A Northern Cree family of four goes ice fishing. While Papa is using a motorized jigger to set up the net under the ice between two fishing holes, theA Northern Cree family of four goes ice fishing. While Papa is using a motorized jigger to set up the net under the ice between two fishing holes, the eight sled dogs, which are at some distance from him, become distracted by a fox. Cody, the elder son, and the family pet dog, Ootsie, are by Papa鈥檚 side. Mama and the younger son, Joe, on the other hand, are resting on the sled when the huskies take off (with the sled attached) in order to chase the fox. Mama can鈥檛 stop the dogs with either her feet or her shouts.
Papa has to make a choice: lose his jigger and expensive net or lose Mama and Joe. Is there really a choice? No. Papa and Cody run off after the sled and are, of course, successful in stopping it. How could it be otherwise in a picture book for kids? Hugs are exchanged between the rescued and rescuers. Meanwhile Ootsie has saved the day by holding onto the net. Nothing has been lost at all.
Honestly? I was slightly disappointed in this book. Beyond the fact that the text introduces kids to a modern indigenous way of ice fishing and that the words appear in both English and Cree on the page, there isn鈥檛 much to it. I鈥檓 also not a fan of Brian Deines鈥檚 fuzzy oil-paintings (aside from the cover painting). The day is supposed to be a beautiful and clear one. The pictures don鈥檛 reflect this.
In my opinion this is neither an essential read or purchase....more
Earley鈥檚 beautiful photographic work, which features 56 fascinating frogs from around the world, was a nominee for the 2016 Ontario LibraryRating: 3.5
Earley鈥檚 beautiful photographic work, which features 56 fascinating frogs from around the world, was a nominee for the 2016 Ontario Library Association鈥檚 Silver Birch Express Reader鈥檚 Choice Award. The Silver Birch Express program is geared to 8 to 10-year-old readers, and some nominees are very evidently suited to kids in grades 3 and 4. This one is perhaps an exception. Though it鈥檚 hardly text heavy鈥攖wo to five sentences accompany each photo of a unique frog (or toad)鈥攖he sentence structure for some entries can be complex and some of the terms, concepts, and vocabulary would likely not be familiar to the target audience (e.g., genus, bromeliad, surface tension, pH). I also suspect that many young readers wouldn鈥檛 be familiar with locations mentioned鈥� New Guinea or South American nations, for instance鈥攁nd there are no maps to help.
Having said all this, I still think any curious reader鈥攅ven someone without a particular passion for these amphibians鈥攚ould find much of interest here. The book certainly whets my appetite for further reading. In a school setting, it would be a great text to highlight 鈥渜uestioning鈥�, a reading strategy that skilled readers regularly apply.
There鈥檚 a lot of interesting and fairly accessible content here. I already had some familiarity with poison dart frogs. (South American indigenous hunters rub their darts against the brilliantly coloured poisoned skin of these frogs.) Earley presented me with varieties I was unfamiliar with, as well as other frog species whose skin exudes sticky, smelly, or foul-tasting substances to protect the creatures from predators.
Earley provides introductions to various other frog species鈥攁mong them glass frogs, whose skins are so transparent that you can see their organs, bones, and blood vessels; male mouth-brooding frogs who hatch froglets in their vocal sacs; and female marsupial frogs who carry eggs in pouches on their back (hmm . . . I wonder where the ovaries are located in those creatures? How do the eggs get there?)
Earley is an interpretive biologist and education coordinator at University of Guelph鈥檚 鈥淎rboretum鈥�, 400 acres of gardens, walking trails, woodlands, wetlands, and meadows that are adjacent to the southern Ontario campus. He鈥檚 written a number of other books. I鈥檒l look for them....more
Around the World: Who鈥檚 Been Here? is an attractive, informative, and well-organized nonfiction picture book, apparently part of a series by authoAround the World: Who鈥檚 Been Here? is an attractive, informative, and well-organized nonfiction picture book, apparently part of a series by author-illustrator Lindsay Barrett George. The double-spread gouache paintings of select animals throughout are vivid and stunning.
