To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell  publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out!

• Written by Donna Rathmell German
• Illustrated by Barbara J. Bergwerf
• Reading Level: Ages 4-8
• 32 Pages
• Hardcover ISBN: 9780976494300
• Paperback ISBN: 9781934359006

I love reading non-fiction books to my children that  inspire them to learn more about a topic or subject.  We found a winner with Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! by Donna Rathmell German. This is a delightful picture book and photo journal about a sick turtle that washed up on the beach, barely alive. The Turtle Rescue Team took her to the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium, where a team of biologists and doctors were waiting to take care of her. Aptly named Carolina, the sea turtle needed a lot of attention and many medical procedures in order to recover from her ‘turtle flu’, such as barnacle removal, drawing blood, antibiotics rubbed into open sores, x-rays, shots, an IV, a healthy diet, etc.

This special loggerhead was rehabilitated and finally returned to the ocean, but not before winning the hearts of many staff members, volunteers, and visitors who came to the facility. What an amazing story (through text and photographs) about a delightful sea turtle named Carolina and the  dedicated caregivers who were committed to her, the recovery process, and her release back into her natural habitat!

Donna German has done an excellent job detailing the rescue, the admission to the Sea Turtle Hospital, and the procedures that were needed to help Carolina recover from her turtle flu. But more than that, she helped us get to know Carolina better by telling about her playful personality and how she became more active and curious as she began to feel better. We also learned more about the emotional ties and dedication of the staff and volunteers who gave (and give to each new patient)  of their time, expertise, and love to help this magnificent creature return to her home. It really is a heart-warming book.

Barbara J. Bergwerf also did a fantastic job on the photographs for the book. She captured Carolina’s personality perfectly, and the reader/viewer also gets glimpses of the people, procedures, and facility that ‘explain’ what happened in each phase of Carolina’s recovery. A picture really is worth a thousand words!

As always, Sylvan Dell sets high standards by introducing captivating stories interwoven with sound mathematical or scientific information. In addition, there is also a ‘For Creative Minds’ section in the back of the book including, fun facts about Loggerhead Turtles,  a measurement activity, a ‘Make Your Own’ Sea Turtle template, and additional photographs about other rescued/recovering turtles.

You can also find more links, activities, and quizzes for this book and other titles at www.sylvandellpublishing.com. You can even find out how Sylvan Dell titles align with state standards. Options and possibilities are numerous, making these books excellent for both classroom and home use!

Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for Sylvan Dell.

To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell  publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out!

Baby Owl’s Rescue

Written by Jennifer Keats Curtis
Illustrated by Laura Jacques
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (September 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1934359955
ISBN-13: 978-1934359952

It is generally known that when we find a wild baby animal, we should not touch it because it could bite or scratch us. But then again, experts say it is best to leave it alone or return the baby to its parents. So how do we correctly and safely handle this situation while helping the baby as well? Thanks to Sylvan Dell’s book, Baby Owl’s Rescue written by Jennifer Keats Curtis, we can read all about how one family rescued a wild baby bird!

Baby Owl’s Rescue is a delightful picture book that tells the story of what happens when sister and brother, Maddie and Max, find a baby Great Horned Owl on the ground instead of in his nest. They hear a clack, clack, clack noise and follow the sound to the base of a large pine tree in the corner of their yard. There they discover the tiny bird with bright yellow eyes, sharp beak, furry feet and big, long talons.

The children know not to treat a wild animal as a pet, so they call their mother, a wildlife rehabilitator, to come help. They want to do what is right for the baby owl. After their mother assesses the situation and identifies the nest high up in the tree, she puts on heavy gloves and gently tries to direct the baby back up the base of the big pine. But he is too small to scale the tree. Now what will happen? Will the baby owl be left to fend for himself against predators?

Thankfully, Maddie and Max’s mom figures out just what to do. She puts the baby owl in a laundry basket that has been lined with small branches and calls some firefighters to use their “cherry picker” truck to lift the basket into the tree and secure it below the nest. Maddie and Max watch excitedly as their mom turns on a CD of “baby owl noises” to call the parents back to the tree. Soon the mother returns and sees her baby, then takes off to find food. When she returns with a mouse for her offspring, the rescuers know they have been successful! A happy ending for all!

Jennifer Keats Curtis has done an excellent job telling this story, and I like the lesson within the story—helping wildlife is important, but it must be done cautiously and with supervision from an expert. It’s obvious she enjoys teaching children about preserving and protecting local wildlife. She lives with her family in Maryland, and she has written several books for Sylvan Dell.

I also love the illustrations by the very talented Laura Jacques. The pictures are beautiful, colorful and realistic. Ms. Jacques has over twenty-five years of professional experience as an illustrator, and she enjoys illustrating books that focus on natural history, wildlife, and the environment.

As always, Sylvan Dell sets high standards by introducing lively stories interwoven with sound mathematical or scientific information. In this case, the reader is exposed to some important lessons about nature and wildlife. In addition, there is also a ‘For Creative Minds’ section in the back of the book including, fun facts about Great Horned Owls,  matching and sequencing activities, and information about what to do if you find an injured bird.

You can also find more links, activities, and quizzes for this book and other titles at www.sylvandellpublishing.com. You can even find out how Sylvan Dell titles align with statestandards. Options and possibilities are numerous, making these books excellent for both classroom and home use!

Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for Sylvan Dell.

To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell  publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out!

Title: Where Should Turtle Be?
Author: Susan Ring
Illustrator: Laurie Allen Klein
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (February 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1934359891
ISBN-10: 1934359890

Little turtle has hatched from an egg on the beach late one night. However, he becomes confused, disoriented, and ultimately lost as he follows what he thinks is the moon and starlight, but is actually light from nearby houses and cars.

