fiction Archives - Page 592 of 713

Been There, Done That: Reading Animal Signs
by Jen Funk Weber (Author) and Andrea Gabriel (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Spotting wildlife is a thrill, but it’s not easy. When Cole comes to visit his friend Helena, he can’t wait to see all the wildlife the forest has to offer and is disappointed when all he sees are a few birds. Together the kids set out on a hike and encounter plenty of animal signs along the way. Through observation and her knowledge of animal behavior, Helena helps Cole learn what each of the signs means: something had been there; something had done that.

Snippet: Helena and Cole hiked to a silty green river.

“Ew!” Cole wrinkled his nose. “Dead fish.”

Helena picked up a long black feather. She traced the wingtips outlined in the sand. Something had been there. Something had done that. “Eagles catch salmon here.”

Cole didn’t see any eagles.

Carson Crosses Canada
by Linda Bailey (Author) and Kass Reich (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Feisty Annie Magruder and her dog, Carson, live in British Columbia, Canada, and they’re setting out to visit her sister, Elsie, in Newfoundland. In their little rattlebang car, packed with Carson’s favorite toy, Squeaky Chicken, and plenty of baloney sandwiches, Annie and Carson hit the road! They travel province by province, taking in each unique landscape and experiencing something special to that particular part of this vast, grand country.

Snippet:

On they drove, along twisty roads, through mountains as high as the sky.

“The Rockies!” said Annie. “If we were younger, we could climb them.”

“RUFF!” said Carson.

“You’re right,” said Annie. “It would be rough.”