George鈥檚 narrative focuses on an elementary school teacher, Miss Lewis, who embarks on a nine-month trip around the world, visiting various nature preserves/reserves/animal sanctuaries on all but one of Earth鈥檚 continents. She sends back letters, drawings, and maps to her students, focusing on some representative animals in each region. From an author鈥檚 note at the end, it appears that the text may be based on the travels of a real-life educator in Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Lewis.
The author doesn鈥檛 talk down to her young readers. There鈥檚 some sophisticated vocabulary here (e.g., 鈥渃ircumnavigation,鈥� 鈥渃limes,鈥� 鈥渟esamoid,鈥� 鈥渘eutralize,鈥� 鈥渂reaches,鈥� and 鈥渃artilage鈥�); geographical and directional terms are used, and in Miss Lewis鈥檚 letters to her students, some expressions in the native language of each region are used: 鈥淎di贸s, amigas y amigos,鈥� 鈥淜waheri,鈥� [Swahili: goodbye], 鈥淪ayonara,鈥� and 鈥淶aigian pengyou鈥� [Mandarin: Goodbye/See you later, friends].
The 鈥渨ho鈥檚 been here?鈥� part of the book鈥檚 title is the question Miss Lewis regularly asks her students in her letters after she has described a strange feature of the landscape, a sign left by a certain animal. Suspecting the kids won鈥檛 know which animal left that trace, the teacher always provides the answer in a double-page painting. Near the Tambopata Research Center in Peru, for example, Miss Lewis observes rounded gouges in the clay banks along a river, while in the mountains north of the city of Tokyo, she notices large snowballs near the hot springs. The paintings along with notes at the end of the book reveal that the depressions in the Peruvian riverbank are made by Macaws. The birds consume the clay to neutralize toxins in the seeds they consume. The mud also provides them with essential salts and minerals. The snowballs in the Japanese mountains are formed by macaque monkeys, who are known to play with and nibble on the white stuff but apparently do not throw it.
For a short picture book, George communicates a remarkable amount of information. I鈥檇 purchased the text sight unseen several years ago when I was required to teach primary school social studies鈥攕pecifically, the major continents and oceans. Unfortunately, I found the vocabulary and the content a little too advanced for most in the age group I was dealing with. I think the book is best suited for eight to ten year olds (grades 3 to 5).
A glossary would have been a useful addition, and if George鈥檚 work is in fact based on an actual teacher鈥檚 travels, information about the real Miss Lewis would have been welcome. Still, this is a nice nonfiction piece, and I鈥檓 glad to recommend it....more
This is a very brief, attractive, oversize nonfiction book for older children that memorializes eight 鈥渆ndlings鈥濃€攖he last known survivors of their speThis is a very brief, attractive, oversize nonfiction book for older children that memorializes eight 鈥渆ndlings鈥濃€攖he last known survivors of their species. The diverse animals remembered were each known to humans鈥攆rom Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who died in 1914 to Toughie, the last Rabbs鈥� fringe-limbed tree frog, who died in 2016. Most died in captivity. Habitat loss due to deforestation, pesticide use, pollution from industry or agriculture is the most common cause of species extinction. However, some animals have died out because humans introduced alien species to unique and sensitive habitats. Then, of course, there was overhunting.
Overall, the text is short on details and raises many questions. The vocabulary is relatively sophisticated, making the book suitable for kids 8 to 12. Included within are Aimee Van Drimmelen鈥檚 colourful portraits of the animals, which appear to be rendered in watercolour. Each profile provides the creature鈥檚 scientific name and begins with a rhyming quatrain. I honestly didn鈥檛 care for these snappy little rhymes, which seemed trite and even irreverent. I felt that, if anything, the poems trivialized the animals鈥� lives. Here鈥檚 the one about Toughie, the tree frog:
This handsome endling rests in peace. Oh, fine amphibian! Sweet Toughie has now hopped away into oblivion.
Really? Why could the author not have composed something about the special qualities of the species to which the animal belonged? If anything, that would have underscored her message about the importance of the animals鈥� lives.
