In 2014 Polar Bears and Penguins debuted; this first book in the Compare and Contrast Book series has been named to the NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books of 2015. This year we release three new books in this series and two have just hit bookshelves, Clouds and Trees take a look at often overlooked topics in nature.

Each book in this series uses simple text to lure the youngest readers into loving all that they can learn from non-fiction. Paired with the facts and activities in the back of the book kids will learn about the impacts that clouds have on the water cycle and how roots are important to make trees stand tall.

If you have had fun comparing through these books, now you are ready to compare and contrast anything! Let’s start by using what you have learned about clouds and trees with the activity sheet below. Fill out traits of each that are the same and ones that make these objects different.

Click here for the full size Compare&Contrast worksheet.

Watch for the next Compare and Contrast Book available this fall Amphibians & Reptiles!

What makes a frog an amphibian but a snake a reptile? Both classes may lay eggs, but they have different skin coverings and breathe in different ways. Pages of fun facts will help kids identify each animal in the class like a pro after reading the fourth book in Arbordale’s Compare and Contrast series. Similar to Polar Bears and Penguins, Clouds and Trees; Amphibians and Reptiles uses stunning photographs and simple non-fiction text to get kids thinking about the similarities and differences between these two animal classes.

It is no secret that Arbordale author Jennifer Keats Curtis is an advocate for the furry and feathered creatures in our world. She uses her writing talents to share her love with children all over the world, but kids in Maryland are lucky enough to see Jennifer’s care and commitment in action.

The release of Jennifer’s fifth Animal Helpers book is just days away, so to kick off the newest book here is how kids at Joppa View Elementary helped Jennifer and real life animal helper Kathy Woods (featured in Wildlife Rehabilitators) create transporters for sick and injured animals.

Reblogged with permission from Tressa Norris, Library Media Specialist at Joppa View Elementary

Solving Real-World Problems at Joppa View

We had the opportunity at Joppa View Elementary School to join forces with Mrs. Jennifer Keats Curtis; Maryland’s Green Author, and Ms. Kathy Woods; Master Wildlife Rehabilitator, to solve real-life problems. Students were posed with the following scenario, “Ms. Woods and Mrs. Curtis need YOUR help! They are in need of Wildlife Transporters to carry sick and hurt wildlife animals to their clinic. Each team will have an animal that they will need to build a transporter for.” Students worked in teams consisting of students grades K-5, to create a functional contraption built of recyclable materials students could find in their homes.

This was an amazing experience for the students involved as their collaboration and ingenuity allowed them plan, create, test, and modify their creation. As the library media specialist, the chance to create an environment where students can make real-life connections with what they are learning in the classroom, media center, and as a Green School, was priceless. Mrs. Curtis as well as Ms. Woods, were extremely impressed with the student’s ideas and construction and amazed at their creativity and teamwork.  We know the students will cherish this experience as they were thanking me as they left the Maker’s Lab, saying, “This was the best day ever!” It makes all the planning and organizing worth it.

View the original post and more pictures of the student’s amazing ideas for transporters here!

Author Jennifer Keats Curtis is an incredible Animal Helper, and today she writes about a family of very special animal helpers that she has met while visiting Joppa View Elementary in Maryland.

It’s not every day that you see a grown woman lugging two enormous turtles into school by way of a kids’ pull-along wagon but Melanie Neuhauser isn’t just any woman.

Over the past several years, Melanie and her children have fostered and adopted at least 25 animals, including kittens, puppies, birds, and turtles of all sizes. Those turtles—Sulcata tortoises weighing 27 and 35 pounds respectively—were both unwanted pets. Sushi, the smaller and sassier of the two, had been turned into a reptile rescue group. Melanie’s intent was simply to foster her; but, the turtle is so terrible—she rams furniture and the refrigerator when she’s hungry; gnaws on shoes; and even goes after wiring like it’s a tantalizing piece of cake—that Melanie and the kids completely fell in love with her. Sashimi, who is a bit better behaved, was found wandering a neighborhood. Melanie, well known as the resident rescuer, received a call about a big turtle meandering nearby lawns. And, she’s kept her ever since.

Melanie, with help from her twin sons, fifth graders Donovan and Marcus, hauled the massive tortoises into Joppa View Elementary School in Baltimore because they wanted author Jennifer Keats Curtis to meet the tortoises in person…or, er, is that in reptile?

