One Day in the Alpine Tundra

I was so pleased to find this out of print book here! There are 5 in this "One Day in the_____" series and they are all fabulous. Wonderful living books that are full of information. A great way to learn new things without it feeling like work. 10/10 recommend this book and the others in the series. These are small chapter books which make them less daunting for new readers. Or a quick fun read for more mature readers. If your child is still gaining confidence in reading you will need to help them with some words. Mainly animal names.

This nonfiction book is presented very well to its readers because the author, Jean George, spent many hours observing the animals and plants in the tundra. As a naturalist and an animal lover, George gives an excellent idea of how life would be in the Alpines. Because of the short chapters, it's easy for the younger readers to follow along with. Also, unfamiliar words are defined within the reading as well. The book describes the effects on wildlife, trees, and plants due to the climate and geological disasters, which occur in the tundra. This makes for a very informative book, which is also filled with excellent reference aids. These include the complete Bibliography of books about animals that were used to create this particular book. This helps establish credibility for the author. Also, a very helpful index is available at the end of the work as well.The book also contains excellent illustrations. The pictures convey a vivid image of the lifestyle of the seven specific mammals that are fit to inhabit this area of land. The pictures clarify themselves without any needed captions to explain them. The cover of the book is very enticing to children because of the animals and the mountaintop landscape that are displayed on the front. It is a very attractive book that is sure to be enjoyed by its readers, both young and old.When using this in the classroom, encourage the students to draw their own pictures to help explain what life would be like on the tundra. They can include plants and animals to show the interrelationship of each one upon the other after reading the book.

Naturalist and award-winning author Jean Craighead George offers children a smoothly written account of the wildlife, both big and small, which inhabits the alpine tundra of Wyoming. The talents that won her the Newbery Medal for JULIE OF THE WOLVES and have helped her write nearly one hundred other marvelous environmental stories for young readers swing into action. On a mountaintop in the Teton Mountains, a great rock stands regally above the almost treeless landscape, and it is about to fall. A wide variety of rodents, birds, and mammals go about their daily business, unaware of the avalanche that will soon take place. Water pipits hop like sparrows across the ground; a sleepy marmot begins his time of hibernation; a golden eagle scans his kingdom, searching for prey. And a stranger to the area, a boy named Johnny, wakes up in his tent. This quiet story, which turns exciting when the rock tips, is a fascinating look into a unique environment. The human character in the story never manages to take over, as sometimes happens in some of Ms. George's other books. The accurate, interesting writing is reminiscent of Ms. George's earlier series about specific ecosystems, like the Thirteen Moons series, about the seasonal changes that take place with thirteen animals in thirteen environments. These books are now out-of-print, but one gets the same sense of fascination and new understanding of the animal world through the One Day series (you can find my review of the Thirteen Moons series by searching for the book THE MOON OF THE OWLS). The other books in the ONE DAY series are: ONE DAY IN THE. . .PRAIRIE, DESERT, TROPICAL RAIN FOREST, and WOODS. Jean Craighead George's dramatic words are also strengthened by Walter Gaffney-Kessell's expressive illustrations. Come to a whole new land with this fine, short but thourough investigation into one of nature's greatest landscapes.