Books with author Jan Thornhill

Behold the most despised bird in human history!So begins Jan Thornhill’s riveting, beautifully illustrated story of the House Sparrow. She traces the history of this perky little bird, one of the most adaptable creatures on Earth, from its beginnings in the Middle East to its spread with the growth of agriculture into India, North Africa and Europe. Everywhere the House Sparrow went, it competed with humans for grain, becoming such a pest that in some places “sparrow catcher” became an actual job and bounties were paid to those who got rid of it.But not everyone hated the House Sparrow, and in 1852, fifty pairs were released in New York City. In no time at all, the bird had spread from coast to coast. Then suddenly, at the turn of the century, as cars took over from horses and there was less grain to be found, its numbers began to decline. As our homes, gardens, cities and farmland have changed, providing fewer nesting and feeding opportunities, the House Sparrow’s numbers have begun to decline again ― though in England and Holland this decline appears to be slowing. Perhaps this clever little bird is simply adapting once more.This fascinating book includes the life history of the House Sparrow and descriptions of how the Ancient Egyptians fed it to the animals they later mummified, how it traveled to Great Britain as a stowaway on ships carrying Roman soldiers, and how its cousin, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, was almost eradicated in China when Mao declared war on it. A wealth of back matter material is also supplied.

For more than 100 years, Over in the Meadow — a traditional southern Appalachian counting rhyme — has been a joyous introduction for young children to counting, rhyming, and nature. In this lyrical book, readers will meet ten different meadow-dwelling mother animals and their babies, brought to life by Jan Thornhill in an ingenious way. Thornhill uses everyday objects to construct this imaginary meadow: a beaver's dam is built of pretzels, a dragonfly flits with paperclip wings, and fish shimmer with coins for scales. Children will enjoy identifying these familiar objects — a "Where is It?" guide is included at the back of the book — as much as they will enjoy the sing-song cadence of this rhyme. Plus, hand-drawn text incorporates rebus elements to help even the youngest readers follow along.

Internationally acclaimed author, illustrator and naturalist Jan Thornhill has created a dramatic and unique picture book that brings to life the wondrous tale of one tree's survival through two hundred years of nature's blessings and scourges. On a crisp, fall morning a little maple key spins through the air and settles on the life-giving ruins of an ancient tree. So begins the story of a single maple tree and the creatures it nourishes and shelters. The intricacies of forest ecology and the importance of every link in the chain are highlighted in both the informative narrative and in the exquisitely detailed illustrations. Thornhill's brilliant drawings, each one alive with color and filled with a multitude of forest animals, will delight kids. From the tiniest cricket to the magnificence of a lighting storm, she captures them all.

For hundreds of thousands of years Great Auks thrived in the icy seas of the North Atlantic, bobbing on the waves, diving for fish and struggling up onto rocky shores to mate and hatch their fluffy chicks. But by 1844, not a single one of these magnificent birds was alive.In this stunningly illustrated non-fiction picture book, award-winning author and illustrator Jan Thornhill tells the tragic story of these birds that “weighed as much as a sack of potatoes and stood as tall as a preteen’s waist.” Their demise came about in part because of their anatomy. They could swim swiftly underwater, but their small wings meant they couldn’t fly and their feet were so far back on their bodies, they couldn’t walk very well. Still the birds managed to escape their predators much of the time until humans became seafarers.Great Auks were pursued first by Vikings, then by Inuit, Beothuk and finally European hunters. Their numbers rapidly dwindled. They became collectors’ items — their skins were stuffed for museums, to be displayed along with their beautiful eggs. (There are some amazing stories about these stuffed auks — one was stolen from a German museum during WWII by Russian soldiers; another was flown to Iceland and given a red-carpet welcome at the airport.)Although undeniably tragic, the final demise of the Great Auk led to the birth of the conservation movement. Laws were eventually passed to prevent the killing of birds during the nesting season, and similar laws were later extended to other wildlife species.

