Where Once There Was a Wood by Denise Fleming
This text is excellent for teaching children to appreciate nature
and all it has to offer. The rhythmic verse accompanied by the beautiful
paper mache illustrations will capture children's attention and draw
their interest into the wonders of nature. In addition the back of the
text offers factual information regarding the needs of wildlife and
easily executed suggestions for encouraging wildlife around the home.
The information is just right for family and classroom sharing and would
be perfect conversation starter for Earth Day discussions.
The Honey Makers by Gail Gibbons
The
Honey Makers is a beautifully illustrated informational book about a
look into a bee hive. This text includes labeled illustrations and diagrams of different types of honey
bees and steps throughout the process of making honey. This book presents
accurate information that is easy to follow along with and to revisit to use to gather facts. The bright, vivid illustrations are
appealing to the reader and accurately depict the life of a honey bee. I would use this book in the
classroom as a resource in a lesson about bees or making honey. This book would be a great addition to a classroom library. Students could
refer to this book while doing research on honey bees or insects.
Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly by
Stephen R. Swinburne
This
is a beautiful book about the migration of the cloudless sulfur
yellow-winged butterfly as it migrates from the rainforest floor in the
Yucatan Peninsula. This book follows the butterfly through
his entire life journey with breathtaking, detailed descriptions from finding a mate, to his
subsequent death allowing readers to experience the full effect of the
yellow butterfly life cycle.
From Seed to Sunflower by Gerald Legg
This
would be a great book to teach students a science lessons about plants
growth. IT teaches students the growth and change of a sunflower from
seed to flower and from flower to seed. It has colorful and clear
illustrations, sunflower facts, and a list of sunflower words. It would
be an excellent book to teach kids new science vocabulary.
Arctic Nights, Arctic Lights by Debbie S. Miller
This
book speaks of the fascinating days and nights near the arctic circle
in Alaska. This book describes the wildlife and what's going on with
sun, clouds, light and darkness.
It is fabulous that on the top of every page you can read the date,
season, and the amount of hours and minutes there are for that day. The author also does a great job of showing how the wildlife copes with the temperature changes and the
illustrations are wonderful. In the back of the book there is a glossary
to help with vocabulary.This text would be a great addition to a unit on weather or wildlife.
Saving Yasha: The Incredible True Story of an Adopted Moon Bear by Lia Kvatum
Saving
Yasha is the story of a Moon Bear, called Yasha, whose mother is killed
by poachers. Scientists Liya Pokrovskaya and Sergey Kolchin rescued
Yasha from the poachers along with two other cubs, Shum and Shiksha.
Moon Bears are an endangered species, so it was very important that
these cubs grow up have their own cubs. Liya and Sergey raised these
cubs and taught them how to live in the wild. Liya and Sergey also
studied the Moon Bear cubs, to better understand how to save the
species. Along with this touching story, readers are treated to
delightful full-color photographs of the bear cubs playing, climbing,
exploring, and generally being rolly-polly balls of joy. Includes maps,
fact list, and additional resources. This book serves as a
good discussion tool for wildlife rehabilitation and bears in general.
Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life by Molly Bang
Told
from the perspective of the sun, Molly Bang and Penn Chisholm describe
the role of plants on earth. They tell about photosynthesis, explain
how carbon dioxide and oxygen are important to plants and animals, and
describe how living things get energy. The illustrations are vibrant,
interesting, and a wonderful compliment to the story. A very thorough
but complete overview of the role of plants on earth.
Fall Walk by Virginia Brimhall Snow
This
beautiful picture book will make learning about leaves easy. Children
and an adult go on a fall walk and learn to identify trees by the shapes
and colors of their leaves. The artwork sets this book apart from
other similarly-themed books.
This
is a great book for the start of Fall. The illustrations are very
detailed. This makes as a great read aloud as well as class activity.
The book provides a matching page for leaves to trees, instructions on
pressing leaves, leaf rubbing, and tree trivia.
Lost
in the Woods by Carl R. SamssII and Jean Stoick
This is a beautiful story,
both visually and in content, about a newborn fawn "lost" in the woods.
The book is told through a series of "dreamlike" photographs in nature.
It is through the personification of the forest animals that we learn of
"Spots" and his dilemma. It is a winner of 8 National and International
Awards. The story is told in verse that includes descriptive words of
things found in nature. Although it is a fantasy we also learn facts
about the raising of fawns and how their mothers protect them from
"trouble's nose". This would be a book I would keep in my science center
and or in my classroom library.
The Elephant Scientist (Scientists in the Field) by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson
Elephant
scientist Caitlyn O’Connell provides exquisite detail of this majestic
creature studying them in the wild at two national parks in Namibia
along the coast of southwest Africa. O' Connell's care and concern for
the elephants she studies earned her the nickname "Mother of All
Elephants" by the indigenous people and the photographs taken by her and
Timothy Rodwell really showcase the personality that the elephants can
have.
