Nonfcition Monday: Going Home: The Mystery of Animal Migration

Going Home: The Mystery of Animal Migration
Written by Marianne Berkes
Illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio
32 Pages, Ages 4-8
Dawn Publications, 2010
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher

Book Source: We would like to thank Dawn Publications for providing a copy of this book for review.

Going home, going home,
We feel the urge to go.
It’s time for us to travel on,
It’s something we just know.
Many of us look for food,
Others find a mate.
And when the weather starts to change,
There is no time to wait.

This award winning book follows animals by land, by sea and by air. We follow the Loggerhead turtle from the ocean to the beach where she was born to hatch her own eggs. Herds of caribou travel two thousand miles from winters spent in evergreen forests to summers spent northward on the Arctic tundra. As winter looms, Monarch butterflies travel south. They rest sleepily in the same trees their ancestors occupied the year before. Following these animals and many more, this book educates readers about these seasonal navigators. We admire their intelligence and their determination. How do they do it? They don’t have maps. How do they find their way? That is the mystery of animal migration that the reader is left to ponder.
Lovely poetry paired with sidebars of interesting facts and beautiful illustrations tell the story. Back matter contains even more facts and several activities that could be done at home or at school to extend the book.
This review is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Book Nosher blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Astro: The Stellar Sea Lion

Astro: The Stellar Sea Lion
Written by Jeanne Walker Harvey
Illustrated by Shennen Bersani
32 Pages, Ages 4-8
Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2010
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher
Bio by Laura Crawford

Book Source: We would like to thank Sylvan Dell Publishing and Blue Slip Media for providing a copy of this book for review.

Children as well as adults will enjoy reading this new book based on the incredible life of one amazing sea lion. We learn early on that Astro was orphaned when he was just a few days old and cared for by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When he was old enough, several attempts were made to release him back into the wild. Astro, who had become accustomed to his human friends, would have no part of life in the wild. He kept returning to the place and the people who had cared for him from the beginning. Realizing that Astro could not be returned to the ocean, his human friends found a safe new sanctuary for him to live in Mystic, Connecticut. Now everyone can visit this stellar sea lion in person.
The For Creative Minds section in the back contains more facts about sea lions including information about their life cycle and what sets them apart from seals. There is also a map highlighting where sea lions can be found in the wild and a timeline of Astro’s adventures.
For more information and teaching activities click here.
Jeanne Walker Harvey always wanted to be a writer. When she was young, she saved her money to buy magazines on writing. Now, she is a middle school Language Arts and writing teacher. Jeanne was intrigued by Astro after reading about him in the local newspaper. She wanted to write a book honoring the volunteers who helped Astro after he had been abandoned. She also wanted to educate people on how our actions can affect marine life. She currently lives in Marin County, California.
This review is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted by Playing by the book blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Wild Alphabet

Wild Alphabet: An A to Zoo Pop-Up Book
Written by Dan Green
All Ages, 64 Pages
Kingfisher, 2010
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher

Book Source: We would like to thank Kingfisher and Blue Slip Media for providing a copy of this book for review.

What a wild and wonderful way to learn to identify the letters of the alphabet and a whole host of animal life. Each page of this delightful book is dedicated to one of the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Each letter literally pops with a new animal accompanied by fun text describing the animal’s behavior. The following is the text describing the Jaguar:

A real cool cat, I slink through the South
American jungle, where my spots make me
almost invisible.
I’m a grade-A climber and I love to swim.

This book is beautifully made and story time ready. It is easy to imagine children wanting to get up and imitate the animals that they are encountering on this WILD adventure.

This book is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Apple With Many Seeds blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Our World of Water: Children and Water Around the World

Our World of Water: Children and Water Around the World
By Beatrice Hollyer
Ages 9-7, 48 pages
Henry Holt, 2009

Reviewed by Heidi Bee Roemer

Bio by Laura Crawford

Book Source: We would like to thank the Downers Grove Library for lending a copy of this book for review.

Not everyone in the world can simply turn on the faucet and get a cool drink of water whenever they like. Meet seven-year-old Gamachu who lives in southern Ethiopia. Here rain is scarce, making it difficult to grow crops and to find water for thirsty cattle. Gamachu doesn’t go to school. Instead, every morning he takes the calves in search of water. It is a long, hot ten-hour day. Gamachu’s mother doesn’t have it much easier. She walks three hours twice a day to fetch water from a small pond to use for washing and cooking.
Seven-and eight-year-olds from six countries—Ethiopia, Peru, Mauritania, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, and the United States—tell their stories about the various ways they obtain and use water in their daily lives. Included are quotes from the children and descriptions of how water plays a critical role in their survival. Engaging, full color captioned photos show the children in action: at play, collecting water, harvesting food, brushing their teeth, getting cleaned up, washing clothes, eating and drinking, and caring for plants and animals.
Readers will enjoy viewing a world map that shows where each child lives. Additional facts about water are included at the end of the book, as well as a two-page glossary of terms from each culture. Some young readers may find this book a real eye-opener as they learn just how critical water is to all living things.

Beatrice Hollyer's first story was called "A Misty Morning', a tale she wrote when she was eight years old. Later stories were inspired by her work as a journalist. where she often photographed school children she encountered on her assignments. Combining her imagination and her interest in other cultures, she creates stories that explore the feelings and thoughts of these children. Her favorite books include Charlotte's Web, Ballet Shoes and Gone with the Wind. As a television reporter and newscaster, she covered conflicts in the Gulf, the Middle East, South Africa, and the former Yugoslavia, and reported from Europe and the United States. She was born in South Africa and has been living in London, England, for the past twenty years.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Moms Inspire Learning blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Animal Baths

Animal Baths: Wild & Wonderful
Ways Animals Get Clean
Written by Beth Fielding
Illustrated by Susan Greenelsh
Ages 4-8, 48 Pages
EarlyLight Books, 2009
Reviewed by Kim Hutmacher
Bio by Laura Crawford

Book Source: We would like to thank EarlyLight Books for providing a copy of this book for review.

This book is an education on how many different animals get clean. We start by learning that some animals have to get really dirty first, in order to eventually get clean. Elephants, rhinos and zebras partake in dust and mud baths. When these animals shake the dust off, bugs and parasites are shaken off, too. When mud dries on their bodies, it cracks and falls off, taking dead skin and/or shedding fur with it. Sounds a bit like our facials, doesn’t it?
Next, we are reminded that animals do not use washcloths and soap to clean themselves. Some animals use their tongues, claws and teeth to do the trick. In one example, squirrels use their tongue to lick their front paws. Their paws then act as a washcloth to clean their faces and necks. To clean their tails, they bring them up to their mouths and use their teeth like a hairbrush to clean their tail fur.
In the final section, we learn that some animals get someone else to do the dirty work for them, and some simply shed their dirty skin. Oxpecker birds eat bugs and parasites off of large animals like buffalos and antelopes. We learn that frogs shed their skin the same way we would take off our shirts. Starting at the bottom of their bodies, they move the dead skin up and over their heads.
This book uses these and many more interesting facts and charming illustrations to connect children, animals and baths- an activity they can easily relate to.
In addition to Animal Baths, Beth Fielding is also the author of other nonfiction titles from EarlyLight Bookstitles including Animal Colors and Animal Eyes. She began writing animal books for children after she spending thousands of hours reading to her own children and volunteering in the public schools system.
This book is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian blog.