3rdgradereading

Written by Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Neal Layton

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Isn’t it amazing how different words, a different word order or even a punctuation can change the focus and often the meaning of the same bit of information? Take the two sentences: “Call me, Ishmael”, and “Call me Ishmael”. Same words, same word order. Just one comma totally changes the meaning.

Deadly! presents scientifically accurate facts about both predators and prey, and how they are equipped for survival in the natural world. Nature is not tame, and the book can be a good way of introducing second and third-grade readers to the food chain. However, the very first spread contains the sentence, “In fact, when you look around the animal world, its clear that animals have been almost as good at finding different ways to hurt and murder one another as humans have,” which is a pity, because it distorts the purpose and focus of a worthwhile book.

The book is neatly organized, with information on one animal handing off to the next through a connected fact. Cheetahs, for example are superb runners, but they overheat in about 60 seconds, and have to give up. This segues into the section on dogs because “unlike cats, dogs can run and keep running.” Big animals give way to the small and tiny. Each creature has its own method of obtaining its meals.

There are many little-known facts sure to fascinate the readers: a mantis shrimp (about the size of a pencil case) creates a shock wave that can stun its prey. The trap-jaw ant “can snap its pincer-like jaws shut 2300 times faster than you can blink your eye.” The electric eel can generate 500 volts of electricity. Each interesting fact can lead to classroom discussions and more reading activities.

Towards the end of the book the author makes the case for living with these deadly predators, because they can be very useful to humans. The last page, Living With Deadly reminds us that animals “……..even the armed and deadly ones, have just as much right to their place on the planet as we do.” Another great discussion point. “When we enter a wild animal’s world, we shouldn’t expect it to be either a monster or a best friend. It is just itself…”

Additional Resources:
Bio: http://www.nicola-davies.com/about.php
About predators and prey: http://www.brooklynkids.org/attachments/Predators&Prey_FIN_HR.pdf

• Title: Deadly! The Truth About the Most Dangerous Creatures on Earth
• Author: Nicola Davies
• Illustrator: Neal Layton
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Reviewer: Anjali Amit
• Hardback: 61 pages
• ISBN: 978-0-7636-6321-8
• Genre: Nonfiction/Science

Written by Scotti Cohn

Illustrated by Susan Detwiler

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Most youngsters are fascinated by animals of all kinds, and that fascination is fed by wonderful books as children become proficient readers at the third grade reading level. On the Move: Mass Migrations should become a staple for students’ reading lists, although it certainly can be a read aloud book for younger children as well.

On the Move: Mass Migrations has sections discussing the migrations of spotted salamanders, sandhill cranes, horseshoe crabs, caribou, chimney swifts, Brazilian free-tail bats, monarch butterflies, polar bears, snakes, elephant seals, salmon, and gray whales. These represent animals from a wide variety of places on the North American continent. Some move in order to find food, some to find mates, some need to go from a cold climate to a warmer one, some to find an appropriate or safe place to give birth or lay their eggs. Some sections discuss more than one season’s migrations for an animal. The section on horseshoe crabs even tells about red knot birds and common green darner dragonflies which both have a relationship to the crabs and the crabs’ habitat, but have their own migration patterns as well. Every section (or spread) has a lush, detailed illustration to give youngsters a true picture of the animals in their natural habitat. Everything in this beautiful book will delight youngsters and whet their curiosity and start their interest flowing. It will surely lead to further questioning and learning.

Four pages in the back of the book add some information and have some learning activities, but the real gift with this book is the 42-page teaching activity guide which can be downloaded at http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/documents/TeachingActivities/OnTheMove_TA.pdf  contains everything from comprehension questions to writing prompts to a wide variety of activities such as word searches, a science journal, vocabulary activities, animal charts, and much more. This book will be a great addition to any classroom library.

• Title: On the Move: Mass Migrations
• Author: Scotti Cohn
• Illustrator: Susan Detwiler
• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
• Reviewer: Rosi Hollinbeck
• Paperback: 32 pages
• ISBN: 978-1-60718-6251
• Genre: Nature

Written by Christopher Cheng

Illustrated by Mark Jackson

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Pythons are beautiful. Who knew? In this lyrical, non-fiction book, Cheng uses a duel narration technique. First and foremost, we follow a specific python in the bush. She suns. She hunts and misses a beautiful bird. She hunts and captures a rat. Then she prepares her food by squeezing it.  Eventually, after she has digested, she will lay eggs and take care of them. The eggs hatch and small pythons appear. This is the main narrative, told with both poetry and accuracy. On most spreads, however, is another presentation of interesting facts about pythons and how their bodies work. For example: “Pythons, like all reptiles, are ectothermic. That means they acquire heat from their environment.” These factoids are set in a different font, but not a pull-out box. This choice means the book appears as a lovely single unit, with two types of text and wonderful paintings working together.

Python as a topic will instantly appeal to many kids. Snakes have always been cool to some and scary to others. Their coolness isn’t just the fact that they scare younger siblings, but also in their differentness. Snakes move differently. They’re covered in scales instead of skin or fur. They need the sun. And yet, this book emphasizes the similarities as well. Without anthropomorphizing Python, we see that when she is hungry she hunts, when she is cold and she finds a way to get warm, and when she lays her eggs, she cares for them. What she thinks about all of this, we don’t know, but we can see actions parallel to other animals and to us.

This book will fit in well to studies of reptiles in second or third grade and will make a wonderful read aloud, helping to diversify the science curriculum that often focuses on animals with fur and feathers.

Additional Information:

Smithsonian has wonderful pictures of reptiles, including pythons:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/photogallery/reptilesamphibians/default.cfm

National Geographic has links to videos of pythons and other reptiles:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/burmese-python/

• Title: Python
• Author: Christopher Cheng
• Illustrator: Mark Jackson
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Reviewer: Amy S. Hansen
• Hardcover: 32
• ISBN: 978-0-7636-6396-4
• Genre: nonfiction, nature

Written by Matt Doeden

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The Table of Contents tells it all. You’d better watch your step because these twelve deadly animals could wreak serious damage. Appealing to boys in particular, both boys and girls possessing second to third grade reading skills will enjoy the nastiness this book has to offer. Whether the venom comes from a snake, a scorpion, or an innocent-looking snail, it’s nothing to mess with.

The photographs are amazingly beautiful, and the facts in the sidebars may present information that could save your life. If you’re visiting Australia, for example, you may just want to shake out your shoes before putting them on. And if a Brazilian wandering spider starts an awe-inspiring dance, step back! Their name “wandering” didn’t come about because they like to pack their bags and travel. Scientists named it this because the spiders wander around at night hunting for prey. (On the other hand, those little arachnids aren’t particularly tied to their homes; they can hitch rides in shipments of pineapples, too.)

But guess what? While venom is undoubtedly dangerous, it’s also helpful in making medicine, such as powerful painkillers. The cone snail venom, in particular, may be used to create medicines that treat nerve diseases, such as Parkinson’s.

Reading comprehension is given a boost by the various vocabulary words sprinkled in the colored boxes throughout. After reading Deadly Venomous Animals, the reader may want to refer to page 30 for eight additional sources of information. Studying nature should always include a study of venomous animals and insects, if for no other reason than to appeal to a child’s sense of the gross.

• Title: Deadly Venomous Animals
• Author: Matt Doeden
• Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
• Reviewer: Bonita Herold
• Paperback: 32 pages
• ISBN: 978-1-4677-0599-8
• Genre: Nature

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