Kerbel ends with some sobering details and statistics. She lists thirteen creatures that may be extinct by 2050 and states that in less than a hundred years 50 percent of all species on Earth could be gone forever.
To her credit, she provides a list of seven practical things kids can do, from recycling and planting trees or habitat gardens to reading about the issues and talking about them with friends, classmates, and parents.
I think there鈥檚 value in brief books like this that don鈥檛 overload children with information, and to see individual named creatures does have power. I hate to quote him, but in this case Stalin鈥檚 observation, 鈥淥ne death is a tragedy; a million is a statistic,鈥� really does apply.
Thank you to Net Galley and Orca Books for providing me with a digital advance reader copy, which I compared with a final hardback copy....more
This is an affecting and attractive picture book which tells the true story of a group of seven traumatized elephants鈥攖wo adult females, two young bulThis is an affecting and attractive picture book which tells the true story of a group of seven traumatized elephants鈥攖wo adult females, two young bulls, and three youngsters鈥攚ho came to stay at Lawrence Anthony鈥檚 animal reserve, Thula Thula, in Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa). Lawrence had been asked to take them when a wildlife conservationist had run out of options. On their original reserve, these poor creatures had seen their relatives shot by poachers. The survivors had subsequently been moved from place to place, but they kept breaking out, apparently trying to return to home territory. In their most recent escape attempt, they鈥檇 wreaked havoc on local homes, trampling gardens, breaking windows and furniture. Lawrence鈥檚 reserve was not set up for elephants: there were no electrified fences to keep the elephants enclosed. No matter. When he heard they would be killed if he could not accept them, the decision was made in a heartbeat.
Getting them to Thula Thula was a major undertaking. The original matriarch and her young one escaped during loading. Because they were so aggressive and out of control, the pair were shot. Initially a group of nine, the remaining seven were transported 600 miles, 18 hours by truck, to Lawrence and his wife鈥檚 land. During that time, he had managed to have electric wire installed in the 20 miles of fence that surrounded the reserve. When the animals arrived, Lawrence named the new matriarch Nana. Fairly promptly, she figured out how to break the group free of the 鈥渂oma鈥� (pen) in which they were enclosed. The elephants travelled north for days. Lawrence and his workers tried to locate them. Luckily, a helicopter pilot friend of his finally spotted the animals from above. They were tranquilized, hoisted on trucks, and returned to Thula Thula. If this happened again, Lawrence was cautioned, the animals would be destroyed.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Lawrence camped out near the boma containing the elephants. This time he was aware of Nana鈥檚 intention to break free. Forced to improvise, he approached the boma. This was her home, he told her. If she and the others ran away again, they would not live. In the days and weeks that followed, Lawrence stayed close by. Nana grew used to his scent. He spoke to her, sang to her, and gained her trust . . . and one day she placed the tip of her trunk in his rounded palm. (This is captured in a lovely full-page illustration unaccompanied by text.)
Over time, the reader is told, more elephants were brought to the reserve, and two herds formed. Animals were born, and animals died, including Lawrence鈥檚 trusty canine friend of many years (who is shown in so many of the illustrations). And then, suddenly, Lawrence himself died while away on a trip.
The book takes its title from the elephants鈥� act of remembrance. Two days after their beloved human friend鈥檚 death, Nana led the group of almost thirty elephants many miles across the reserve to stand near Laurence鈥檚 home. This journey was repeated on the first and second anniversaries of his death.
O鈥機onnell鈥檚 book is easy to recommend. Given that it is intended for children, the author understandably refrains from providing much information about poaching in the narrative itself. (The matter is, however, briefly addressed in some notes at the end of the book.) There is also no background information about wild animal reserves in South Africa, but the author provides several websites for young readers, and includes a nice list of books for further reading.
