Tree Hollows Make Cozy Hiding Places

 Ages ago, when I was in fourth grade (I think), I read My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. The cover was a simple line drawing of a boy with a hawk perched on his shoulder, but inside was a detailed tale of a kid who lived off the land. He made his home inside a hollow tree and used the library to learn all about edible weeds. I wanted to live inside a tree, too – it sounded so cozy. 

I wasn’t the only one. After reading her copy of the book, Melissa Stewart also wanted to make a home inside a hollow tree. And the seeds for Tree Hole Homes were planted. Time passed, and she forgot about the book until … on a visit to Vancouver Island, Canada, she spotted a tree with a hole big enough for her to squeeze inside.

So she did. 

It was then, as she looked up into the hollow tree, that she knew she’d write a book about tree hole homes. The thing about writing books – and growing trees – is that they both take time. That serendipitous visit to Vancouver Island happened in 2011. Melissa’s book came out in October, 2022. In between those years, Melissa filled up notebooks with tree hole observations.

Tree Hole Homes: Daytime Dens and Nighttime Nooks 

by Melissa Stewart; illus. by Amy Hevron 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Random House Studio, 2022

theme: nature, animals, trees

Imagine this: One day while walking in the woods, you spot a towering tree with a hole big enough to slip inside. 

So you do.

From birds to squirrels, frogs to bears, many animals use tree hollows as a place to nest, rest, or just escape the world for a bit. A tree home can be calm and quiet – a place for a fisher to sleep during the day. Or it can be filled to the brim with activity, as cubs and kits and hatchlings explore their world. 

There is so much I like about this book, beginning with the endpapers! The first endpaper shows a child with a backpack walking toward a tree. There’s a spread before the title page where we see the child sitting inside that tree. They look so cozy and content! You meet them later in the book and also on the back endpaper.

I like the layout of the pages. Large text presents a big idea: a tree hole home could be large or small. Smaller text provides information about the featured animal (or two) that live in those holes. Here’s am example of the spread explaining just how busy a tree hole home can be, with seven little ones to care for. (I particularly like this spread because the raccoon kits are checking out the fungi growing on the tree!)

  

And of course I love that there is back matter. Three pages provide the vital statistics about the tree hole dwellers featured in the book: their scientific name, where they live, what they eat, and a fun fact. Plus there is a list of books for curious kids (and adults) who want to learn more about animal homes.

Beyond the Books:

Head over to Melissa’s website and check out the videos about Tree Hole Homes. There’s a fun video about how Amy created the art for this book by painting on wood (and leaving some of the wood grain showing). You can find a link to a Reader’s Theater here.

Read more about tree hollow habitats in this article published by the Concord Monitor

Go on a tree hollow scavenger hunt. Look for:

•  A hole high in a tree
• A hole low to the ground
• A hole made by a limb that fell
• A hole made by an animal
• An old hollow
• A new hole or hollow
• Small holes in a tree
• A large hole
• Holes that look like they were made while seeking food
• A hole used as a nesting or resting place

Adopt a tree hollow. Visit it every month and keep track of the activity in and around it. You’ll need a notebook, pencil, maybe binoculars, and something to sit on – choose a place where you can sit quietly, hidden from view.

Melissa is a member of #STEAMTeam2023. You can find out more about her at her website.

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 from my local library system.

Fun New Series on Animal Adaptations

 theme: animals, nature, poetry

Let’s face it: animals are cool! And most kids I know love to read about animals. What’s even better than a book about animals is a whole series of books about strange and wonderful animal adaptations. 

by Laura Perdew; illus by Katie Mazeika

32 pages; ages 5-8
Nomad, 2020

Laura Perdew has written a whole bunch of books – well, at least five – about animals and their unique adaptations. They are fun and breezy, and a perfect way to introduce young children to the different classes of vertebrate animals: reptiles, birds, mammals, amphibians, and fish.

Did you know that some fish have antifreeze and that archerfish shoot their prey? That water-holding frogs can stay buried for two years? Perdew introduces readers to unsung heroes of the animal world: star-nose moles, blue-footed boobies, and thorny devil lizards. She sings the praises of salamander slime and whale earwax.

