Secrets of Sound by April Pulley Sayre

by April Pulley Sayre (Suggested reading level: Grades 4-7) Amber (10) loves science, especially topics dealing with animals, and the Scientists in the Field series is perfect for her. Amber and I read this together and we both enjoyed this look at bioacousticians, scientists who study sounds made by mammals, insects, birds, frogs and other creatures. Squeaks. Wails. Whistles. Snorts. Songs. Drumming. Allover the globe, animals are making sounds, and these days, more than ever, scientists are listening to them. (pg. 7) Dr. Christopher Clark listens whale songs.  Katy Payne studies elephants' communication and their use of infrasound which is too low for humans to hear. Bill Evans listens to night migrating bird and has set up a website, oldbird.org, to help others listen from their own homes. Others work on projects studying hippos and kangaroo rats. The variety of information they collect and how they do it is fascinating. One thing they all seem to have in common, aside from their love of...
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The Bug Scientists by Donna M. Jackson

The Bug Scientists by Donna M. Jackson Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6 If creepy, crawly things fascinate your kid, consider taking a look at this book. Amber (10) and I read it together and it was really quite interesting. We met several entomologists, bug scientists, and learned about their jobs and more about the creatures they love. Tom Turpin,whose picture is on the cover, is a professor at Purdue who tries to make bugs fun for his students and the community. He is even the ringmaster of the annual Bug Bowl, where activities include a Cricket-Spitting Contest. Valerie Cervenka uses the information bugs give her to help solve crimes in Minnestoa and Steven Kutcher directs bugs in movies, commercials and videos. We actually learned the most from the chapter on Ted Schult, a research entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution. He discusses how similar bugs and humans really are. His specialty is Attini ants, farmer ants who actually grow and tend fungus gardens. It's amazing. This...
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Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by Sy Montgomery

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop (Suggested reading level: Ages 9-12) This is the third collaboration between Montgomery and Bishop that Amber and I have read. We're huge fans and this book was as great as we expected it to be. The book follows biologist Lisa Dabek and her team of scientists and local guides through the rugged, remote cloud forest of Papua New Guinea in search of the Matschie's tree kangaroo. This elusive, adorable creature is fascinating. The team first has to find and capture the kangaroos and then they can fit them with radio collars to learn more about them. It is certainly not an easy effort, but Dabek's love for the animals shines through, and conservation efforts of the local people are also highlighted. Bishop's photographs capture the expedition in brilliant detail. Stunning close-ups of plants, insects, and birds vie for attention with panoramas of moss-draped trees in the eerie, ancient forest. And the...
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One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein

One Hundred Butterflies by Harold Feinstein "The earth laughs with flowers, but it dances with butterflies." - Harold Feinstein (from the front flap) I don't usually post such large images of book covers, but I wanted to give you an idea of how absolutely dazzling the photos in this books are. Feinstein has captured the beauty and brilliance of these ornate insects and reproduced it in a oversized format, allowing us to appreciate the details. The photos of butterflies from around the world are mesmerizing, the vivid colors shown off to perfection by the black background. The intense blues of the African Blue Salamis and the luminous oranges of the Monarch took my breath away. May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun And find your should to light on, To bring you luck, happiness and riches Today, tomorrow and beyond. Irish Blessing, - pg. 96 Butterfly lovers would treasure this book, as would art lovers. After all, butterfly wings are as magnificent as any painting or stained-glass...
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The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery

The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop Amber (9) loves animals and says she want to be a wildlife biologist. One problem I run into, though, is that it's hard to find good, interesting non-fiction animal or science books that are actually at her reading level. So many seem to be aimed at younger kids or teenagers. This one was perfect, though, one that we both learned from and enjoyed. The Snake Scientist is Bob Mason, a zoologist at Oregon State University. The book discusses his research projects at the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area in Manitoba, where in the spring over 18,000 red-sided garter nakes come out of their dens. For about six weeks each April and May, thousands of these harmless snakes awaken from eight months' sleep beneath the earth. They pour out of the pits like water—a river of writhing reptiles. At any of the three big dens here, you can see more snakes at a glance than...
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Extreme Animals by Nicola Davies

Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Neal Layton Are you ready for the competition? From the persevering emperor penguins of the South Pole to the brave bacteria inside bubbling volcanoes, from the hardy reptiles of the driest deserts to the squash-proof creatures of the deepest seabeds, animals have adapted to survive in conditions that would kill a human faster than you can say "coffin." Discover how they do it in this amazing natural history book from a celebrated team — and find out who wins the title of the toughtest animal of them all! My thoughts: Amber and I have been reading a lot of shorter books in the evening lately, ones from her shelves, like this one, which is why I've had several kids books reviews lately. Don't worry, I do still read "adult" ones. I've got at least one review scheduled for part of a blog tour next week and will hopefully finish a couple other...
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