Taking a wrong turn, the turtle finds his way into the woods, but doesn’t think he’s in the right place. A friendly bear suggests that perhaps he should be a box turtle and spend his time crawling around the forest floor, eating fruit, and sleeping a lot. But that doesn’t work, because a forest is not his habitat and he is NOT a box turtle.

Next, he finds his way to a pond. This time a curious frog suggests he should be a painted turtle and sun on logs and munch on bugs. But a pond is not his habitat and he is NOT a painted turtle.

Poor little turtle keeps going until he ends up in a hot, salty marsh. A neighborly beetle suggests he should be a diamond back terrapin who crawls on the mud and munches on bugs. But try as he might, he is NOT a diamond back terrapin, and the marsh is not his habitat!

Finally, with the help of an unexpected tickle from the beetle, the turtle finds himself landing on the sandy beach where a helpful crab directs him to his real home in the ocean. He can finally be what he is supposed to be—a turtle in the sea!

This whimsical picture book introduces young children to four kinds of turtles, their characteristics, descriptions, and various habitats. It’s all about exposure to new reptile friends, yet the information is cleverly women into a charming story that will delight and entertain young readers as they try to guess where the little turtle belongs.

There is also a section at the back of the book called ‘Creative Minds’ that enhances and stretches educational possibilities for students, parents, and teachers. Included are “Turtle Fun Facts”, “Match the Turtle Adaptations”, and “Match The Turtle To Its Habitat” pages. A great story paired with fun learning activities—a winning combination!

About the author and illustrator:
Susan Ring (author) lives in Rhode Island and specializes in writing for children. Through her creative services company, Monkey-Says, she writes for all types of media. Although Where Should Turtle Be? is Susan’s first book with Sylvan Dell, she has over 135 books to her credit.

Laurie Allen Klein (illustrator) lives in Florida and has been a freelance artist for nearly 20 years. Over the last several years, she has worked as the on-staff artist for a marine park, where she does everything from painting life-sized sea animal murals, to illustrating children’s activity books. She has also illustrated several other books for Sylvan Dell.

Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for Sylvan Dell.

I have an article up today over at The National Writing For Children Center about teaching personification by using picture books. And as I mention in that post, Virginia Lee Burton was a master at using personification in her books. The Little House is a favorite at our house, as is Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Katie and the Big Snow. The imagery in Mrs. Burton’s books is beyond description, and her writing style is exceptional! She was a true icon in the picture book industry, so I thought I’d share a little bit about Virginia Lee Burton here.

She was born on August 30, 1909 in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, but her family moved to California when she was seven. When she was older, she received a scholarship to study art and dance at the California School of Fine Arts. But after about a year, she returned to Boston with her father. She had an opportunity to travel with a ballet troupe, but just before she was to leave on tour, her father broke his leg. So she stayed behind to care for him. In her own words, “that was the beginning and end of my dancing career, which was just as well, because I wasn’t very good anyway.”

Luckily for us, she did pursue her art career. In the fall of 1930, at the age of twenty-one, she began taking Saturday morning drawing classes under George Demetrios at the Boston Museum School. They must have gotten along pretty well, because they were married in the spring! The couple lived in Lincoln, Massachusetts for a year, and their son Aristedes (Aris for short) was born there before they moved to Folly Cove, Gloucester (MA) in 1932. A second son, Michael, was born in 1935. Mrs. Burton lived in Folly Cove until her death in October of 1968. She was only fifty-nine years old.

Her Writing Career:

Although, she did write an unpublished manuscript entitled Jonnifer Lint, Mrs. Burton’s first published book was Choo Choo, published in 1935, a story of a runaway train engine. This book set the pattern of animated machinery stories. Her second book, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, was a story of a steam shovel made obsolete by newer technology. It was published in 1939 and has become a true classic.

Calico the Wonder Horse was published in 1941, but it was her 1942 book, The Little House, that really drew attention to Mrs. Burton’s work. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1943 and has generally been regarded as her most famous book. She went on to write and/or illustrate quite a few more great books (listed below), and earned her reputation as one of the picture book greats!

Children’s Books Written and Illustrated:

• Choo Choo, Houghton, 1935.
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Houghton, 1939, Faber, 1967.
• Calico, the Wonder Horse, Houghton, 1941.




• The Little House, 1942, Faber, Houghton, 1968.




• Katy and the Big Snow, Houghton, 1943.




• Maybelle, the Cable Car, Houghton, 1952.




• Life Story, Houghton, 1962.

Children’s Books Illustrated:

• Bontemps, Arna, Sad-Faced Boy, 1937.




• Bontemps, Arna and Conroy, Jack, Fast Sooner Hound, Houghton, 1942.




• Park, Leigh, Don Coyote, 1942.




• Malcolmson, Anne, Song of Robin Hood, Houghton, 1947. (Caldecott Honor)
  




• Andersen, Hans Christian, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Houghton, 1949.

Other Work:

In addition to being a prolific writer and illustrator , Mrs. Burton (known as Jinnee to friends and family) was also a gifted textile designer. She taught classes to others who wanted to learn the art of block printing. In 1940, she established the Folly Cove Designers, a textile collective in Gloucester, Massachussetts. But to differentiate her textile work from her writing/illustrating, she signed her name Virginia Lee Demetrios.

Books/Media About Virginia Lee Burton:

A Life In Art by Barbara Elleman (Biography)

A Sense of Place: Virginia Lee Burton (DVD Documentary)

You can also find more about Virginia Lee Burton, her books, and even activities that go along with some of her books at the following links, so be sure and check them out:

Virginia Lee Burton

Houghton Mifflin (This site has biographical info and activities)

Women Children’s Book Illustrators (Great biographical info)