What I like about these books: In addition to highlighting animals and their adaptations, Perdew begins each book with a poem. There’s an acrostic, a limerick, haiku, cinquain, and free verse. Back matter for each book includes a glossary and activity that helps kids (and anyone else) learn more about the group of animals.

Beyond the Books:

Write some animal poetry. It could be a poem about one kind of animal, or about a group of animals. Here's a resource for poetry forms.

Observe animals in your neighborhood – or, in the winter, in a pet store. Try to find an animal from each class: mammal, fish, bird, amphibian, reptile. Draw a picture of your animals. What do you notice about them?

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies are provided by the publisher.

Reading about Reptiles

While I was walking around Dead Horse Point a couple weeks ago, a fat lizard scurried across the trail and under a shrub. That reminded me that I had a cool lizard book to share. So today's themes are animals, reptiles, and nature

Like a Lizard
by April Pulley Sayre; illus. by Stephanie Laberis
32 Pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2019

Can you run like a lizard? Sun like a lizard?

What about pushups? Or dashing across water like a lizard? If you could live like a lizard, you’d have lots of choices about how to behave. That’s because there are about 6300 kinds of lizards living on Earth, and each of them is adapted to its habitat in certain ways. April Pulley Sayre presents an inside look at how 28 lizards make their living.

What I like about this book: I love that each page asks the reader to compare their life with that of a lizard – and each page features specific lizards doing their thing. Like frill-necked lizards showing off their collars, and geckos climbing twigs. I like the bright and realistic illustrations – I never knew about some of these lizards! Plus the cover image: who can resist a face like that? And I like the back matter where lizard secrets are revealed. Most of all, I like April’s message that lizards and people can live together in harmony.

The Truth About Crocodiles
by Maxwell Eaton III
32 Pages, ages 4-8
Roaring Brook Press, 2019

These are crocodilians. Some people call all of them crocodiles. We’ll call them crocs. 

Using text, cartoons, sidebars, and dialog balloons, Maxwell Eaton III introduces readers to the croc families. They include crocodiles, alligators and caimans, and the gharial. Just like lizards these reptiles have armored skin, four legs, breathe air using lungs, and are ectothermic (what people call “cold-blooded”). Mostly they’re at home in the water.

What I like about this book: the crocodile jokes, the breezy illustrations, the birthday girl (who has to deal with all these sassy crocs), and the handy list of things to avoid when traveling in croc country. Hint: don’t camp next to the water! And even though there are plenty of info-packed sidebars throughout the book, there is back matter – a “croc-o-file” of fast facts, a map, and some resources for further research.

Beyond the Books:

Find out more about reptiles here and here.

Go on a reptile field trip. Maybe you live in an area where geckos or horned lizards call home. If not, then check out the reptile house at a local zoo or pet store. Look for photos of different kinds of lizards online - here's one source.

Check out the picture book about crocodiles over at Sally’sBookshelf.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website . Review copies/ARCs provided by publishers.

Here Be Dragons

Remember tales of knights and dragons? And maps where off in the corner fancy lettering claimed "Here be Dragons"? This trio of books introduces dragons and their smaller kin.

The Lizard Lady
by Jennifer Keats Curtis and Dr. Nicole F. Angeli; illus. by Veronica V. Jones
32 pages; ages 4-8
Arbordale, 2018

This book takes readers on a field trip through thick Caribbean forests in search of the endangered St. Croix ground lizard. The lizard doesn't live on St. Croix anymore because it was hunted to extinction by introduced mongooses. But the lizard does live on surrounding islands, and Dr. Nicole Angeli is on a mission to help them survive and thrive.

Dr. Angeli, known to all as the Lizard Lady, has to use all her senses to find these tiny, secretive reptiles. When she captures one, she takes it to her science shack where she can weigh it and make observations. Then she carefully returns the lizard to the spot she found it.

What I like about this book: the list of things the Lizard Lady carries with her when she heads off on a hike! Waaay more stuff than a notebook and pen. I also like the back matter. There's information and maps showing St. Croix and the surrounding islands in the Caribbean. There's additional information on the St. Croix lizard and its adaptation, as well as the invasive mongoose. And there's a great bio-note on Dr. Angeli.

You can learn more about St, Croix ground lizards here and here.

