What is a Plant? (The Science of Living Things) [Paperback]

Bobbie Kalman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Science of Living Things

Plants provide people and animals with food, shelter, and even oxygen. Plants help us live and grow, but how does a plant grow? Where do plants grow? What is a Plant? introduces young readers to a variety of plant types, including ferns, carnivorous plants, mosses, and trees. This fact-filled book explains: ¥photosynthesis ¥different methods of reproduction ¥how seeds germinate and grow ¥which types of plants grow in different climates ¥how plants defend themselves

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-The first book examines ways that animals' bodies and/or behavior help them survive in particular habitats. Types of adaptation include camouflage, hibernation, and migration. The second entry looks at the group of animals that includes the kangaroo, koala, and opossum. The last title covers various methods of locomotion such as swimming, flying, and jumping. In all three books, a two-page spread is devoted to a particular topic. Though none of the information is oversimplified, it is rather generalized. For example, in Marsupial, only one page is devoted to the opossum and it includes a discussion of varieties found in other countries as well as the North American species. A combination of color photographs and drawings adequately illustrate the texts. Though the information provided is simple, the language is a bit too difficult for the newly independent readers whom Kalman seems to be targeting. Many of the scientific terms are boldfaced and defined in the text and/or in the glossary, but there isn't much consistency as to which ones are defined where. Of the three books, Marsupials is the most successful, mainly because it has the narrowest scope. However, none of these offerings is in-depth enough to serve as a primary source for reports. All three are best suited to youngsters looking for brief answers to satisfy their curiosity and casual browsers who are animal enthusiasts.
Arwen Marshall, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Scientific American

Animals move in an incredible variety of ways. Some fly. Some swim. Others swing from tree branches. This book looks at more than a dozen ways in which animals get around, and it shows how the body of each animal is equipped for its own form of travel. We see amazing adaptations, from the hairy bristles on the legs of a water beetle (which make the legs more effective as oars when the insect rows through the water), to the patagium, or flap of skin, on each side of a flying squirrel's body (which enables the animal to glide from tree to tree). Readers are bound to learn something new from this book, whether or not they are familiar with all the animals in it. (They probably aren't--do you know what a basilisk is?) For example, both frogs and kangaroos have strong hind legs that are longer than their front ones, and both animals use those long hind legs to hop. But frogs land on their front legs, so they have to stop between leaps; kangaroos land on their hind legs, and so they don't have to pause. The book would benefit from a more extensive glossary, but even so, it is a welcome addition to the Science of Living Things series. Don't be surprised when your little readers start to hop, squirm and wriggle around the house, trying out new forms of locomotion.

Joan Silberlicht Epstein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865059594
• ISBN-13: 978-0865059597
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Botany
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Botany
  • #80 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Flowers & Plants