Subjects:  1. Amazon River Region    2. Children's 9-12 - Science    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Ecology    5. Juvenile literature    6. Rain forest ecology    7. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    8. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Mammals   

Editorial Review

If a tree falls in the forest... someone or something will always be there to hear it. Many, many creatures will feel the effects when their source of sustenance and shelter falls to the earth. So when a man is sent into the Amazon rain forest one day, under instructions to chop down a great kapok tree, many eyes watch him nervously. It's not long before he grows tired, though, and the "heat and hum" of the rain forest lulls him to sleep. One by one, snakes, bees, monkeys, birds, frogs, and even a jaguar emerge from the jungle canopy to plead with the sleeping ax-man to spare their home. When the man awakens, startled at all the rare and marvelous animals surrounding him, he picks up his ax as if to begin chopping again, then drops it and walks away, presumably never to return.Read more

Reviews (42)

The true story of the rianforest
This book is truly inspiring for anyone that does not believe in saving the rainforests. The Great Kapok Tree really tells you from all the animals point of view on how the rianforest is their home. This timeless children's book is not just for little children it is for all to learn a lesson from what could become of the future or what people are destroying. In this book there is one man who is told to chop down this very big and old Kapok tree. He starts to wack and chop. After a little bit the man is worn out so he desides to just sit and rest for a little bit, but the sounds of the rainforest lulls him to sleep. One by one animals that depend on trees or have homes there come down and talk to the man whispering and telling of how the rainforest will soon destroy all life on earth because of the oxygen that the trees give us. When the man wakes up he now has a choice, he cqn listen to what the animals said or what the other bigger man told him to do... To find out read The Great Kapok Tree by: Lynne Cherry.

Treasures of Nature
For centuries, man has abused nature and thoughtlessly destroyed forests without realizing the harm this causes. Only recently has the importance of trees become apparent, brought to light by those who value the life that trees provide. Lynne Cherry is one of these people; her gorgeously illustrated book teaches the importance of trees and the abundance that they give to nature and its creatures. In this book, a man is hired to chop down a Kapok tree, one of the largest and most important in the entire forest. After just a few chops, the heat of the forest and the exertion of his efforts tire him out and he lies down to sleep. One by one, the different creatures of the forest creep over to him and whisper in his ear the importance of the tree, asking him to spare it and leave it to those who need it. By the time he wakes, his decision and his view of the forest are altered forever. This book is beautifully put together, both with illustrations and a story that's simply but powerfully written. I've loved trees all my life and this lovely story teaches children the importance of taking care of nature and animals. I really can't believe one person's snooty comment that nature preservation is "not the job of children". First of all, children will not be children forever; they are the future and it is our responsibility to teach them how to take care of the environment if we want them to be responsible adults. Second of all, children CAN make a difference! If you go to Lynne Cherry's website, you'll see that a kid's organization convinced Mcdonald's to recycle their paper products. I also disagree with the silly statement that the book puts animals above people. What it does is remind us that if we don't take care of nature, there will be no tomorrow for future generations. Besides, one of the "creatures" of the forest who whispered to the man while he was sleeping was a Native American who needed the tree, so the message of the book would be to put others ahead of yourself. I personally think it's refreshing to write a book that gives animals a voice since they're so often overlooked. This book is highly recommended!

great for teaching a unit on the rainforest
I got this book for my son, but I also work in a kindergarten and this is a good tool for teaching young children about the rainforest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Kindergarten    3. Conservation of natural resources    4. Ecology    5. Fiction    6. Nature & the Natural World - Ecology    7. Rain forests    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Environmental Science & Ecology    9. Picture books   

Reviews (6)

love it
I used it to make an interactive bulletin board for my classroom.It is simple but it gets the point across.I use it with my 8th and 9th grade students, and they don't mind that it's a picture book.

Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs
I found this book to be very entertaining and I feel the children's interest held to the very end of the story.