Meet Josephine: a spirited and curious girl, a big sister, and a human being. She’s also a mammal, an animal, and a living thing—all identities she explores with readers in this simple informational picture book.Josephine presents her family (and herself) as examples of human beings, and then familiar creatures like her dog and her mom (and herself) as mammals. Next, she adds whales, lobsters, hummingbirds, and elephants (and herself) as examples of animals. Finally, she shares examples of living things, including moose, foxes, butterflies, flowers, and bugs and, of course, herself!Inspired by science and nature writer Jan Thornhill’s many classroom visits, this book is intended to help children recognize themselves as part of the natural world, with an emphasis on how all living things share similarities.Playful, kid-friendly illustrations in vibrant colors paired with minimal text make this an easy introduction to the classification of living things. Endmatter goes into further detail about the unique characteristics of humans, mammals, animals, and living things.LEVELINGGrade Range: PreK–2Fountas & Pinnell: FReading Recovery: 9–10Lexile: AD 530LCOMMON CORERI.1.1,2,3,4,6,7,8,10L.1.1,1g,2,2a,2b,2c,4,5,5b,6RF.1.1,2,3,4,4a,4b,4cSL.1.1,1a,1b,1c,2,3,4,5,6W.1.1,2,3,5,6,7,8

Meet Josephine: she's a little girl, a big sister and a human being. She's also a mammal, an animal and a living thing-all identities she explores in this simple but informative picture book that provides a fabulous introduction to classification.Inspired by science and nature writer Jan Thornhill's many school visits, this book is intended to help children recognise themselves as part of the natural world, with an emphasis on how all living things share similarities.Beautiful illustrations in vibrant colors combined with minimal text make this an easy introduction to the classification of living things. Endmatter goes into further detail about the unique characteristics of humans, mammals, animals and living things.

For hundreds of thousands of years Great Auks thrived in the icy seas of the North Atlantic, bobbing on the waves, diving for fish and struggling up onto rocky shores to mate and hatch their fluffy chicks. But by 1844, not a single one of these magnificent birds was alive.In this stunningly illustrated non-fiction picture book, award-winning author and illustrator Jan Thornhill tells the tragic story of these birds that “weighed as much as a sack of potatoes and stood as tall as a preteen’s waist.” Their demise came about in part because of their anatomy. They could swim swiftly underwater, but their small wings meant they couldn’t fly and their feet were so far back on their bodies, they couldn’t walk very well. Still the birds managed to escape their predators much of the time … until humans became seafarers.Great Auks were pursued first by Vikings, then by Inuit, Beothuk and finally European hunters. Their numbers rapidly dwindled. They became collectors’ items — their skins were stuffed for museums, to be displayed along with their beautiful eggs. (There are some amazing stories about these stuffed auks — one was stolen from a German museum during WWII by Russian soldiers; another was flown to Iceland and given a red-carpet welcome at the airport.)Although undeniably tragic, the final demise of the Great Auk led to the birth of the conservation movement. Laws were eventually passed to prevent the killing of birds during the nesting season, and similar laws were later extended to other wildlife species.

From A to Z and from 1 to 1000 through the animal kingdom!Nature leaps off the pages of this magnificent collection, which pairs the award-winning titles The Wildlife ABC: A Nature Alphabet and The Wildlife 123: A Nature Counting Book.Engaging and enriching, this collection communicates simple information through the use of animals that children can easily identify. Spectacularly detailed illustrations paired with whimsical text will keep them absorbed, each page sparking interest and imagination.From the auk to a zoo frull of animals and from a single panda to one thousand tadpoles, The Wildlife ABC & 123 features both exotic and familiar animals from around the globe. Some are endangered species, such as the Asian tiger, and some are animals from our own backyard, like the ant.Through her innovative design, Jan Thornhill has created an interactive learning environment. Young readers can count the animals hiding in the intricate illustrations and exquisite borders—are there really 1000 tadpoles? (Yes, there are.) Children can also try to pick out each of the animals they met through the book in the final zoo collage puzzle."Nature Notes" provide additional information on each of the featured animals and their environments.

Part of the loosely constructed series by Jan Thornhill, which already includes This Is My Planet and I Found a Dead Bird, Who Wants Pizza? is brimming with no-nonsense facts that illustrate the importance of food choices and the practices surrounding food production. Full of direct, eye-opening information about why we need to eat, where our food comes from, how much of it we have, and why some food choices are wiser than others, the book covers a lot of important ground. Topics are easy to dip into and include digestion, the domestication of animals, different cultures’ table etiquette, sustainable agriculture, and the evolution of farming and food preservation. Short blocks of bite-sized text, just the right amount of “icky” info that kids love, plus a visually stimulating layout that uses captivating photo-illustration collages all add up to make Who Wants Pizza? a fun, fact-filled look at all things food-related.

Governor General's Award finalist The Wildlife ABC is now available as a newly formatted paperback! Nature in all its splendor leaps off the pages of this magnificent early learning primer, which features exotic and familiar animals from around the world. From A is for Auk to Z is for Zoo, this alphabet book communicates simple information through colorful illustrations and rhyming text; every page will spark young readers' interest and imagination. At the end of the book, "Nature Notes" provide additional information on each of the featured animals and their habitats, encouraging children to spend more time with this rich read.