Spider Monkey (Science Slam: Treed-Animal Life in the Trees)($21.89Value)

Description

In the highest branches of a rain forest tree, a monkey is hanging by its tail from a branch as it gathers tasty leaves with its small hands. The acrobatic tree-dweller is a spider monkey, and it's foraging for food high in the treetops with members of its family. Filled with information perfectly suited to the abilities and interests of its second-grade audience, this colorful, fact-filled volume introduces young readers to the everyday life of a spider monkey. How is the animal's body adapted to its treetop life? What does a spider monkey eat? How does it move from tree to tree? And how do spider monkey families spend their days and raise their young? Throughout the book, readers are encouraged to make scientific observations based on the book's images and answer questions about the lives and physical characteristics of these agile creatures. This innovative approach to teaching about wild animals gives young scientists the chance not only to read and learn the facts, but also to develop their own powers of observation and critical thinking. Gr 1-3-A tree habitat is the common element to this otherwise diverse range of animals. Like other Bearport series reviewed in this article, this set's writing and visual materials are effectively designed to meet the learning abilities of early elementary readers. Sentence length, labels, and captions convey enough information to engage students without overwhelming them. Questions, suggestions, and a simple "Science Lab" activity get kids thinking about what they're learning and serve as useful starting points for Common Core-based lessons. The color photos and maps correspond well with the texts. However, the combination of species information with more general data results in some potential confusion. For example, in Tree Frog, toucans are listed as "Tree Frog Predators," which is true for red-eyed tree frogs, but not for many other species. The set may address subject holes for rarely covered topics, although PowerKids's comparable "Up a Tree" series includes several of the animals featured here. α(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Part of the Treed series, this introduces spider monkeys, who spend their days swinging through the rain forests of Central and South America. Although this volume is slim, it is full of interesting information (albeit occasionally repetitive). Some of that comes in the large-print, short-sentenced text, while other bits and pieces arrive in captions of the color photographs. Readers will learn what spider monkeys eat, how they travel through trees, and what family life is like for the community. The photos, many close-up looks, will intrigue primary-grade students. An appended craft—making a clay monkey—adds some fun to the presentation. Grades 1-3. --Ilene Cooper Used Book in Good Condition