Food Chains and Food Webs
Detailed examples of food chains and food webs, but hard to follow the arrows in the illustrations in food chains.
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Subjects:  1. Animals - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Ecology    5. Food chains (Ecology)    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Nature - General    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    10. Science & Nature - General    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / General   

Reviews (1)

Good info, v. readable
Our girls read this after a trip to the Amazon, and found lots that they recognized & enjoyed.The standard of information is rather higher than that in the Magic Tree house books, which is reasonable, given that they don't have to worry about plot & characters as well!Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Ecology    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. People & Places - Other    8. Rain forest ecology    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    10. Science & Nature - Trees & Forests    11. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / People & Places / Other   

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Habitat (Ecology)    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / General   

Reviews (1)

Comments on The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World
While intended for a young audience this serves as a very basic introduction to Arctic exploration and scientific study. Scientific and political issues mentioned could have been a good springboard for young adults to understand that scientific methods can serve as a process to follow when trying to answer difficult questions. Additionally, it is unfortunate that Mr. Revkin did not include even a passing mention of Dr. John Rae (Fatal Passage). This is a good book to provoke discussion and does little to answer the "big" questions.Mr. Revkin also might consider using a paradigm from Paracelsus that all substances are toxic - its the dose that differentiates the poison. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Exploration & Discovery    2. Arctic regions    3. General    4. Description and travel    5. Juvenile literature    6. North Pole    7. Revkin, Andrew    8. Travel    9. Juvenile Travel    10. People & Places - Polar Regions    11. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    12. History - Exploration & Discovery    13. Juvenile Nonfiction   

Reviews (10)

Science that trips off the tongue.
A fascinating book about the Saguaro cactus that reads like poetry.Highly recommended.Warning: you will want to take a trip to Arizona.

Superb and Engaging Book
Even though it deals with intricate details of the life of a cactus, it has become my almost 3 year old's favorite book.The visual details are very engaging, and our little one loves to point out each of the animals, and "tap tap tap" along with the woodpecker. This book is delightful, and you will learn as much as your child will, as you read it.

Excellent for young and old alike
Excellent book for young and old alike.As an adult new to the desert, it gave me a good, quick understanding of the 'circle of life' of the Saguaro and the critters involved with it.It is nicely laid out, simple to read, and even speaks of spiders and other sometimes scary beings in a non-threatening manner.Really quite a good book.I even sent a copy to my good friend's 6 and 9 year olds and they, along with their folks, really enjoyed it.I highly recommend it.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Desert ecology    4. Juvenile literature    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Plants - General    8. Saguaro    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    10. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    11. Sonoran Desert   

Subjects:  1. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy   

Reviews (1)

great science book
This entire series of books on animals, their habitats, life cycles, etc. are wonderful! I own 13 of them now. I use these with my first graders during our animal unit. Each book has fantastic pictures and drawings. The information is presented very well but also simply enough that primary aged students can grasp the concepts and find it fascinating. The books also enable themselves to be read in pieces if you want to skip something or focus on a certain area. I highly recommend books by Bobbie Kalman! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Juvenile Nonfiction    3. Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    4. Science & Nature - Biology    5. Science & Nature - Earth Sciences    6. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    7. Spanish: Grades 2-3    8. Spanish: Grades 3-4    9. Biology, life sciences    10. Spanish   

Reviews (2)

Must have for recycling education
This is an amazing book.It covers the major groups of recyclables. It shares facts, tells children how to prepare each item to recycle, and gives a comprehendable description of how they are made into new products.At the end it even gives children ideas of how they can help.

Very informative and entertaining.
This book does a wonderful job explaining exactly how an item getsrecycled.Its thought provoking and entertaining.The illustrations arewonderful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Environmental Studies    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    7. Recycling (Waste)    8. Recycling (Waste, etc.)    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    10. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    11. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    12. American English    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection    14. Recycling   

Reviews (4)

The inspiring story of the River with the Pebbled Bottom
What I like most about Lynne Cherry's environmental history of the Nashua River is that it is not only the story of the death of a river, but also of its rival."River Ran Wild" begins thousands of years ago when Indian peoples first came through the Nash-a-way River Valley.Cherry tells of the history of the river, surrounding her text with smaller drawings representing the changing cultures of the various times depicted opposite full-page pictures.The two most telling pictures are basically "before" and "after" shots of the same scene: an aerial view of the Nashua River winding through a factory town where the river changes color from blue to green to brown as factories dump their waste into the water, and a final shot of the river restored to health today.Cherry, who has devoted her life to environmental issues, includes a timeline and an introduction that covers in more detail how the ecological death of this river came about, and the various community efforts and governmental laws that resulted in fish and game finally return to the Nashua.All too often book like this can only mourn the loss of another part of our environment, so it is nice to see something that that celebrates one of the all too few instances of success in getting back to what we once had.

This book is fantastic for third graders!
I used this book with my third grade class when they were studying theeffects of water pollution on a large body of water. They had alreadystudied Native Americans in second grade and this book just blended the twosubjects together.The step by step portrayal of man's harm to the NashuaRiver helped my children learn about how they were harming the ChesapeakeBay in Maryland.Lynne Cherry is a fantastic author and presents two greatsubjects that are highly interesting to children.Any teacher that teacheseitherNative Americans or water pollution should include this book intheir lessons!