I really liked O鈥機onnell鈥檚 bright acrylic-paint illustrations. They evoke the verdant subtropical environment of that part of South Africa. Only one painting seemed a bit careless: it shows Laurence with his hands apparently on the electrified fence of elephant enclosure. A statement in the text about how elephants use their trunks is also slightly problematic. The reader is told that when the elephants went on one rampage, 鈥渢hey tore open sacks of corn meal and sucked up the corn with their trunks.鈥� This is a little misleading. Elephants certainly use their trunks to suck up water, which they then hose into their mouths. They also use suction to grab quantities of small pieces of food, such as leaves, before bringing them to their mouths; however, they do not hoover up small grains or flakes of bran. In 2021, a scientific team studying how elephants use their trunks concluded that the animals refrain from suction of such foodstuff to ensure that no tiny grains become lodged in their trunks or are inhaled. For finer materials, elephants use the opposable 鈥渇ingers鈥� on their trunk to grasp matter such as grain or bran.
In the final pages of the book, a question-and-answer format is employed to present further information about Lawrence Anthony, Thula Thula, and poaching. Also provided is some fascinating general information about elephants, including their sophisticated methods of communication and their ability to celebrate and to mourn.
A final passage from the book:
When Lawrence became known as 鈥渢he elephant whisperer鈥� he responded, 鈥淚t was they who whispered to me, and taught me how to listen.鈥� Lawrence鈥檚 story inspires us to 鈥渓isten鈥� to other beings鈥攑eople and animals, who are different from us鈥攁nd to listen to our own true voice, deep within ourselves.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an advance reading copy.
This is a lovely and informative children鈥檚 book with beautiful, expressive, and scientifically accurate watercolour illustrations by the Rhode-IslandThis is a lovely and informative children鈥檚 book with beautiful, expressive, and scientifically accurate watercolour illustrations by the Rhode-Island-School-of-Design-trained artist Meg Sodano. The bulk of the book is dedicated to the story of Beaver鈥檚 arrival in a valley with a quick-moving stream. Over a period of a few weeks, he builds a dam, transforming the stream into a pond. He also constructs a lodge. In no time, a female beaver comes along . . . as does an otter . . . and then more otters. Other animals are also attracted to this hospitable new place.
In general, the other animals don鈥檛 much bother Beaver. But the otters? They鈥檙e a source of considerable irritation and extra work for him. The otters cavort on his lodge during the winter, sliding down its slopes on their backs. They also repeatedly create gaping holes in the dam, dropping the water level of the pond, forcing Beaver to come out multiple times to perform repair work. When the otters get too close to Beaver and his mate鈥檚 kits, he hisses and charges. The otters get the message鈥攕ort of, and Beaver learns to tolerate the otters鈥攕ort of.
The story of Beaver and the otters illustrates what is meant by a 鈥渃ommensal relationship鈥� in nature, where animals, though occasionally annoyed by each other, ultimately get along, live and let live.
In the last few pages of the book, Collard describes some of the unique features of beavers and river otters. While I knew both could close their ears and nostrils while under water, I wasn鈥檛 aware that they have clear eyelids that serve as goggles when the animals are immersed. Collard also discusses the tails, feet, and teeth of these creatures, and the reasons for some of their behaviours. There鈥檚 even an explanation as to why otters create gaps in beaver dams. Ecological terms are also mentioned and explained: biodiversity, keystone species, and indicator species.
The book includes read-aloud guidance for parents and teachers, activities, websites, and a list of four other books for children to read.
Beaver and Otter Get Along . . . Sort Of is a gem....more
Author Cary Fagan and illustrator Dena Seiferling bring back the cast of characters from King Mouse, their first book together. In that picture boAuthor Cary Fagan and illustrator Dena Seiferling bring back the cast of characters from King Mouse, their first book together. In that picture book, a mouse discovers a crown and becomes king for a time, delighted to be waited on and entertained by the other animals. But things go awry when all the other creatures but one, Bear, also discover crowns鈥攁ll planted in the forest by a child on a tricycle. (It鈥檚 hard not to think of Mr. Fagan as the mischievous child who has left behind objects just to see what his animal characters will do.) Bear lumbers off, despairing that he鈥檚 the only one lacking a crown. A kingly, generous gesture by Mouse (view spoiler)[the fashioning of a dandelion crown (hide spoiler)] ends up cheering Bear and cementing the friendship of the two.
