Tree Kangaroo (Science Slam: Treed-Animal Life in the Trees)

Phillips, Dee

ISBN 10: 1617729140 ISBN 13: 9781617729140

Publisher: Bearport Pub Co Inc, 2014

Synopsis

It's nighttime in a rain forest. High in the branches of a tree, a busy animal is looking for food. The treetop forager is a tree kangaroo--an animal that looks a lot like the ground-dwelling kangaroos of Australia, but which spends its life climbing and leaping through the treetops! Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of its second-grade audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume introduces young readers to the everyday life of a tree kangaroo. How is the animal's body adapted to its treetop life? What does the tree kangaroo eat? How does it move from tree to tree? And how do female tree kangaroos keep their tiny joeys safe as they leap through the rain forest, sometimes jumping the length of a school bus? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about tree kangaroo's lives and physical characteristics. This innovative approach to teaching about wild animals gives young scientists the chance not only to read and learn the facts, but also to develop their own powers of observation and critical thinking.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-A tree habitat is the common element to this otherwise diverse range of animals. Like other Bearport series reviewed in this article, this set's writing and visual materials are effectively designed to meet the learning abilities of early elementary readers. Sentence length, labels, and captions convey enough information to engage students without overwhelming them. Questions, suggestions, and a simple "Science Lab" activity get kids thinking about what they're learning and serve as useful starting points for Common Core-based lessons. The color photos and maps correspond well with the texts. However, the combination of species information with more general data results in some potential confusion. For example, in Tree Frog, toucans are listed as "Tree Frog Predators," which is true for red-eyed tree frogs, but not for many other species. The set may address subject holes for rarely covered topics, although PowerKids's comparable "Up a Tree" series includes several of the animals featured here. α(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bearport Pub Co Inc
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1617729140
• ISBN 13: 9781617729140
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 24