A Polar Bear Can Swim (Easy-to-Read,Viking) [Hardcover]

Harriet Ziefert (Author), Emily Bolam (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: Easy-to-Read,Viking

With these lively new books children will improve their reading skills and also learn basic facts about animals and insects. A Polar Bear Can Swim features fun facts such as: A cow can eat one-hundred pounds of grass, and whales can sing. Bugs, Beetles, and Butterflies includes basic information as well as an illustrated glossary to help children identify various insects. Simple vocabulary and plenty of visual clues make both books perfect for young children who are just starting to read by themselves, while science activities give them a chance to use the material they learn from each book.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-This book ends where it begins-with "A polar bear can swim." In between, emergent readers learn a few facts about a variety of animals-bats can fly in the dark but they can't fly backwards, hummingbirds can fly backwards but can't sting, honeybees can sting but can't make milk, completing the circle with "A polar bear can swim...." Using simple vocabulary, short sentences, and charming, childlike watercolor illustrations, this book encourages an interest in the natural world. The last page describes two science projects that combine reading, writing, and drawing. An appealing combination that's sure to please children looking for informational books to read on their own.
Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ziefert introduces each animal by listing several things it can do and one thing it can't do, which leads to the next animal. For instance, a polar bear can swim, dive under the ice, and sleep curled up, but it can't "sleep upside down. A bat can sleep upside down." This engaging chain of animals circles back to the beginning by the end of the book: The toucan can't swim, but the polar bear can. The simple repetitive text, with one line per page, offers interesting science facts, and the warm, uncomplicated pictures are a good match. Susan Dove Lempke

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670880566
• ISBN-13: 978-0670880560
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,075,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harriet Ziefert was born in New Jersey. She grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University. "About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year. Ziefert's picture book A New Coat for Anna is about a girl in a bombed-out European city during the months just after World War II. Anna has outgrown her old coat, and her mother trades her few surviving treasures--a watch, a lamp, a necklace, and a porcelain teapot--in order to obtain wool and have it spun, woven, and finally sewn into a fine red coat for Anna. A Horn Book Magazine reviewer stated, "the simple text, based on a true story, carries the narrative along effectively." The book, which was illustrated by Anita Lobel, was chosen as one of ten books to be read aloud by former First Lady Barbara Bush as part of a program promoting reading. Ziefert was invited to the White House for the occasion. The reason Ziefert began writing easy-to-read books was that she felt "they were getting too hard for kids to read in the first grade." She says that she wrote easy-to-read books with seventy-five or fewer words, even ones with fifty or fewer words, "to see how much of a story" she could produce with that limit. She enjoyed the challenge, and cites her book Sleepy Dog as an example. "Sleepy Dog is the most successful book I've ever done, in terms of number of books sold." She's also been working on a developmental program with publisher Dorling Kindersley, made up of books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her book Pete's Chicken, which was illustrated by Laura Rader, was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review as "a simple, sweet 'Song of Myself' for children . . . [which] applauds the specialness of every child as it reminds parents of the healing power of just being there for children." Among her other books is a series of easy-to-read books, such as Trip Day and Worm Day, about an inventive science teacher and his rambunctious class of students. Ziefert's book Let's Get a Pet was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children by a joint committee of the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council. . Ms. Ziefert lives in Maplewood, New Jersey and Lincoln, Massachusetts. She has two adult sons.