In Bear Wants to Sing, the child on the tricycle once again rides into the forest in the misty morning light, this time to place several musical instruments. Bear makes the first discovery: a ukelele. He鈥檚 all set to sing for his friend, the mouse, when one animal after another interrupts. Each discovers and plays a different instrument, singing to celebrate his or her own kind and way of being. Fox thinks they should form a band. Bear isn鈥檛 so sure. He鈥檚 been put to shame by the sophisticated lyrics of the others; his own composition is barely a ditty. (view spoiler)[It consists only of the line 鈥淚鈥檓 a bear鈥� repeated a dozen times. (hide spoiler)] Bear lumbers off to the river, dejected once again and determined to travel far far away. Mouse follows his friend, cheering Bear with praise for the authenticity of his song. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just like you,鈥� he merrily tells his friend as the two float鈥攇ently down the stream鈥擝ear on his back, and Mouse on Bear鈥檚 belly.
This is another lovely and unconventional picture book by Fagan and Seiferling. The text and the old-fashioned, sepia-toned illustrations are beautifully matched. Children who love Arnold Lobel鈥檚 鈥淔rog and Toad鈥� books will adore this one....more
A delicate, spare, and very touching picture book that addresses the way that some social animals (and by extension, humans) care for their dying loveA delicate, spare, and very touching picture book that addresses the way that some social animals (and by extension, humans) care for their dying loved ones, Kelsey鈥檚 text grew out of an encounter with a school child whose dog had recently died. 鈥淵ou have to stay with them and comfort them if you can,鈥� said the little girl to the author. 鈥淭hey are part of your family.鈥�
Kelsey鈥檚 words and Soyeon Kim鈥檚 gentle art show elephants, chimpanzees, and orcas and other animals caring for family members whose lives are ending. Their bodies will return to the earth or the water, nourishing new life.
As well as alluding to the natural cycles of life and death, the book delicately acknowledges the pain of grief and loss, ending on a hopeful note about the joy of having known and shared time with another beloved being....more
Acclaimed children鈥檚 author and illustrator Eric Carle writes early in this book that he often used to receive letters from kids asking if he鈥檇 writteAcclaimed children鈥檚 author and illustrator Eric Carle writes early in this book that he often used to receive letters from kids asking if he鈥檇 written any 鈥渞eal鈥� or 鈥渙lder鈥� books鈥攖hat is, nonfiction ones. He hadn鈥檛, actually, and with this book he seeks to remedy that. Oddly, though, Flora and Tiger, his sharply observed and rather quirky collection of vignettes--most of which feature animals, insects, and members of his family, isn鈥檛 really ideally suited to children at all, but to the adults who have shared Carle鈥檚 picture books with kids. Let me explain. In one story, a pet cat is carried off by an owl; the cat meows piteously, but no one can save it, gripped as it is in the owl's talons as the bird flies overhead. In another story, a pet turtle, Flora, disappears when she鈥檚 due to be deposited in peat moss for her annual winter hibernation in the cellar. The following spring, grandfather鈥檚 shovel hits what the old man believes is a rock in the garden. It鈥檚 Flora鈥攕he鈥檚 frozen, and, sadly, no longer alive. Such stories might be distressing to some young children. Adolescents might be better equipped to take the harder details in stride; Carle鈥檚 small gems, his luminous 鈥渕oments of being鈥�, might serve as good writing models for older kids' own short memoir pieces.
Carle鈥攚ho was born in the US in 1929 to German immigrant parents, but who spent most of his childhood and youth in Germany (where his homesick parents returned)鈥攐bviously grew up in different, far more difficult times than many of us. For one thing, he experienced the Second World War first hand. In one story, he tells of a beloved canary escaping through the sitting room window. Seemingly magically, a blue parakeet flies in almost as if to replace the missing songbird, only to be killed in a bombing raid shortly after. Rabbits, which many children nowadays regard as companion animals, were raised for food during a war when everyone was always hungry.
