Handbook of Nature Study
by Anna Botsford Comstock
First written in 1911,
this book was intended to "teach" teachers how to teach their students
the art of nature-study. It is a comprehensive volume, containing
the most common species of everything from insects to shells, ferns to
rocks, and so on.
This book has never
failed to answer our "nature" questions. For example, one day
Chloe and I noticed that our parsley plants were completely devoid of
leaves and that peculiarly striped caterpillars covered the stems.
We quickly got out our handbooks and easily found out what
our culprit was-- and in the black and white illustration, we could see
that even Mrs. Comstock's striped caterpillar was sitting on a parsley
plant!
Another reason I love this
book is that interspersed throughout the nature pictures and
observations are bits of poetry and prose, illuminating the subject of
study.
pb
886pp |
All the Birds of North America
When I first got
interested in learning about birds, I began to notice medium-large
charcoal brown birds with matching brown straight-bill beaks everywhere
I went. I decided to go to the bookstore and look at a bird guide
to find out what they were. Guide after guide proved useless until
I came to this one. (Just to prove my ignorance, the bird I was
looking for was actually one of the most common birds around- the
starling!) So, why couldn't I find this bird in the other books?
Because they only showed a picture of the bird in its familiar speckled
black adult plumage (with bright yellow beak), while the birds I was
looking at were still in their brown juvenile plumage (with brown beak).
Besides having a flexible
waterproof cover and a unique and very easy system for locating birds,
this book provides all the info you need on one page, including fabulous
drawings of bird species at different stages of their lives and easy to
read-at-a-glance maps to see if this species is present in your area.
nother
advantage of this book is that the birds are presented at an angle
that aids identification. For example, another guide may have a
beautiful photograph of a red-tailed hawk sitting on a tree limb.
However, since it is much more likely that you'll spot this bird as it
is flying over-head, this guide also presents the bird in flight so that
you can see the unique underside characteristics.
flexible
waterproof cover
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The Burgess Bird Book for Children
You don't have to keep your eye on ebay any longer! This
outstanding book is back in print once more. Written by Thornton
Burgess, one of my all-time favorite authors, this book brings to life
the unique characteristics of many bird species by having them interact
with other birds and animals. (We have a special "Jenny Wren"
outside who makes quite a racket at us!)
(I hate to say this because it sounds so
pushy, so please ignore and forgive it if you want. I think this
is the one book children cannot do without. If I could only buy
one book this year, this would be it!)
paperback, unabridged from
1919 edition, 32 original illustrations reproduced in black & white.
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Favorite Poems Old and New
This magnificent volume contains over 700 poems written by classic
and contemporary (before 1957, anyway) poets. This book was a
favorite of my mother's when she was a young teenager, and now is
enjoyed by my daughters and me. I've looked at countless poetry
books for children, and believe that no other volume comes close to this
one with regard to quality and quantity.
The poems are arranged according to a
wide range of topics.
hc
598pp. |
The Star Spangled Banner (pictureback)
This adorable little book contains all four verses of the song.
Charmingly illustrated, each page also contains a small sidebar
depicting some important item of Americana such as Betsy Ross & the
American flag, the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, and more. Each year
we switch between this book and the D'Aulaire's version.
They're both wonderful! pb 23pp |
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This book is an absolute delight! We use it every morning
while singing the national anthem-- one girl holds the flag while the
other turns the beautifully illustrated pages in this book. The
words of this important piece of our heritage become meaningful as the
children gaze upon the sumptuous images in this book.
hc
36pp |
Children's Illustrated Dictionary
A couple of
years ago, I saw this dictionary advertised as the best of its kind for
the early elementary years. After looking at several dictionaries,
I came to the same conclusion. Almost every word is illustrated,
but somehow the graphic designer still manages to keep the pages neat
and clean looking, easy to navigate. The word selection is great--
all the common words in addition to really fun and useful words.
Chloe and I used to look
over a page of words a day, looking at their pronunciation and usage.
However, she found the dictionary so enjoyable that she began spending
more time with it on her own, reading about the words and tracing the
pictures. I decided that less intrusion from me was better and she
has continued to pore over the book throughout the years.
*After grade three, I would
suggest using a more traditional dictionary- I like the Merriam-Webster
editions.
hc
256pp
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