Saturday, June 23, 2012

Citizen Scientists


Burns, Loree Griffin    Citizen Scientists      
 Macmillan/ Henry Holt   2012  80p $12.99  978-0-8050-9517-3        
elm/ms    E-BN        Nonfiction Picture book            
Citizen Scientists offers budding young ecologists a wonderful introduction into Mother Nature’s realms.  In clear and accessible language, the author describes four projects, one for each season, that will entice the readers outdoors in all kinds of weather.  Fall butterflying describes the tagging of monarch butterflies to track their migration from the eastern half of the United States to the mountains of Mexico.  Winter birding discusses the Christmas Bird Count used to identify different species at feeders and in parks.  Spring frogging talks about identifying frogs by their calls, and how a middle-school class discovered malformed frogs on a field trip.   Summer ladybugging examines the tiny insects for species recognition.  Each project begins with a description of young naturalists actively participating in the research, along with background information on each study.  Then it continues with a checklist of practical items necessary for further field study, an image of the animal discussed with important parts labeled, and a quick quiz about each.  Fabulous full-color photographs of the butterflies, birds, frogs, and ladybugs and of the children involved in the research enhance the text.  The book ends with resource pages of field guides, books, and Internet addresses for each study, as well as sources for extra information, answers to the quizzes, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.  This is a wonderful introduction to nature studies that will fascinate children and adults alike.          

E-BN  Susan Ogintz      Environmental science, Animals in the wild

 

No comments: