing information on these creatures.
Teachers and parents, take note: this book is already a classic. Two geniuses--author and illustrator--came into perfect alignment to create this book. The author has kids thinking it is entertainment while adults think it is a great lesson about the ocean. The genius of the illustrator is obvious. With painstaking detail each illustration is created entirely of polymer clay, then photographed, creating a 3-D impression of tremendous vitality. Kids will sing, clap, and count their way among pufferfish that puff, gruntfish that grunt, and seahorses that flutter, and begin to appreciate life in the ocean. And the art will inspire many a project. Plus there are several pages of extension ideas for curriculum and art projects as well as resources on the web and elsewhere.
This remarkable evolution series, narrated by the Universe itself, concludes with this third book, the amazing story of mammals and humans. It picks up after From Lava to Life: The Universe Tells Our Earth Story with the extinction of dinosaurs, and tells how tiny mammals survived and morphed into lots of new Earthlings ... horses, whales and a kind of mammal with a powerful imagination--you! It is a story of chaos, creativity and heroes--the greatest adventure on Earth! And it is a personal story...about our bodies, our minds, and spirits. It is our story. As the president of the American Montessori Society said, These books are alive with wonder, radiance, and deep relevance.
Old MacDonald had a...garden? Yes! Sing along with young Jo MacDonald as she grows healthy food for people and wild creatures. E-I-E-I-O! Find out how butterflies, bumblebees, and birds help a garden to thrive - and how you can help them too. And keep an eye on one mysterious plant. What will it become? Youngsters learn about garden ecosystems and stewardship through this playful adaptation of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."
Old MacDonald had a...pond? Yes! Come along with Jo MacDonald and learn about the wild creatures at the farm pond. You'll find fish, frogs, ducks--and a few surprises. This delightful riff on "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" playfully introduces youngsters to the concept of ecosystems. Quattlebaum engages little ones with rhythm, repetition, wordplay, and onomatopoeia, while Bryant charms them with lively watercolors of a pond community. A resource section in the back features both outdoor and indoor activities and games sure to encourage young naturalists at home and school. Jo MacDonald's pond discoveries closely resemble those that Mary discovered, too, when she grew up in the country with fields, gardens and ponds.
Here is a favorite of elementary science teachers for the food chain. Each of the creatures passes the energy in its own unique way. In this upbeat rhyming story, the food chain connects herbivores, carnivores, insects and plants together in a fascinating circle of players. All beings on Earth--from the anchovy to the zooplankton--depend upon the green plant, which is the hero of the story. The special talent of the author shines again (see also A Drop Around the World) for being able to present the science curriculum so concisely, creatively, and cleverly. A 48-page Teacher Guide based on the book is also available.
Teachers and parents, here is another favorite from Marianne, who has a special talent. The kids think it is entertainment while teachers and parents think it is a great lesson about the Arctic! This book combines singing, counting, and full-body action with terrific cut-paper illustrations that kids will want to imitate. Over in the Arctic, the snow goose honks and the wolf howls. Children too will joyfully honk and howl while they count the baby animals and sing to the tune of Over in the Meadow. And they will hunt for hidden animals on each page. A big plus for educators are several pages of extension ideas for curriculum and art projects as well as resources on the web and elsewhere.
This wonderful book is natural science - in this case, about desert animals - with a flair. A boy walks up to an impressive saguaro cactus and wonders who could be living on this arid ground? As night falls, he walks away. And then the place comes alive! A haven for creatures in a waterless land. The entertaining, repetitive rhyme is an attention-grabbing read-aloud that culminates in successful learning. Field Notes at the end of the book describe the animals in detail and include an unusual fact.
Someone is always awake in the forest--and someone else is always asleep! Some animals are alert in daytime and sleep at night. Others are alert at night, and are sleepyheads during the day. Plus be sure to count the animals. Teachers: this book is a very pleasant way to combine science and literature.
Teachers! This book is like a whole unit on migration wrapped in a winning combination of easy verse, factual language, and beautiful illustrations. For animals, migration is a powerful compulsion to travel, sometimes over long distances, often skipping many meals. Sometimes, as in the case of the monarch butterfly, a round-trip takes several generations. Why do they do it? How do they succeed? The ten featured species offer a broad representation of migration: loggerhead turtles, monarch butterflies, manatees, ruby-throated hummingbirds, Pacific salmon, Canada geese, California gray whales, caribou, Arctic tern, and emperor penguin. The book is loaded with additional tips for teachers. Once again Marianne Berkes combines her teaching, writing, and theatrical skills to combine entertainment with education--creative non-fiction at its best.
This book is a rare find, well deserving of the prestigious Picture Book of the Year award from CBC-NSTA. The science about dragonflies is perfectly integrated into a story in which the remarkable metamorphosis of a dragonfly from a mucky nymph ("Eeeewww," says Eliza) to a beautiful winged creature ("Magnificent!" says Aunt Doris) is a metaphor for the magic of how Eliza, too, is growing up. Teachers will find it useful primarily in an elementary science unit on insects, life cycles and habitats, but also in for language arts lessons in theme, symbolism, and metaphor. The watercolor illustrations are rich, whimsical, and fun. There are two pages of additional science in the back. This is an exceptional example of creative non-fiction writing.
This collection of true stories of animal behavior is not only captivating and thought-provoking, but also a terrific way for teachers and parents to have children to consider feelings--whether animal or human. A young antelope was being dragged into a river by a crocodile. A nearby hippopotamus saw what was happening and charged the croc, which released the antelope. The hippo gently pulled the antelope up the riverbank, comforting and protecting it until it died. Was this compassion? A zoo monkey routinely used a banana to bribe a moose to carry him across a moat designed to keep him confined to a small island. Was this cleverness?
A simple, small act of kindness may go much farther than you think. Brian wasn't looking for anything in return when he gave his mother a great big hug. Brian's hug set in motion a series of unselfish acts that reached more people (and even animals) than he could ever know. This is a story that happens every day, with infinite variation, among good-hearted people everywhere. After all, kindness IS contagious.