St. Croix lizards are just one of many threatened and endangered reptile species. Another is the Komodo dragon - not a dragon at all, but it sure looks like one!

Real Dragons
by Jennifer Szymanski
48 pages; ages 2-5
National Geographic Children's Books, 2018

Magical dragons may not exist, but many animals look like dragons. And some even do things a dragon might do. Some lizards have frilly collars, some have spikes, and some hiss when threatened by enemies.One even has saliva that burns like fire... and another can fly - or at least glide.

What I like about this book: it introduces a diversity of reptiles that share "dragon-like" features. The book is divided into chapters, there's a table of contents, and an activity at the end of each chapter. Here's one you can do right now: draw a picture of your very own dragon!

With all this talk of dragons, it makes sense to connect with a real live dragon ...

Dear Komodo Dragon
by Nancy Kelly Allen; illus. by Laurie Allen Klein
32 pages; ages 4-9
Arbordale, 2018

Leslie wants to be a dragon hunter when she grows up. She is really lucky, because a real dragon is her pen pal - a Komodo dragon living on one of the Indonesian islands. The story is told through a series of letters back and forth, in which Komo describes his life and family.

"My spiffy good looks come from the third eye in the top of my head," he writes. The illustrations are fun - I especially like Leslie's drawings of dragons, and the dragon-hunting tunic she wears. But when Komo is injured by a bigger dragon, Leslie realizes that she cares about her big reptilian friend too much to hunt him down.

"What can I do to help you and other Komodo dragons?" she writes. Komo replies, and the conversation on that topic is carried into back matter where there's a page about conservation. There is a fun page of dragon facts "by the numbers" and information on adaptations. Learn more about Komodo dragons here.

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup.   On any other Friday we'd be joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, but it's summer vacation. PPBF will resume in September, but you can always head over to Susanna Hill's ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from publishers.

Reptiles! and a give-away

I love reptiles. So I was doubly excited when National Geographic sent these two books my way last month.

Ultimate Reptileopedia: The Most Complete Reptile Reference Ever
by Christina Wilsdon
272 pages; ages 7-10
National Geographic Children's Books, 2015

 How can you resist opening a book with the face of a Tokay gecko plastered on the cover? Cute, right?

This hefty guide begins with an overview: what a reptile is (contrasted to an amphibian); diversity of reptiles; reptile basics (scutes and scales); behavior; and life cycle. There are short sections on camouflage, reptile homes, what they eat and what eats them.

Then Wilsdon dives right into the different groups of reptiles: lizards and snakes; turtles and tortoises; crocs and alligators; and a funny little group called tuataras. Each two-page spread includes a detailed photo of the featured creature, a description about their life and behavior, a "facts" box and additional cool things to know. For example: did you know that Australia is minting a set of coins featuring reptiles? And that there really are dragons? And there are lizards that look like worms?

There is also an interview with a herpetologist - that's a scientist who studies reptiles - and a discussion about what you can do to help save reptiles from extinction.

Mission: Sea Turtle Rescue
by Karen Romano Young
112 pages; ages 10 & up
National Geographic Children's Books, 2015

 This is one of the Mission: Animal Rescue series that focuses on saving animals in danger. Habitat loss, hunting, and other human activities are threatening many animals - but this book points to ways children can help turtles and other animals.

Learning about sea turtles means getting wet, so the author takes us into the ocean to show us how they live and grow. If sea turtles had a superpower it would be flying through the water. They are built for speed. But they can get tangled up in nets and debris.

Young highlights different kinds of sea turtles, and shows how people are protecting hatchlings. Throughout the book we meet sea turtles that have been rescued and explorers who work with them. There are also "Rescue Activities" - things kids can do to learn more about sea turtles and increase awareness about sea turtles in their communities. The last two chapters focus on human-turtle interactions and what's being done to save sea turtles. A page of resources provides links for people who want to learn more about sea turtles, adopt a sea turtle, or go visit them.

Give-Away! Win a copy of Sea Turtle Rescue. Just leave a comment about reptiles or sea turtles before Feb 10. I'll choose a winner by random drawing and let you know on Feb. 12. (Limited to addresses in the US)

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Review copies from the publisher.