Dorothy Hinshaw PatentBesprekingen

Does an excellent job explaining how beavers affect and change their environment, creating the conditions for other plants and animals to thrive. Captioned photographs throughout support the text. Back matter includes "more about beavers" and more resources (three websites and a book).

See also: Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner

Animals

#31Days31Lists: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/12/25/31-days-31-lists-2023-science-and-na....

Outstanding photography and a really cool approach: this is not just a book about prairie dogs, but about the animal (and insect) ecosystem on the prairie.

Back matter includes a map of prairie dog ranges, more about prairie dogs, and further resources.½

A fantastic addition to my nephew's collection about animals and the environment. The photographs are large enough to share with a group in front of a classroom and the information extends well beyond the beaver.

An adorable book about these fascinating little creatures. These guys are responsible for so much in the prairie environment, that's what makes them a keystone species! My niece and nephew can't get enough of their little faces. Brilliant photographs accompany educational and enriching text.

No Dust Jacket

Published in 1996, before the arrowhead was found in the iceman's back; it was still believed that he had frozen to death. Imaginative reconstructions and maps. Lots of excellent photographs of the artifacts that were discovered with the body, and also discussion of what finds were lost or destroyed in the interval between the discovery of the body and the realization that it was an important archaeological find.

A golden retriever is trained as a service dog to help someone who has trouble moving their arms or legs and later as a guide dog for a man who is blind.

What an excellent book! I watch the streaming Osprey webcam everyday throughout the year, and learning more about why the website was created was very informative. The photographs are wonderful as well as the narrative. It was good to read about the steps are being taken to protect these magnificent birds. I highly recommend this book.

Fascinating little book about horses in human history. Short, comprehensive texts and bright, detailed (and beautiful) illustrations make this a treasure trove for kids too.
A nice span across history and cultures, although a bit American-centric (or just a lack of European references. Kentucky Derby gets mentioned, as well as Long Beach Mounted Police, and draft horse competitions are said to take place in US and Canada, but the book fails to mention this is a European tradition, too)
For Europe, it's just the Sicily feast that gets mentioned, I would have loved to have seen a few more, like a mention of the Vienna Spanish Riding School, or the Palio di Siena in Italy, or the Parade of 't Ros Beiaard' (The Horse Bayard) in Dendermonde, Flanders (which happens once every 10 years, since at least 1640).
Nevertheless, great book.

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– Dorothy Hinshaw Patent clearly presents the facts about all big cats, from where they live to what they hunt to how they are threatened by humans. With fine artist Kendahl Jan Jubb's striking watercolors, these perfectly adapted hunting machines leap off the pages.

I keep a "life list" of birds that I've seen, and my husband and I enjoy treks in the woods to search for new sightings. There is an osprey platform at one of our favorite places where we have watched a pair nesting and seen them feeding their chicks.

Scientists have used tools such as banding and web cams to study the habits of these birds. For instance, we know that ospreys mate for life, during migration they can wander many, many miles before they return to their previous nesting place and that they compete with eagles for fish.

But the research does more than tell us about this bird. At the Superfund site at the Clark River in Montana, ospreys are helping scientists in the cleanup of industrial and mining operations. Because the osprey chicks eat fish from the river, the level of contaminants in their blood can monitor their progress.

Written in an accessible style, and illustrated with color photos, the book is aimed at middle and high school students. It's part of the "Scientists in the Field" series to encourage science as a vocation.

Dorothy tells the story first person of the life cycle and life style of the Arctic Polar Bear. She also goes into great detail about not only the specs of the polar bear, but the cultural importance to the Arctic people and meanings of the ice bear. She later concludes the story by reviewing the people and polar bears of today and their survival. Incredibly detailed full page illustrations back up the text and information.

This book is about the history of homesteading and what life was like for homesteaders back in the late 1800's. The book goes rather in-depth with the history of homesteading, explaining why the Homestead Act was passed, where homesteaders lived in the United States, and how homesteading effected the Native Americans who lived in the areas where homesteading was practiced. The process of buying a plot of land and building a home is explained, as well as the work that goes into starting a farm. Examples of food grown and what would be made with said food are given, as well as different examples of jobs that each family member would have. Everyday life is also explored, with chores, schooling, and entertainment being focused on. I thought this book was pretty informative, albeit a little boring and wordy. The images included in the book are very interesting, as there are actual houses from homesteaders featured in the book. I felt that some concepts needed to be explained a little better; for example, when talking about different recipes using corn, the book mentions "maize gruel for invalids." I honestly had no idea what an invalid was, so I had to Google it. There are some other instances of the book not explaining things in an easily understandable way, but that's the only big issue I had with the book. I do think the book would be a great informational guide about a way of life that many Americans lived back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and that you could easily teach a lesson about homesteading with this book.½

Deep within the tropical forests of the world live the most glittering, outrageously gorgeous butterflies on the planet. Every color of the rainbow decorates their graceful wings. From the rare Queen Alexandra-the largest butterfly in the world-to the postman-one of the most poisonous-to the owl butterfly-one of the insect world's masters of disguise, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent introduces readers to these unique and fascinating species. Kendahl Jan Jubb's intensely vibrant watercolor illustrations showcase these glorious creatures as they flit and flutter throughout the rain forests of the world.