Some animals are Just Plain Rude!

 

So Rude!: Animals Behaving Badly 

by Jessica Fries-Gaither

32 pages; ages 4-9

Millbrook Press, 2025

theme: animal behavior, nonfiction, STEM

You’ve heard grown-ups say it again and again. Mind your manners. 

Be polite. 

Be on your best behavior.

Good advice for humans. Maybe not so much for animals, says Jessica Fries-Gaither. Because for some animals, what we think of as “bad manners” is just a way of life. For example, some animals don’t “tell the truth.” They use deceit to capture prey, disguises to hide from predators, and fake their own death to get out of … mostly getting eaten.

What I like about this book: Jam-packed with bad behavior – cowbirds cheat, crows call out fake news, and vultures poop on their feet – and filled with photos, this book is a fun tour of how animals use rudeness to survive. Or at least what looks like rudeness to us. Each example reminds us to not judge other animals by our standards (or lack thereof). There is back matter, with more information about animal behavior, a glossary, and list of resources for further reading. 

Jessica is one of my critique partners, and I watched this book “grow up” from outline to draft to revision to … yay! It’s a book! And in all that time I never asked her this One Question:

Me: What made you want to write this book? Were you inspired by behaviors you saw in the school lunchroom? Or, was this something you wanted to write for your students for any particular reason?

 

photo by Kollmer Photography

Jessica: I can't point to a specific incident that made me want to write this book! But we spend a good amount of time in my elementary science classes talking about animal behaviors and how we can't necessarily interpret them through the lens of human behaviors and norms. At some point I thought it could be a fun and funny window for kids into learning about animal behavior.

Beyond the Books:

Watch for backyard bullies at your bird feeder this winter! Which birds take over the feeder and scare off other birds? And how do they intimidate other birds? With calls? With wing displays? At our feeders it’s the jays who act badly!

What animal thieves hang out in your yard or neighborhood? Squirrels steal our bird seed and suit from the bird feeders! And a meadow vole took bites out of eight (8!) squash this summer. Crows often take shiny things, and even cats will pick up small toys and carry them off. Who's making mischief in your yard?

Jessica is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, www.jessicafriesgaither.com

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Some Bugs Hide

 Last week we were out walking and found a mantid on the road. It was bright green against the oil-and-stone, and easy to see. I love mantids; their triangular faces, spiky legs, and the way they blend into their environment.

After admiring her beauty, we put her down in the grasses off the edge of the road. Can you find our mantid?

Check out this page from the University of Kentucky for more info and photos of mantids. 

This week, head outside and look for signs of insects. You might discover a mantid egg mass, a goldenrod gall, mud wasp nests... admire, take photos, but let them be.

Now You See Them ... Now You Don't

Now You See Them, Now You Don't
by David L. Harrison; illus. by Giles Laroche
32 pages; ages 5-9
Charlesbridge, 2016

topic: nature, camouflage, poetry

opening: 
List of words
ghost crabs know: 
danger, freeze,
blend, slow,
look, run,
stop, go.

This is not just a book about creatures that hide; it's a book of poetry. And that makes it perfect for this month, because April is National Poetry Month.

Flip through the pages and you meet ghost crabs, mice, walking sticks, crab spiders, birds, and more. Some hide by blending in with their background, others find hiding places.

What I like about this book: the cut-paper illustrations that are intricately detailed. Suckers on the octopus's tentacles, flower and leaf details on plants, scale texture on the snake... and the layers that can be achieved with papers. I also like the back matter: five pages of more info about the animals featured in the poems.

Beyond the book: Do you have hidden creatures in your neighborhood? If so, you'd have to look very closely to see them.

Hidden Animal Field Trip: Take a hike through your neighborhood or a park. Look at tree trunks, inside flowers, on twigs and stems. Do you see insects and spiders that blend in with their environment? You might find moths that look like dead leaves, or spiders the color of the flowers in which they're hiding. You might find gray squirrels clinging to a tree trunk, motionless. What do you see?

Write a poem about hiding. Learn something about an animal that hides from predators. Then write a poem about what it's like to be that animal in hiding.

How good are you at hiding? Head out with some friends and play a hiding game. Can you blend into the bark and greenery of plants? Can you hide just by remaining motionless?   

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from publisher.