Outside and Inside Big Cats [Hardcover]

Sandra Markle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Outside and Inside

Did you ever wonder what makes a lion roar or how cats learn to hunt? How do mother cats take care of their babies? Did you know that some cats sleep up to eighteen hours a day? Or that many cats can jump up to ten times their height? How is your own cat related to a lion or a tiger?

Outside and Inside Big Cats answers all these questions and many more. With astonishing full-color photographs of lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, and even ordinary house cats, and clear, accessible text, Sandra Markle invites curious readers to learn all about big cats -- from the inside out!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-In this attractive, informative series entry, Markle investigates the physical characteristics that make the big cats such efficient predators. From descriptions of retractable claws (except for cheetahs) to spiky tongues, the clearly written text invites readers to consider the "cat-ness" of these large felines, and to understand their unique physiology. Photos of a dissected cat show muscular development and the placement of internal organs. Other large, color pictures depict a variety of big cats busy about their daily routines (and serve to remind viewers that cats are not vegetarians). A glossary/index of words highlighted in the text is included, as are some questions, which will send readers back to the body of the book to take a second look. If you already own Seymour Simon's handsome Big Cats (HarperCollins, 1991), you may feel you do not need Markle's title. Think again.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. A fascinating look at big cats is the latest entry in the superb Outside and Inside series. Exceptional full-color photographs, such as the close-up of the tiger on the cover, will draw youngsters to the book, and Markle's engaging commentary will keep them turning the pages. The main focus is on the distinct characteristics that make cats such great hunters, but there is also information on grooming and mating habits, caring for offspring, and respiration and digestion. The text is too difficult for most beginning readers to handle independently, but the many interactive elements make the book a great choice for sharing with younger children. Questions such as "See how this cougar's ears are aimed in two different directions?" help kids stay tuned in, while directives such as "Bend your leg and squeeze your calf" actively involve them in learning. An ending section offers more interactive opportunities with six "Looking Back" activities that challenge readers to look for specific things they may have missed the first time around. A combined glossary and index is appended. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689822995
• ISBN-13: 978-0689822995
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,623,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

SANDRA MARKLE

Sandra Markle is the author of more than 200 books for children, such as A Mother's Journey (Charlesbridge, 2006), How Many Baby Pandas (Walker, 2009), The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs (Millbrook, 2011), Butterfly Tree (Peachtree Publishing, 2011). She has won numerous awards for this work, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, SB& F finalist, John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, Junior Library Guild Selection, Orbis Pictus Recommended Book, Charlotte Zolotow Award, and MORE.
She was honoured with the title of "Best of Children's Non-Fiction" Georgia Author Of The Year award five times and was named one of 1999's Women of the Year by Women in Technology International for her contributions to science and technology.

In addition to her books, Sandra Markle has developed science specials for CNN and PBS. She is also noted for developing On-Line Expedition: Antarctica, one of the first on-line educational programs and continued adding further on-line reports from Antarctica while working on book projects in 1996 and 1999 as a grantee for the National Science Foundation's Artists and Writers Program.

Reviewers have heaped praise on Markle's books, including:
Outside and Inside Bats "The author presents a particularly felicitous accord of words and pictures in an outstanding science book for the primary grades." The Horn Book Magazine
Outside and Inside Alligators "This newest installment of the Outside and Inside series adds another fine book to a top-notch series." Bookselling This Week, a Kid's Pick of the Lists
Outside and Inside Dinosaurs It's like sitting down with a dinosaur expert who happens to be a great teacher." The Horn Book Magazine

Sandra Markle remains proudest, though, of the praise she has received in fan mail from children. She's happy to fulfill the requests of the young readers that urge her to "please write more."