This is one of the greatest books ever written.
This book was given to me at age 12. I am now 17 andit is still my favorite. I will never outgrow the beautifulpictures, or the very important lesson it teaches. Every page is expertly laid out, with exquisite paintings depicting the river and the era being discussed. The message of environmental conservation and protection is inspiring. Lynne Cherry makes this vital part of our existence understandable to young children, andeven adults, often the harder group to reach. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who wants their children to appreciate the worldaround them and learn that they can, and should, do their best tosave it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Effect of human beings on    4. History    5. History - United States/State & Local    6. Indians of North America    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Nashua River (Mass. and N.H.)    10. Nature    11. Science & Nature - Earth Sciences - Water (Oceans, Lakes, Etc.)    12. Science & Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    13. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    14. Water quality    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Ethnic / Native American   

Reviews (22)

Lord God, what a book!
At the risk of sounding blasphemous let me simply say "Lord God, what a book!" This book belongs on your MUST READ list!
Engrossing Non-fiction
I picked this book up based on recommendations from online reader groups who said it would read more like fiction than non-fiction.They were right!Hoose has meticulously researched the plight of the "Lord God Bird", the ivory-billed woodpecker, documenting the efforts to locate the dwindling population and the sad effects of man vs. nature.Well highlighted by photographs, we follow the loss of this magnificent creature as its habitat is swallowed up by man's greed in the first half of the twentieth century.Hoose's writing is vivid and engrossing and caused me to do that rarest of things---go online and research more for myself.Most interesting of all is that just after this book was published, there have been reports of the rediscovery of the ivory-bill!This is a wonderful book appropriate for people of all ages and especially those who are worried about the endangerment of species by mankind's shortsightedness.Recommended!

The Lord God Bird
I thought that this book was well written, reasearched, and thought through. But as a 12 year old I didn't enjoy it quite as much as i think an older person would. I think that the author wrote the stories well, and made them very drawing. This book was not one of my favorite books, partially because it was very hard to read. The other reason was beause to me it was a bit confusing. I could see him doing a kids version of the same book, but making it a bit simpler or shorter. I thought that the author did a great job in writing this book, but I think you should wait to read it until you are a bit older. Some people I know thought it was a great book, but they're older than me. So again I thought that this was an o.k. book, but not a great kid's read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Birds & Birdwatching - General    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Endangered species    6. Environmental Studies (Young Adult)    7. Ivory-billed woodpecker    8. Ivory-billed woodpeckers    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Nature    12. Science & Nature - Environmental Conservation & Protection    13. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    14. Woodpeckers    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Environmental Science & Ecology   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Rain Forest
I felt that this was a wonderful book. I read this book to a third grade classroom and they all loved the story.They especially loved the illustrations.I loved the way all the animals seemed to blend in withwith the plants.I would recommend this book to everyone.This book is amust see for all children and adults. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Juvenile literature    4. Rain forest ecology    5. Rain forests    6. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    7. Juvenile Fiction / Nature & the Natural World   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. General    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Recycling (Waste, etc.)    7. Refuse and refuse disposal    8. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection   

Reviews (1)

Surprisingly lovely, and informative
I enjoyed this lovely book very much, and think that young children will be astonished to learn about what dust is and where it comes from.Adults too! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Dust    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile Science (General)    7. Juvenile literature    8. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    9. Science & Nature - General    10. Science & Technology - General    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Nature / General   

Reviews (1)

Both interesting and informative
I reviewed this book for The Home School Manual =============================Read more

Subjects:  1. Activity programs    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Desert ecology    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    9. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    10. Science & Nature - Experiments & Projects    11. Study and teaching    12. Animals    13. Botany & plant sciences    14. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Science & Technology    15. Trees & wildflowers   

Reviews (5)

Not for younger kids
I had purchased for my 9 year old (who is a very advanced reader and gifted student) the Usborne World History book.She LOVED that book, and has read it cover to cover several times. I figured that the Usborne Science Encyclopedia would be similarly interesting to her.Wrong.She has barely touched the Science Encyclopedia.The problem with the Science Encyclopedia is that it is very complex and written at a very high level. I wouldn't recommend it for a child less than 14 or 15 and maybe even beyond that.
Science Encyclopedia a wealth of information at low cost.
My wife and I have enjoyed the Science Encyclopedia very much.The interweaving of the internet web sites make this a great information resource.

