New from Bearport Publishing for Spring 2012 is the Animal Diaries:  Life Cycles series.   There are five incredible titles—perfect for young readers—A Butterflies Life, A Frog’s Life, A Kangaroo’s Life, A Snake’s Life, and A Spider’s Life.   This series is not only a celebration of the wonders of creation and the animal kingdom, but of childhood ...

Animalogy is not your traditional book about animals.  Instead, author Marianne Berkes compares and contrasts various creatures from insects to mammals using analogies.   Behaviors, sounds, body parts, and classifications are just some of the comparisons made between creatures that on the surface appear to have no connection.  Here is a sample: ...

Do you love seeing a professional, exciting, safe and fun live animal show at your school, library, scout meeting, party, or special event?  Are you in favor of inspiring children to care about wildlife and the environment?  How do you feel about small businesses providing jobs and income for families? RIGHT NOW there is legislation, both passed ...

The school year is just getting swinging.  You have been given the task of hiring and hosting this year’s school assemblies.  You have finished hiring your performers – now it’s time to get ready for the show. Step One:  Choosing the Right Location for the Show A variety of factors make up a good school assembly performance space. Availability ...

A small blurry brown shape dashed away in to the trees to my right. I croched down with my camera poised for a picture of the blur, now hidden under a many leafed bush.  My husband taps my left shoulder and guides my eye with an outstreached finger to the opposite side of he trail. There, on a fallen log streatched out among dappled light with his ...

Children’s imaginations are sure to soar as they discover and explore the rainforest. We’re Roaming in the Rainforest: An Amazon Adventure and The Rainforest Grew All Around are two remarkable picture books to use in your study of this extraordinary habitat.   We’re Roaming in the Rainforest: An Amazon Adventure (ages 4-10) by Laurie Krebs  As ...

In my research for books about snow day experiences, I came across Under the Snow by Melissa Stewart.  This book does not fit my previous topic, but it is perfect for another related one:  hibernation.   After some research on this new topic, I have some great finds to accompany formal or informal instruction.  Here is a list of some picture books ...

In 2010, Buffy Silverman published a valuable set of science books with the Lerner Publication Company.   There is a book for each group in the invertebrate animal kingdom:  amphibians, mammals, fish, birds, and reptiles.  The characteristics for each animal kingdom are defined along with information related to life cycles, habitats, survival, and ...

Jennifer Houha Pennington Curator and Wildlife Educator Reptiles Alive Name: RattlerJen Hissstory: RattlerJen spent her early years leading her terrified mother  around the reptile house at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Her mother kept her eyes covered the entire time.  Jen also spent many hours after school exploring the desert ...

Caroline Seitz Director/Founder of Reptiles Alive LLC Reptiles Alive Name: Cobra Caroline (aka The Reptile Lady) Hisstory: Cobra Caroline performed her first live reptile show in public when she was 9 years old.  She continued presenting wildlife education programs through high school and college and then worked a few years at various zoos and ...