"Earth is divided into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere by an imaginary line called the Equator. One of the most important differences between the two hemispheres is the timing of seasons. Because of the hemispheres' different angles and distances relating to the sun over the course of the year, their seasons - and their weather patterns - occur at different times. In both hemispheres, animals deal with the changing seasons in various ways. Whichever hemisphere they live in, they need to be able to read the signs of the changing seasons to survive."
But with climate change, many of those signs are changing and human activities are also having a massive impact, so more and more species are at risk as they are not adapting as fast as the changes. This beautiful non-fiction picture book contrasts, month-by-month, some of the world’s most-loved Northern and Southern Hemisphere animals and the ways the climates in those regions affect the way they breed, feed, adapt, hide and survive. Using an element common to both focus creatures, such as camouflage, building a home, being armoured and migration. two are in the spotlight for each month showing how they deal with what they have always had and what they are now facing.
It is an intriguing introduction to the environment and the continuing impact of climate change that will leave young readers with a greater understanding of how even the smallest action can have a huge effect.
From the detailed end papers which have a clearly labelled world map showing the hemispheres, continents, countries, oceans and the animals mentioned in the book, including several from Australia and New Zealand to the supporting pages featuring a comprehensive glossary, index, further reading suggestions as well as information on how individual readers can help, this is a must-have for any library collection and any unit of work that focuses on sustainability of the environment, animal adaptation and climate change, adding so much more to the reader's understanding of the topic rather than the traditional "all you need to know about...".
Look for this one in awards' lists over the year.
40 pages 9781925381801 Ages 5-9
Keywords: migration, animals, climate change, science, geography, seasons, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, informational picture book, environment
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats https://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf https://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
Storybook Cushions https:// bit.ly/storybook_cushions
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Get a fascinating global view of how the animal world adapts to the seasons with this simultaneous look at both Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
In January in the Scottish Highlands, a mountain hare is camouflaged from predators in its white winter coat, while in New Guinea, a bright-green tree python guards her eggs. Come March, a warm Arctic spring lures polar bears out from their den, while in Australia, newly hatched crocodiles go for their first swim inside their mother’s jaws. When autumn comes to the north, monarch butterflies start migrating south, just as bar-tailed godwits set off from New Zealand to their breeding grounds on the Alaskan tundra.
In a remarkable exploration of animals’ lives, Sandra Morris’s informative text and beautiful illustrations take readers through the months of the year in both the northern and southern parts of the globe, with an eye to how various species adapt to the changing seasons. Extensive end matter offers further descriptive facts about some twenty-five featured animals.---from the publisher
