It's Moving Day! [Hardcover]

Pamela Hickman (Author), Geraldo Valerio (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Tucked away beneath a big tree on the edge of a field lies a home -- a small burrow -- for many. In every season, a different creature makes its home here and then moves on, making room for the next occupant. After a long winter's sleep, the woodchuck relocates to another burrow, but its former home is not left vacant for long. A cottontail rabbit raises her family there. After the kits have all hopped away, a salamander takes refuge in the same safe place. Through this engaging and informative introduction to woodland animals in their habitats, young readers will delight in learning about natural science as it is integrated into an inviting picture book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—This story creatively shows that even animals recycle—in this case, it is a burrow under a tree that, from season to season, becomes home to a variety of different woodland creatures. After a woodchuck moves out, a mother rabbit raises her babies there. She is followed by a salamander that hibernates in it, a raccoon and her brood, and milk snakes that coil in a knot in it. Later chipmunks live there, followed by a skunk family. Finally, readers are brought full circle as a plump woodchuck uses it for his winter shelter. Simple factual information is woven into the text and in the illustrations. It includes the season the animal uses the burrow, or what it is lined with, or what the animal eats, or the number of young in a litter, or predators from which they hide. The book concludes with a short paragraph about each of the featured species. Valério's acrylic illustrations are colorfully impressionistic rather than realistically detailed. Each depiction of "moving day" is action-filled. Young children will enjoy this appealing beginning fact book.—Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Hidden beneath a big tree is a snug burrow, where a woodchuck awakens from his winter sleep. After he moves out, a rabbit moves in and the burrow becomes a home for her newborn kits. When she and her family scatter to look for winter homes, a salamander arrives. And so it goes through the seasons, as raccoons, snakes, chipmunks, and skunks move in and out of the burrow. Finally a woodchuck cleans it out, climbs in, and sleeps for six months, until it’s moving day again. The text creates a pleasant, if undeniably repetitive, narrative of the chain of events. Livelier are the acrylic paintings, which showcase the distinctive shapes and colors of the animals and provide interesting details.  Readers will be struck by how many animals can make a burrow a home in this attractive addition to the young nonfiction shelves. Preschool-Grade 2. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554530741
• ISBN-13: 978-1554530748
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE it, January 20, 2010

By 

daisy2147 (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Moving Day! (Hardcover)

I am buying this book for my son's classroom; I love it so much! The story is so interesting and my kids asked a ton of questions about the animals moving in and out of a burrow underground. The nature facts are excellent and the pictures are beautiful. It's just a fun, adorable book. My kids absolutely love it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating introduction to the amazing world of the wildlife that might easily be found in one's own backyard, November 16, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Moving Day! (Hardcover)

It's Moving Day! is an exceptional children's picturebook that surveys the many woodland animals occupying an underground burrow throughout the seasons. From a cottontail rabbit, who raises five tiny kits, to a yellow-spotted salamander, to a raccoon mother, milk snakes, and more, each inhabitant finds safety and security while they need it, yet each has to move on when the time comes. The final page has thumbnail biographies of each creature, too! Illustrated in the dynamic, colorful style of artist Geraldo Valerio, It's Moving Day! is a captivating introduction to the amazing world of the wildlife that might easily be found in one's own backyard. Highly recommended.