The Moon of the Salamanders (The Thirteen Moons) [Library Binding]

Jean Craighead George (Author), Marlene Hill Werner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992 | Series: The Thirteen Moons

A new volume in a series that captures the richness of the natural world explores the March mating ritual of the spotted salamander.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Vibrant paintings, rich with woodland browns and greens, highlight this new edition, replacing the drab, gray-toned drawings of the original (Crowell, 1968, o.p.). The basic story remains the same: on the night of the first spring rain, a male salamander journeys to a breeding pond, encountering various plants and animals that share his habitat along the way. This revised text, however, is more concisely written and contains a greater number of scientific terms. While some will be understood in context, others require a good science background for full comprehension. Some passages have been omitted entirely. Students writing reports will still prefer to obtain their information from titles with a more straightforward, nonnarrative approach, such as Johnston's Slippery Babies: Young Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders (Morrow, 1991), which presents similar information on characteristics and mating behavior and is illustrated with full-color photos. George's title will appeal most to families looking for a good read-aloud on animals and ecology. Although there are fewer illustrations here, it's a definite improvement over the previous edition. --Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 47 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; Rev Sub edition (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060226943
• ISBN-13: 978-0060226947
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,744,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.