Birds
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Fish
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Invertebrates
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Mammals of the Northern Hemisphere
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Mammals of the Southern Hemisphere
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Reptiles and Amphibians
Middle school 64 pp. Brown Bear
Facts at Your Fingertips: Endangered Animals series. Each volume begins with background information about the title animal group, including consideration of the specific dangers faced by that type of animal. Profiles of various endangered species (classified by threat level) follow on double-page spreads with solid factual information (in very small type), accompanied by a field guide–like data summary, color photographs, illustrations, and habitat maps. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
Subjects: Pollution and Conservation; Animals—Birds; Environment—Endangered species; Environment—Conservation—Wildlife; Pollution and Conservation; Animals—Fish; Animals—Invertebrates; Animals—Mammals; Animals—Reptiles; Animals—Amphibians
Frydenborg, Kay Wild Horse Scientists
Gr. 4–6 80 pp. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Scientists in the Field series. Researchers are attempting to control the horse population on Assateague Island by determining the sustainable number of horses and then developing a contraceptive vaccine that limits mares to a single foal per lifetime. The information — a combination of lab and field science details and personal observation — is accessible and engaging. Relevant and clear color photographs show both horses and scientists in situ. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.
Subjects: Mammals; Animals—Horses; Environment—Conservation—Wildlife; Assateague Island National Seashore (MD and VA)
Hague, Bradley Alien Deep: Exploring the Mysterious Living World at the Bottom of the Ocean
Gr. 4–6 48 pp. National Geographic Books
The little-understood world of the deep ocean is explored in this examination of Earth’s hydrothermal vents. Color photos of underwater marvels and scientists at work supplement the authoritative text, which follows real-life research expeditions surveying these new terrains. An especially fascinating chapter presents links to the origins of life, and even to possible extraterrestrial life. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
Subjects: Natural History; Hydrothermal vents; Marine ecology; Oceanography; Oceans
Miller, Debbie S. Survival at 120 Above
Gr. K–3 32 pp. Walker
Illustrated by Jon Van Zyle. When sudden rain refreshes central Australia’s long-dry Simpson Desert, dormant seeds and estivating creatures emerge, absorb or lap up water, and sprout or reproduce in a new rush of life. Extreme conditions don’t deter the desert’s well-adapted creatures from survival in this difficult habitat. Double-page spreads of realistic wildlife paintings, bright-white superimposed text, and present-tense narration add immediacy. Reading list, websites. Glos.
Subjects: Natural History; Animals—Desert animals; Australia; Deserts
Yezerski, Thomas F. Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story
Gr. K–3 40 pp. Farrar
Yezerski adroitly captures the sometimes adversarial, sometimes beneficial relationship between humans and the environment in this marvelous ecological history of the Meadowlands of New Jersey. Each main double-page-spread illustration is bordered by tiny images with a wealth of additional taxonomical information (and sly humor) about the diverse flora and fauna (and mobsters and sports enthusiasts) of northern New Jersey. Websites. Bib.
Subjects: Natural History; Environment—Conservation; Wetlands; New Jersey; Environment—Ecology
From the April 2013 issue of Nonfiction Notes from the Horn Book.
