The Tree That Bear Climbed

Written by: Marianne Berkes

Illustrated by: Kathleen Rietz

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (August 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607185377
• ISBN-13: 978-1607185376

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, I am reviewing (AND GIVING AWAY) five wonderful non-fiction titles 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! Also, be sure to find out how to enter the picture book give-away at the end of this post!

If you have fond memories of the popular British (or Mother Goose) nursery rhyme/song ‘The House That Jack Built’ then you will certainly enjoy the book, The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes. Both children and adults will enjoy the rhythmic repetition of the text as they learn about the parts of a tree and how they relate to each other and to nature and the elements as well. And why, we ask, does bear want to climb that tree and what will happen when he gets to the top?

This ‘chain of events’ story begins with the roots of the tree and progresses to the soil, rain, trunk, branches, leaves, sun, blossoms, pollen, bees, hive, honey, and…

I won’t give away the ending, but I’m sure you can see the pattern! Children love making guesses about ‘what will happen next’ in stories, and they will probably be able to make a prediction about what is coming at the end of the book. Therefore, in addition to being a fun book about nature and trees, the story could be also be used to teach the skill of prediction. Teachers are always looking for good resources to reinforce this particular reading strategy.

I also think the repetition of the text on each page is a wonderful way to present the information. It reminds me a bit of the format of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss—and how many millions of children can recite those nonsensical verses? However, in this case, real scientific (basic/elemental) information is presented and learned, even though it is all cloaked in a cheerful, happy story. Strong verbs are a subtle part of the rhythm and cadence, which, I feel enhances the text and certainly evokes perfect images in the mind of the reader, whether they see the illustrations or not!

But that said, I must add that the illustrations are delightful. Kathleen Rietz created vivid and detailed pictures that will enthrall children of all ages. I think my favorites are the pages featuring the blossoms and the bees—the colors are so beautiful and striking!

As always, Sylvan Dell includes ‘For Creative Minds’ pages at the end the book. These educational extras feature basic needs of plants, a plant body part matching activity, how plants and animals interact, and a hands-on plant experiment. Plus, there are 60-70 pages of cross-curricular teaching activities and three interactive reading comprehension and reading quizzes on The Tree That Bear Climbed homepage at www.sylvandellpublishing.com to help parents and educators create more educational opportunities. You will also find that Sylvan Dell has a page of links to each state and how their books match up to the standards for each one.

About the Author:

Marianne Berkes is an award-winning author, retired teacher and librarian who turned her love of nature and teaching into writing informational picture books. Visit her website at www.marianneberkes.com.

About the Illustrator:

A lifelong artist and lover of nature, Kathleen Rietz is originally from Peoria, IL. In addition to illustrating many books, she has taught art to children and adults at the Community School of the Arts at historic Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, and through a local homeschool program in her community. For more information about Kathleen, visit her website at www.katherinerietz.com.

THE GIVE-AWAY:

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, I will be doing reviews of some Sylvan Dell titles and there will be a GIVE-AWAY at the end of the week! So be sure to come back each day to read about a great children’s book and enter to win one of the titles. The give-away will begin on Monday, May 13, 2013 and end on Saturday, May 18 at 11:59 pm. The names of five winners will be drawn on Sunday, May 19th. The order of the names drawn will correspond to the order of the book reviews. For example, Name #1 will receive Featured Book #1 and so on.

To increase your chances to win, there are several ways to enter.

1. Leave a comment. (You can comment each day on each book review). (1 entry per day)

2. Sign up for my mailing list and let me know in the comment section that you did. The mailing list form is on the right sidebar at the top. (1 entry)

3. Tweet about the give-away. You can do this each day, but in the comment section, please leave a direct link to your tweet. (1 entry per day)

4. Post on Facebook about the give-away. You can also do this each day, but please let me know you did so in the comment section. (1 entry per day)

5. Share on your blog about the give-away, and please leave a direct link to the blog post in the comment section. (1 entry per day)

6. Share on Google+ about the give-away, and please leave a direct link in the comment section to your Google+ post. (1 entry per day)

7. ‘Pin’ the individual reviews/give-away on Pinterest  to link back to specific posts and let me know you did so in the comment section. (1 entry per review)

8. You can also comment on the Facebook status I post linking to my reviews here stating you read the book reviews. (1 entry per review status)

Review Posting Schedule:

Monday, May 13: Turtle Summer by Mary Alice Monroe

Tuesday, May 14: Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean by Gail Langer Karwoski

Wednesday, May 15: The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes

Thursday, May 16: Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer by Mary Holland

Friday, May 17: Nature Recycles, How About You? by Michelle Lord

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.