Books in Science Slam: Treed-Animal Life in the Trees series

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.

From the splintered trunk of an old broken tree, a fluffy gray face appears. It's a spotted owl chick, and the hungry baby bird is waiting for its parents to return with a tasty meal of mice or woodrats! It's dusk in the cool, quiet evergreen forest, and the parent owls are hunting. They will soon be back, however, to check on their chick in a treetop nest. 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 spotted owl. What does the owl eat? How does it catch its prey? Where do spotted owls make their nests? And how does a pair of spotted owls care for their chicks? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these nocturnal birds. 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.

In the highest branches of a rain forest tree, a monkey is hanging by its tail from a branch as it gathers tasty leaves with its small hands. The acrobatic tree-dweller is a spider monkey, and it's foraging for food high in the treetops with members of its family. 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 spider monkey. How is the animal's body adapted to its treetop life? What does a spider monkey eat? How does it move from tree to tree? And how do spider monkey families spend their days and raise their young? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these agile creatures. 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.

A long green snake has just finished a large meal. Now it loops its body around a tree branch and rests, its green skin helping it blend in with its treetop rain forest home. The beautiful snake is a green tree python, and now that it has fed, it will simply hang from a branch and relax for the next two weeks. 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 green tree python. What does the snake eat? How does it catch its prey? Where does it lay its eggs? And how do adults and young pythons stay safe from predators in the forest? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about green tree pythons' 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.

From a large, ragged hole in the trunk of an old tree, a head suddenly appears. The bright red crest of feathers and long beak belong to a woodpecker. Safe inside the tree hole is her brood of hungry chicks. The mother bird has just made a delivery of tasty insects, and now she must take off again to search the forest for more food for her growing young. 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 woodpecker. What does the bird eat? How does it find its food? Where do woodpeckers make their nests? And how do woodpeckers care for their chicks? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these busy birds. 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.

On a bright green leaf in a rain forest tree, a tiny frog is resting until night falls, when it's time to go hunting. The frog's red eyes are closed, and its colorful orange feet are tucked beneath its body. From above, the green frog is perfectly camouflaged against the leaf, and almost invisible to its predators. 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 red-eyed tree frog. What does a tree frog eat? How does it stay safe from predators? And how does an amphibian that lives in trees find the water that's needed for its tadpoles to survive and thrive? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these tiny frogs. 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.

In an Australian gum-tree forest, a furry gray animal is taking a nap. It's a koala, and the branches of the gum trees are where the little marsupial makes its home, high above the ground. 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 koala. How is the koala's body adapted to its treetop life? What does the koala eat? How does it move from tree to tree? And how does a female koala keep her tiny joey safe while climbing from tree to tree? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about koalas' 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.

It's nighttime in the rain forest and a small animal is searching for food. Like a furry kite, the little creature glides from the top of one tree to the lower branches of another. The animal is a flying lemur, and while these animals can't really fly, they have an amazing ability to glide from one part of the forest to another. 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 flying lemur. How has the animal's body adapted to its treetop life? What does a flying lemur eat? How does it move from tree to tree? And how do flying lemurs raise their young and keep them safe when they live so high above the ground? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these fascinating animals. 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.