Earth Science: Landforms by Mary Lindeen

Landforms is another addition to the Earth Sciences series for early readers by Mary Lindeen. Readers will learn about natural features of the earth, from those like rivers, lakes, and oceans, to massive mountains, and vast plains. Also discussed are ways the terrain can change, as by earthquakes, landslides, and the effects of wind and water. I would have liked to see mention that humanity is a big landscape changer as well. We change the flow of rivers, build hills, and tear them down, among other things. The end of the book features a Connecting Concepts section with questions to ask about the reading, and practise with vocabulary and reading fluency. My cubs and I enjoyed reading this book.

Check out my reviews for other Mary Lindeen books-

Earth Sciences: Water

Life Sciences: Animal Mothers and Fathers   

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Norwood House Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Swimming with Seals by Maggie DeVries

Ally is a young girl with a rather unusual situation. Rather than living with her ma, she lives with her Gram and great-aunt, spending summers with her aunt and uncle who live near her ma, and that’s when she gets to see her. Ally doesn’t really know her mother, and has all sorts of questions about her. During the visit they get to go swimming together, with seals. At the end, readers get to learn the meaning behind the story, and it brought tears!

This story is a good lesson for children regarding different family structures. We don’t know why Ally doesn’t live with her ma, but there are numerous reasons why she may not My own cousin lived with us for several years because her ma was not well enough to take care of her. My cubs and I enjoyed the story, though it felt lacking at times. The artwork is gorgeous!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Orca Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

The Seal Garden by Ian McAllister & Nicholas Read

McAllister and Read’s The Seal Garden is a beautiful nonfiction book geared towards young readers, stuffed with gorgeous photos and fun facts. Ever wonder where marine creatures go to seek safety in storms, or against much bigger predators? They go to a ‘seal garden’! How cool is that? These are kelp forests where large predators like orca cannot go, and where the seals and other small creatures can be safe from massive storm swells. These pictures are beyond beautiful. You can really tell the photographer loves his work. My cubs and I loved learning about the critters that call seal gardens home, and look forward to more in this series!

Read my review for A Bear’s Life.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

 

Herodotus the Hedgehog by Jean-Luc Buquet

Buquet’s Herodotus the Hedgehog follows the titular hedgehog as he explores the forests and meadows around his home. Everything is fascinating to Herodotus! One day, Herodotus comes across a bear dancing in the forest, making offering to the Great Bear Spirit. Then he learns that foxes also have a Great Fox Spirit. He asks the elderly Venerable, oldest of the hedgepigs, if there was a Great Hedgehog Spirit. Venerable says hedgepigs are humble creatures, concerned only that the sun rises and sets.

Herodotus decides to ask all the animals if they, too, have Great Spirits. He learned about the Great Weasel, the Great Sheep, the Great Wolf, and so on, til Hoopoe said that there was only one Great Spirit, who made all creatures. Raven countered that there was no such thing as the Great Spirit, it was only made up. All of these opinions left Herodotus with much to think about. Finally, he realised what Venerable was trying to tell him- there’s no use fretting over what you cannot prove for sure. The sun will rise and the sun will set, and that you can be sure of, no matter if you believe in a Great Spirit or not.

The illustrations are beautiful, done in coloured pencil. I loved that this presentation of belief and faith used Great Spirit, and not ‘God’. It was a charming way to present differing views from belief in many deities, to belief in one, to none, without presenting any view as better than the other. I feel this was a great way to introduce young readers to thoughts of spirituality, and prompt them to think about what works best for them. Offering different viewpoints, and allowing the child to reach their own opinion, is very important to my partner and I. My cubs enjoyed reading this book, and yes, it prompted many curious questions 🙂

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.