Carle鈥檚 stories are dedicated to his father, written in 鈥渓ove and gratitude鈥� for all the man passed on to him: intense affection for and knowledge of all kinds of creatures (much of the latter gained during long walks the two took together in the countryside); the joy of picture-making; and the power of storytelling. Carle explains that his father had been drafted into the German army on the first day of the war. The two were separated from each other for eight years. Carle鈥檚 father was held for years in a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. He returned 鈥渁 changed and broken man鈥� when Eric was an 18-year-old art student.
Although some of Carle's stories might not be suitable for young children, I, an adult reader, enjoyed his calm and finely written pieces very much. Though economically told, they provide the reader with a sense of the personalities of close family members and the tensions between these people. Carle also conveys a lot of factual information about insects, birds, and reptiles, and he charms us with memories of family pets. Not all of the stories are from childhood, and the tales are not chronologically arranged. As a result, each unlinked story provides its own distinct little flash of surprise. One of the more delightful of Carle鈥檚 adult memories concerns a pet cat who liked to play fetch with a string bean tossed to her during dinner preparation. The little feline would signal when she was tuckered out by depositing the bean in one of Eric鈥檚 shoes around which she鈥檇 then curl her furry body....more
Muddy Whiskers, a young raccoon, lives with his parents and a sizeable group of other raccoons on the far side of the Mud River. Banished from the citMuddy Whiskers, a young raccoon, lives with his parents and a sizeable group of other raccoons on the far side of the Mud River. Banished from the city for the trouble they鈥檝e caused tipping over garbage cans, they now do the hard work of finding food for themselves: digging clams from the river鈥檚 muddy shores, washing the mollusks 17 times before eating them, and rinsing the shells another 17 times when they鈥檙e done. Frogs, slugs, acorns, turtle eggs, and crayfish complete their varied diet. Muddy, though, is finicky. He wants human food, and he wants to eat it as humans do: on a plate.
All the other raccoons have promised to stay on the wild side of the river. They don鈥檛 want further trouble. But Muddy just can鈥檛 believe humans are averse to him helping himself to their delicious leftovers; after all, they leave their rubbish bins right out in the open, and the bins are easy to get into.
When a new restaurant goes up on the other side of the river, Muddy takes to swimming across at night. He helps himself to a plate (he really likes to eat in style) and he proceeds to raid the bins. He washes up afterwards, of course, as any well-trained raccoon knows to do, and adds his plate to the big stack he鈥檚 made on the riverbank.
One night, the restaurant鈥檚 kitchen door is left open, and Muddy鈥檚 usual routine is interrupted. A tempting plate of French fries sits on the counter, and Muddy cannot resist . . . Later, the raccoon community discovers what he has been up to. Trying to keep on the straight and narrow, everyone is understandably alarmed by Muddy鈥檚 actions, particularly his stealing of plates. Eventually, all the raccoons rally around him to rectify the problem, and they are surprisingly and richly rewarded for their efforts.
Griffin Ondaatje鈥檚 charming story is likely to be well-received by young children. Viennese artist Linda Wolfsgruber鈥檚 delicate pencil crayon and watercolour illustrations complement the text nicely. Since the story is set mostly at night when raccoons eat, Wolfsgruber uses lots of greens and blues. One of her especially nice touches is outfitting Muddy with a red bow tie to distinguish him from the other members of his group.
I think if I were to read this book to young children, I鈥檇 couple it with a short nonfiction piece on raccoons. Unfortunately, in my part of Canada at least, humans have encroached on raccoon territory, and raccoons have grown very comfortable in urban areas. Cute as they may be, these wild creatures harbour a range of parasites and dangerous bacteria. They are also the most common species to carry rabies. Little kids need to know that just because the raccoons in Ondaatje鈥檚 picture book wash their food鈥攁nd even their plates!鈥攖his doesn鈥檛 mean these wild animals are clean and safe for humans to interact with. At the end of the book, the humans dining at the restaurant flee the raccoons that arrive on the scene. They don鈥檛 understand what the raccoons are trying to accomplish or communicate. In real life, of course, an overly friendly raccoon should be regarded with real suspicion . . . ...more
Young children love photographic works and Eszterhas鈥檚 skill with the camera is extraordinary; it never fails to please. Here she focuses on some of tYoung children love photographic works and Eszterhas鈥檚 skill with the camera is extraordinary; it never fails to please. Here she focuses on some of the groups animals (including birds) grow up in. The shapes and sizes of these groups provide unique survival benefits for different animals, and wild creatures have different ways of communicating within them. For instance, in albatross colonies, the birds have distinct calls so family members can be recognized. Elephants greet friends and relatives with their trunks.
Eszterhas covers some familiar animals鈥攕uch as lions, chimps, cheetahs, and polar bears鈥攂ut some less commonly known ones also appear in her book: Topi (a subspecies of antelope), bat-eared foxes, and ring-tailed lemurs.
Her accessible, kid-friendly text is limited to about three sentences per double-paged spread. New collective noun vocabulary is introduced: pride, herd, troop (for lemurs) and tower (for giraffes).
This is a lovely little, 鈥渏ust-right鈥� book for young readers....more
I have shared a number of Suzi Eszterhas鈥檚 marvellous nonfiction books on animals with young children (aged 4 to 8). The response has always been enthI have shared a number of Suzi Eszterhas鈥檚 marvellous nonfiction books on animals with young children (aged 4 to 8). The response has always been enthusiastic. Eszterhas is a superb wildlife photographer, and she often gets some remarkable shots. Each double-page spread in this book features a young animal with its parent, and sometimes with its siblings, too. We see monkeys, chimpanzees, and warthogs nursing; birds, such as egrets and penguins, feeding their young by regurgitating fish (and frogs, as well鈥攊n the case of the egrets); and jackal pups licking their father鈥檚 mouth to stimulate his regurgitation of meat. Eszterhas always keeps the mess and more disturbing details out of the sight of her young audience. Her readers are told, for example, that young cheetahs like to eat the gazelle their mother has hunted, but nothing resembling a gazelle appears in the photo of the wild cats feeding. (I had to look closely at the picture Eszterhas did include to make sense of it. In this case, in being too careful not to cause upset, she provided a picture that was not particularly useful or informative.)
Eszterhas has included representative animals from all continents, and in the two to three sentences of text on each page, she manages to communicate some basic details about each animal鈥檚 diet鈥攁nd sometimes the training it will need to be able to catch its own dinner. Most of the baby animals Eszterhas shows in her book will be familiar to young children. However, I was pleased to see some animals that appear less frequently in children鈥檚 books of this kind: jackals, egrets, sloths, warthogs, and capybaras.
I鈥檓 not sure that this is Eszterhas鈥檚 best work, but it is a nice introductory book for young children that could encourage them to make some simple comparisons. I鈥檇 recommend it for purchase by school and public libraries. Those interested in Eszterhas鈥檚 wonderful photography might enjoy following this link:
Thanks to Net Galley and Owlkids Books in Toronto for providing me with a digital copy of this book for review purposes....more
Prolific Canadian children鈥檚 author Eric Walters is known mostly for his novels for the 10-to-14-year-old set that focus on current issues and events Prolific Canadian children鈥檚 author Eric Walters is known mostly for his novels for the 10-to-14-year-old set that focus on current issues and events (911, the Haitian earthquake, soldiers who return from peacekeeping with PTSD) or that revolve around significant events (and people) in Canadian history (the discovery of insulin, Camp X鈥擟anada鈥檚 secret World War II spy-training facility, Hurricane Hazel鈥檚 strike on Toronto, Terry Fox: the young Canadian hero who decided to run a marathon a day on his prosthetic leg鈥攈aving lost his original one to osteosarcoma鈥攊n order to raise money for cancer research). In recent years, Walters has set a number of his novels for young people in Africa, and he has begun to author picture books about children on that continent.
