Loon Chase

A wonderful thinking and teaching story book for 2-6 year olds. Kept their interest. Illustrations very cute.

This picture book tells the story of a young boy, his mother and their family dog, Miles. They are all out on a canoeing trip in search of a spot to pick blueberries. Miles jumps in the water and swims alongside their canoe. They come upon an adult loon with its two babies. Miles swims ahead after seeing the birds in the water because he is curious. Quoted from the book: "I tossed the berries I had in my hand into the bucket. We jabbed our paddles onto the rocks to push off. We had to stop him. Miles was our family pet. He played ball, slept on a dog bed and ate out of a bowl, but when he saw a bird, something came over him. He had never been close to catching one in our yard. These loons were on the water though--and two of them were babies!" (pg 6 of 32) The story then explains how the other bird parent had returned to its family and when Miles got to close, the bird spread its large wings and danced on the water, creating a fierce demonstration for Miles. Miles returned to where his family was frantically paddling towards the confrontation. Following the story is a section on fun facts on loons, loons in Native American culture, and craft instructions with sample pieces to use for the construction of a loon mask. The Loon Chase story is enhanced by the detailed pastel renderings illustrated by Kathryn Freeman. This book serves as a combination of a picture book and a school textbook, a technique pioneered by Sylvan Dell Publishing, who calls these books "For Creative Minds." This is an idea that will change teaching and students perceptions of learning. Armchair Interview says: Sylvan Dell has again provided an interesting story and wonderful added information at the end.

In this attractively-illustrated picture book young readers and their adults will experience a loon chase through the eyes and voice of a young boy who goes on a canoe ride with his mother and their dog Miles. What starts out as a peaceful experience turns frantic as they try to keep Miles away from a family of loons. Realistic language, an interesting setting, and gorgeous color illustrations make this book a winner for young readers. A bonus is the "For Creative Minds" section in the back of the book that features fun facts about Loons; look questions, Map It, Math It, and Measure It plus Loons in Native American Culture and a Make a Loon Mask craft activity. Great for home schoolers or teachers.

A young boy and his mother discover that their pet dog Miles, is indeed a dog with animal instincts. Miles loves to swim and he joins them by swimming along side of the canoe as they enjoy a summer morning on the lake. At the end of the lake a loon and her two chicks are also enjoying a morning swim. Mother and son become anxious as they see Miles swim straight for the birds. Miles is a gentle family pet but something comes over him when he sees birds. Knowing that loons are an endangered species, they paddle as fast as they can to keep Miles from harming them. Mother and son paddle frantically to capture Miles before he reaches the birds. There was no reason for the human mother to worry about the baby looms, as Miles draws near, the mother loon rises up to protect her babies. The mother loon spread its huge wings between Miles and the babies. Miles was frightened and turned back. Miles had animal instinct but the universal instinct of a mother to protect her young was stronger. After enjoying the story with your child don't forget to check-out the back of the book for the "Creative Minds" section. There you are reminded to check sylvandellpublishing.com and click on "Loon Chase" to hear actual loon calls. These pages contain lots of fun facts about loons and their habits. Loons in Native American Culture, is another page filled with information. A pattern and instructions how to make a loon mask is on the final pages of this unique book

Loon Chase is a children's picturebook about a boy and his mother who go on a peaceful canoe outing with their dog. They hear loon cries, observe a magnificent loon family, and even see wild loons take flight. The warm, naturalistic illustrations and the contemplative text form a story about respect and wonderment for nature's creatures; the narrative is just complex enough to be appropriate for children almost ready to make the transition from picturebooks to easy reader chapter books. A Creative Minds: Loon Fun Facts section at the end offers both amazing facts and fun to-do projects about loons. Highly recommended for young nature and bird lovers.