Backyard: One Small Square
Learn about nature in your own backyard with this well-written, vibrantly-illustrated habitat study book. You will explore your backyard ecosystem, learning to observe and understand the wide variety of animals and plants that live there and how they depend on one another. This basic text and illustrations will delight younger children while older children will be challenged to learn more with the in-depth explanations and do-it-yourself activities. Ages 5-11.
You might like these One Small Square books, too: Woods, Pond, and Seashore.
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Lowest Rating - Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wonderful Illustrations and TextReviewed By: J. Mayfield My first grader enjoyed this book very much. As the title states, the book suggests readers rope off a square (cube, really) in a local woods and visit it often to observe wildlife, insects, and plant life. We did not do that, but still learned quite a lot from the book.
The book shows through illustrations and text the life-cycle and habits of animals, insects and plants in the woods. The illustrations are truly magnificent, and my child often learned as much from them as she did the text. Some pages have sidebars with activities, or additional information. The last 6 pages of the book are a mini field guide showing common mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and invertebrates, plants, funguses, and autumn leaves with their names.
*** Here is a brief overview of the book:
1. Trees: Description of how trees make food, and how insects live in trees and eat the bark, leaves, and nuts.
2. Fall. How the leaves are changing and why.
3. Insect life-cycle
4. How Animals help disperse seeds.
5. How Rotten Logs support and renew life in the square.
6. Winter in the square. How some animals and insects hibernate and how squirrels and some birds survive.
7. Spring in the square. Flowers and plants reappearing, followed by tree leaves. Baby birds and insect larvae hatching.
8. Summer. How owls hunt and what are owl pellets.
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