In THE WILD BEAST, his latest picture book, Walters tells a creation story鈥攂ased on those from Eastern and Central Africa鈥攁bout the origins of the wildebeest. According to legend, this strange herd animal was made by the Creator from all the leftover parts of other creatures. Interestingly, Walters鈥檚 鈥淐reator鈥� is a 鈥渟he鈥� who cautions the animals, even as she creates them, to use no more than they need. Her commitment to conservation, making use of everything and not wasting anything, informs the creation of her final wild beast. The leftover bits and pieces鈥攅xtra bumps and stripes and horns and beards鈥攁ll go to good use: to make her last (odd but favourite) animal.
Sue Todd鈥檚 lovely, bold, and energetic illustrations go well with Walters鈥檚 pared-down alliterative text. They greatly put me in mind of the work of David Diaz, the acclaimed American illustrator who has worked with children鈥檚 authors Kathleen Krull (Wilma Unlimited) and Eve Bunting (Smoky Night).
This is a lovely book, which I think will go over well with children of all ages. The clean, patterned sentences make a nice model for kids interested in writing their own creation stories. The important message about conservation is woven effectively and organically into the text.
Thank you to Orca Book Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy....more
The Great Bear Sea encompasses the waters along the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, and includes Hecate Strait, Queen Charlotte Sound, and DiThe Great Bear Sea encompasses the waters along the north coast of British Columbia, Canada, and includes Hecate Strait, Queen Charlotte Sound, and Dixon Entrance. Ian McAllister focuses on the animals seen in this region of the Pacific in a children鈥檚 nonfiction book notable for its stunningly beautiful photographs. McAllister helps young readers see the dense temperate rainforest from a diving and spy-hopping orca鈥檚 perspective. The orca is on the lookout for seals or sea lions that her pod can share, but her periscoping thrust upwards also affords her a view of a grizzly on the shore who feeds on seafood: crabs, mussels, and barnacles. The orca鈥檚 world includes other shore and marine animals: wolves who dig in the sand for clams, massive fin whales, each the size of a bus, who consume krill and plankton, and hundreds of varieties of fish. McAllister also mentions many species of birds. At times, the text begins to read like a list, but then the author zooms in to provide a couple of interesting facts about a less-known creature, such as the gigantic Pacific octopus (which is known to be very intelligent and actually uses tools) and the twenty-four-legged sunflower sea star, large as an umbrella. The orca鈥檚 quest for food is not a success, so even though this is a world in which 鈥渙ne fish always eats another鈥�, the author does not venture into 鈥渘ature red in tooth and claw鈥� territory. The orca passes by; the hiding harbour seal can, in the end, come out to enjoy the day.
This lovely book, part of the My Great Bear Rainforest series, is sure to please kids aged 7 to 10 who love to read about the natural world.
Thanks to Orca Book Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. ...more
Roscoe the raccoon lives in a park in the middle of a big city. When he decides that he is tired of eating junk, his friend Benjy suggests he try the Roscoe the raccoon lives in a park in the middle of a big city. When he decides that he is tired of eating junk, his friend Benjy suggests he try the city zoo to satisfy his craving for fresh, juicy fruit. Roscoe鈥檚 first foray ends quickly with his being booted out by the zoo keeper, so he decides to try disguising himself as one animal and then another. Children will be amused to see the items the raccoon employs to transform himself. Roscoe鈥檚 story takes an interesting change of direction when he finds himself outside the monkey cage. The monkeys entice him with their overabundant food in exchange for the key to their cage, and general mayhem ensues.
I was a little disappointed that the author didn鈥檛 make something more of that mayhem. That鈥檚 what kept the book at the level of three versus four stars.
Roscoe鈥檚 story will attract fans of Curious George. Even the illustrations with their bright, warm colours are reminiscent of that classic series. I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised to learn that writer and illustrator David J. Plant has decided to extend the book into a series.
If shared in a read-aloud, younger children might be encouraged to discuss ways in which Roscoe could have disguised himself as other zoo animals. With slightly older kids, a read-aloud might lead to a discussion about why some animals are 鈥渨orthy鈥� enough to be caged for viewing while others are regarded as little more than pests. ...more
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