A Must for All Homeschoolers!
We are classically educating our children at home, and I was a little nervous about teaching chemistry to a 3rd grader.But this book allows you to study your topic in as much depth as you wish.In addition to the helpful websites (some are more helpful than others, admittedly), there are mini experiments and "see for yourself" projects that are fun, safe and educational.Theories are presented as theories, not facts.However, creation or "intelligent design" are not presented at all, which makes this encyclopedia incomplete.Other Christian homeschoolers may have a problem with the "800 million years ago..." jargon, but that's why we homeschool- to weed out the nonsense in our children's education.HOMESCHOOLERS: READ MY OTHER REVIEWS! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Juvenile Nonfiction    4. Reference - Encyclopedias    5. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    6. Science & Nature - General   

Subjects:  1. Animals - Marine Life    2. Children's 9-12 - Nature / Guide Books    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    4. Environmental protection    5. Fishes    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Marine animals    9. Nature & the Natural World - General    10. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    11. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    12. Spanish: Grades 1-2   

Reviews (21)

Truth in Historical Fiction is Imperative!
All those who are applauding Jeffers for her misguided protrayal ofChief Si'ahl's words should rethink what you are proclaiming. I would be enraged -- as you would -- if I were blatantly misquoted. Perhaps you should be sensitve enough to check out how Native Americans feel about this book on www.oyate.org -- or -- clear your facts by reading the website posted by his own people www.duwamishtribe.org. We are doing our children an injustice by continuing to pass on misconceptions as history. I would perfer to give this a 0 star rating but since that was not an option -- I guess the pictures are attractive -- even though the drawing of Chief Si'ahl are actually an exact copy of the Cheyenne Two Moons -- try googling it and you'll see.Oh -- did you notice that the ghoston the lastpage is carrying a empty cradleboard?I find that appalling.

Great Message, Bad Credit
Being a "liberal, God-hater" (credited by W. Doolittle, a man who beleives that the Earth is 6,000 years old) I was automatically drawn to Native American cultures because their anti-American like me. I mean, seriously, they don't have Christmas trees! They're totally going to Hell. Anyways, it's an excellent message to preserve the enviroment, which I'd out to work on preserving SOMETHING while I'm here on Earth becuase my soul is destined to eternal damnation for, you know, having a brain in my head. But yeah, we all know that Chief Seattle didn't write this. Thanks, Jesus!

Another vote for "not accurate"
Text aside, Susan Jeffer's book on Chief Seattle has inaccurate illustrations of historic Northwest Coast tribal costume, dwellings and landscape.I also use this book with my third graders every year - but only to show the kids how some authors have not done adequate research before publishing. There are other great children's books on the subject from lesser known authors and smaller publishers.It may be worth your while to look them up. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Environmental Studies    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. General    5. Human ecology    6. Indians of North America    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Juvenile literature.    10. Land tenure    11. People & Places - United States - Native American    12. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Eco Logy    13. Science & Technology - Environmental Science & Ecology    14. Suquamish Indians    15. Ecology    16. Environmental protection    17. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / General   

Reviews (12)

Five-hoot rating!
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It appears to be designed to appeal to kids, but turns out to also have stunning array of fantastic information, often more than you find in "serious" owl books (e.g., "North American Owls", or "Owls the Silent Fliers").Also, maybe less than half of the book is directly about "owl puke", the rest being jam-packed with sections on owl calls, hearing and vision, hunting technique, how they stay cool, mating, digestion, puking in the animal kingdom (that's right, horses can't puke), a recipe for "owl puke" candy, etc.And naturally if your intent is to examine some owl pellets, then of course this is a great book for that too. Despite the great (and accurate) technical content, it would not be intimidating for a youngster to read. And it's sprinkled with humor. Highly recommended (by someone over 40).

A Real Hoot!,
Owl Puke(TM) is a wonderful hunters tool used for trapping pigeons which feed on the poop and vomit of nighttime owls, which by the way, has plenty of calcium and protein. Just spread this out on the snow and wait a few moments and about one hundred pigeons will fly there instantly. Suggestion: buy about 100 packs of this because actually its rather tasty.
Good gift for a tween boy
Gave this to my husband's 11 year old son.It was received well.He was into it.That's a hard age to buy for and this was a hit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Birds    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Science & Nature - Biology    6. Science & Nature - Environmental Science & Ecology    7. Birds & birdwatching    8. Experiments & science projects    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Technology / Biology