Nature Boooks for Children

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Capogna, Vera Vullo. Did You Ever Wonder About Things You Find at the Beach? Basic Books, 1999. 32pp. $15.95. 97-47119. ISBN 0-7614-0851-7. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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Did You Ever Wonder About Things You Find in the Woods? ISBN 0-7614-0852-5.
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Did You Ever Wonder About Things You Find in Your Backyard? ISBN 0-7614-0855-X.
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Did You Ever Wonder About Things You See in the Sky? ISBN 0-7614-0853-3.
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Each book is beautifully illustrated with hand-drawn illustrations that directly illustrate and meaningfully add to the text. The books make up a highly
informative nature series for children, and each page is filled with a wealth of information about nature. Each text has a glossary in which the words are simply defined to accompany the text and drawings. An index is built right into the glossary.

Dipper, Frances A., and Jane Parker. Oceans and Rainforests. (Illus.; from the Discovery Plus Series.) Silver Dolphin Books, 2000. 51pp. $14.95. ISBN 1571454454. Glossary; Index.
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Oceans and Rainforests presents excellent introductory material on physical and biological oceanography, as well as on plant and animal ecology of rain forests. Included are geological and cosmological information as background. The information is accurate and factual, and the illustrations are superb.

DK Nature Encyclopedia. DK Publishing, 1998. 304pp. $29.95 (includes CD-ROM). 98-16657. ISBN 0-7894-3411-3. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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Not at all an encyclopedic treatment of its vast subject, the DK Nature Encyclopedia is an illustration-based collection of miscellaneous facts on hundreds of topics, large and small.
The volume contains sections on world natural history and evolution, examines
physiological and behavioral topics such as photosynthesis, the senses, and animal homes, and discusses ecology topics like nutrient cycles and biomes.

Dossenbach, Monika and Hans D. Eye Openers! All About Animal Vision. Blackbirch Press, Inc., 1999. 32pp. $16.95. 97-32130. ISBN 1-56711-216-1. Index; C.I.P.
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This book is a series of photographs of primates, other mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, insects, spiders, and a few more animals. The last two pages are about false eyes used to startle or frighten a predator. Each photograph has a short description of how the animal that is depicted uses its (real) eyes and how they are shaped or adapted for that purpose.

Green, Jen. Under a Stone. (Illus.; from the Small Worlds Series.) Crabtree Publishing Company, 1999. 32pp. $15.96; $8.06 (paper). 98-51711. ISBN 0-7787-0137-9. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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Dead Log. ISBN 0-7787-0136-0.
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Cactus. ISBN 0-7787-0134-4.
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Freshwater Pond. ISBN 0-7787-0133-6.
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Rain Forest Tree. ISBN 0-7787-0132-8.
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Tidal Pool. ISBN 0-7787-0135-2.
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Mini ecosystems can be fun and educational, since they are easily studied by one or more persons, often in a neighborhood setting. A log, a tree, a pond, or even a stone can provide many hours of observation and exploration for youths who can examine the seasonal and diurnal variations in the organisms that live on, under, or in the object being explored. The Small Worlds Series showcases six ecological systems to exemplify such diversity.

Greenaway, Theresa. Food Chains. (Illus.; from the Cycles in Nature Series.) Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2001. 32pp. $25.00. 00-020920. ISBN 0739827308. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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Plant Life. ISBN 0739827294.
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The Water Cycle. ISBN 0739827286.
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Teaching about complexity in nature in terms of cycles is an excellent idea, and these three small volumes carry it out very well. All three of these books have short glossaries, a good list of references, an index, and an excellent series of exercises. I recommend them highly.

Kalman, Bobbie, and Jacqueline Langille. What Are Food Chains and Webs? Crabtree Publishing Company, 1998. 32pp. $13.98. 98-14714. ISBN 0-86505-876-8. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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What Is a Biome? ISBN 0-86505-875-X.
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What Is a Life Cycle? ISBN 0-86505-874-1.
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"Interesting" and "useful" are the best ways to describe this series of books. Elementary school students will find them both fun to read and visually exciting. All of the books have good illustrations and descriptions. Importantly, two of the volumes specifically mention the dangers to the natural world from humankind's many forms of pollution.

Lynch, Wayne. Arctic Alphabet: Exploring the North from A to Z. Firefly Books, Ltd., 1999. 32pp. $19.95. C99-930382-1. ISBN 1-55209-336-0. C.I.P.
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This small book written for young children is about both plant and animal life in the Arctic, a subject that is rarely covered or discussed in school classrooms. The color photographs, together with the straightforward text, both inform and delight as they present the variety of wildlife in the Arctic. From beluga whales to kittiwakes to zooplankton, author Wayne Lynch brings the beauty and excitement of the Arctic region to every reader, young and adult alike.

Mason, Cherie. Everybody's Somebody's Lunch. Tilbury House Publishers, 1998. 40pp. $16.95. 98-38915. ISBN 0-88448-198-0.
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Mouser, the cat, is missing. The young girl, our protagonist, goes into the woods near her rural home in search of her pet. Among the familiar sounds and sights, she comes upon a bloodied collar and bits of fur. In coming to grips with her loss, she become acutely aware of the ecological balance created by predator and prey. Richly illustrated and nicely balanced with the affectionate, but realistic, explanations provided by the father in the story, this book takes a straightforward view of the food chain.

Olmstead, Adrienne. My Nature Journal: A Personal NatureGuide for Young People. Pajaro, 2000. 176pp. $17.95. ISBN 0967245915. Glossary; Index; C.I.P.
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This hands-on reference book for younger children (in grades 3-6) is filled with activities that help them explore their neighborhoods and the living things they find there. Along with the exploration activities, other references help children develop greater understandings and insights into the organisms they observe and how these organisms interact together. Finally, other activities help children reflect on their experiences and encourage them to express the meanings those experiences leave for them.