Find It in Nature!
Series of 12 titles
Can you tell a bear track from a turkey track? Can you tell an oak tree from a maple tree? Readers will learn to identify different forest animal tracks, flowers, trees, and mushrooms in this fun, interactive series! Carefully leveled text provides defining details for each animal's tracks, plant, or fungi, while accompanying photos show identifying features. A comprehensive back matter feature quizzes readers, asking them to match each set of tracks with its animal owner or plants and mushrooms with their name. Each book also includes picture labels, reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, an index, and a picture glossary.
Reviews
SLJ Review of Find it in Nature!
This excellent series is a solid introduction to exploring nature’s wonders while sharpening children’s observational powers and reading, scientific, and critical thinking skills. The text features brief sentences and minimal text. Students are invited to practice short- and long-vowel sounds and learn new vocabulary as they gain insight into the natural world. The titles about birds and fish excel at describing their appearances.
Some volumes end with observational questions for readers, e.g., “Have you seen one?”; “Where was it?”; “Can you find it?” All titles include high-quality, endearing photographs, some of which employ labels with arrows pointing to specific details mentioned in texts, allowing children to pick up vocabulary beyond what is included in the glossary. Engagement activities encourage readers to match a photo of the animal with a detail about it included in the text.
VERDICT: Highly recommended for schools and public libraries. Some children may find the poop title gross, but they’ll be fascinated and learn plenty.