Synergy: Baby Animals

Baby animals are the offspring of living creatures. While some animal offspring are independent at birth, others are cared for by a parent, parents, or family. Animal offspring may look like their parents, but they are not identical. 

Read three recently published book for children, then learn more at the website:

LITTLE KIDS FIRST BIG BOOK OF BABY ANIMALS by Maya Myers features a wide range of mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, octopus, and insect babies. Five chapters explore grassland, water, mountain/desert, forest, and polar babies through colorful photographs and factual information. The book concludes with a map, parent tips, a glossary, and more. ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

FIND OUT ABOUT ANIMAL BABIES by Martin Jenkins explores a wide range of animal babies and how they grow. The author provides a general statement about animal babies, then examines one animal family in more detail. ARC courtesy of Candlewick Press.

DO BABY ELEPHANTS SUCH THEIR TRUNKS? by Ben Lerwill uses engaging questions to jump-start explorations of animal babies. Inquiries are addressed through examining a specific animal baby. ARC courtesy of Nosy Crow, an imprint of Candlewick Press.

Nat Geo WILD provides fascinating videos about baby animals. ANIMAL MOMS contains four videos about moms and their babies. BARNYARD BABIES is a playlist containing nearly a dozen short videos about farm babies.

To visit Nat Geo WILD, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/NatGeoWild.

To visit the animal moms playlist, go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNxd9fYeqXebzavboPT2uRRWfLYo_TL_v

To visit the barnyard babies playlist, go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNxd9fYeqXeZCRoHh-dVrlLaNOKhEoJyA

Book Review: Baby on Board

BABY ON BOARD: HOW ANIMALS CARRY THEIR YOUNG by Marianne Berkes shares the many ways mothers carry their offspring.

Featuring a wide array of animals, the picture book begins by asking children to think about how they were carried as a baby. Rhyming verses describe the relationship between animals and their young, while the realistic illustrations provide visual detail. Background information is also provided for each animals. The book concludes with a matching game for children, ideas for teachers and parents, and additional resources.

Librarians will find that this book fits well with the primary grade science curriculum.

The publisher website provides free activities at https://dawnpub.com/our-books/baby-on-board/.

Published by Dawn Publications on March 1, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Follow Me! Animal Parents and Babies

FOLLOW ME! ANIMAL PARENTS AND BABIES by Shira Evans is part of the National Geographic Kids Super Reader series.

This series includes books for pre-readers through fluent readers. This Level 1: Co-reader book is intended for parents, adults, or older children to read with younger children. An icon indicates what “you read” and what “I read”. Chapters focus on finding food, movement, habitat, and using tools. At the end of each chapter, readers are given a task to think about or a problem to solve.

Librarians know that animal babies books are always popular. What makes this book particularly useful is the collaborative reading option. Consider using this book and other Level 1 co-reader books as part of a school-wide buddy reading program where older children read with younger children.

Published by National Geographic on March 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Tech Review: Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef

OVER IN THE OCEAN IN A CORAL REEF by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jeanette Canyon is a beautiful sing-along e-book, interactive app.

Based on the 2004 book by the same name, this interactive book encourages children to click and jiggle their mobile device to explore ocean animals. Designed for young children, this informational app focuses on both math and science topics.

The “Sing to Me” option sings the story aloud as readers follow along with the highlighted text. Readers can interact with the screen by clicking or shaking their device. Youth can move forward or backward through the story. The music on each page can also be repeated.

The “Read to Me” option provides the same format as the sing-to-me section, but the words are read aloud with music in the background.

The “Read to Myself” option encourages children to read the story without the music or audio narration.

In addition to the book, users can also explore activities and informational readings experiences. The “Find the Babies” activity asks children to find particular ocean creatures on the screen. The “Fishy Facts & Photos” section provides a series of pages focusing on ocean and sea creature information. Information is also included about the author, illustrator, developer, and publisher.

A menu option is always available providing easy access to narration.

This book would be a great addition to a library display focusing on ocean creatures. Include this book on an iPad, along with paper books.

Create a display of Marianne Berkes’ other books exploring the world including her latest book Over On a Mountain: Somewhere in the World. Also include Over in a River, Over in the Forest, Over in the Jungle, and Over in Australia.

Download free activities to go with these books from the publisher website at http://www.dawnpub.com/.

Published by Dawn Publications.