Jennifer is a regular visitor to Joppa View Elementary School, where she waxes poetic about her books and her passion for the right way to treat critters, wild and domestic. Ever the animal lover, Jennifer was enamored with the Neuhausers’ passion for helping pets in need. (In fact, Donovan was featured as a future animal helper in a blog last year, https://arbordalekids.wordpress.com/2014/03/.)

Taking care of so many pets, especially those really huge ones, is time-consuming and can be draining. Melanie knows that only too well; she works full-time as a vet tech. But, with the help of her kids, orphaned kittens get bottles; dogs are walked; bird cages are changed; and tortoises get fed. The food preparation for the turtles is considerable as those beastly critters love to eat—mostly orchard grass, but once a day they also get steamed sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, zucchini, and even cactus. On occasion, they get strawberries and bananas, too.

The Neuhausers, however, love it. They know what it takes to run a household full of growing animals and have decided they are in for the long haul.

If you are considering adopting, fostering, or buying a pet, please remember that caring for an animal in your home is a big responsibility. You may wish to carefully consider some important factors before you take on this commitment:

• How large will the animal become as an adult? (Even those tremendous tortoises, who will one day weigh over 100 pounds and become the size of coffee tables, were once tiny hatchlings.)
• Do you have room in your home for this animal?
• How long will the animal live? (Sulcata tortoises can live to be 100.)
• Do you have time for this pet?
• What does this pet eat and can you provide that food? (Are you willing to steam sweet potatoes as food?)
• Do you have someone who can help take care of the animals if you will be away?
• Are you able to take the animal to a veterinarian if he or she gets sick? Vet visits are important and they can be costly if your pet becomes ill.

Learn more about the Animal Helpers series and Jennifer Keats Curtis at Arbordale Publishing.

Winter 2015 marks many milestones at Arbordale Publishing, the first releases under the new Arbordale name, the 100^th book, and 10 years in business. However much remains the same as the publisher continues the trend toward nonfiction picture books featuring animals and the world we share with them. It is evident that animals will be popular this season featuring three books representing animals from all over the world with two books specifically featuring raptors.

Naturalist Mary Holland is leading off with the 100^th book, Animal Eyes. Her remarkable photography captures the distinct differences in eyes from insects to coyotes featuring information not only about the eye itself, but how the placement of eyes helps prey and predators in their habitat.

The second “animal” book continues the Animal Helpers series with Raptor Centers. Jennifer Keats Curtis has shown children the rewarding careers that involve rehabilitating, rescuing and caring for all types of animals. In this installment she features birds of prey and the special resources it takes to help feathered friends.

Finally, Animal Partners rounds out the topic with a book of poetry featuring facts of unusual animal relationships. Author Scotti Cohn uses humor to explore nature’s symbiotic relationships on land and in the sea. Shennen Bersani uses just the right blend of realism and whimsy to bring each poem to life.

Although dinosaurs may have been an animal, we are still learning about these creatures. Dino Treasures is a follow up to Dino Tracks, and Rhonda Lucas Donald once again explores the job of paleontologists through song. Because Cathy Morrison has never laid eyes on this creature she did extensive research before creating her illustrations and the book was vetted by many prestigious members of the paleontology community to ensure the most up to date accuracy.

Author Katharine Hall tackled two subjects that are around us all the time in her Compare and Contrast series. Trees and Clouds are perfect for an early reader curious about nature. Clouds shows how each type of cloud is different and helps to predict the weather. While Trees, compares the size, stem and habitat of different trees throughout the world.

The season at Arbordale rounds out with two fiction books and two debut authors. Jaime Gardner Johnson goes to the farm with The Ghost of Donley Farm, but the animals you find there are not as expected. Children will meet Rebecca the red tailed hawk and Bernard the barn owl. The two compare their difference and similarities which Laurie Allen Klein illustrated in great detail.

Little Gray’s Great Migration is one of the only books in print featuring gray whales and new author Marta Lindsey was drawn to write the story after witnessing their migration one summer. The little whale shows off for visitors until it is time to migrate and he must help his mother make the way to a special food filled sea. Illustrations by Andrea Gabriel bring out the personality of the large ocean mammals.

Jennifer Keats Curtis rounds out the winter titles with Salamander Season. This collaborative effort with scientist J. Adam Frederick and illustrator Shennen Bersani highlights salamanders through one girls science journal. This father, daughter outing will teach children all about how salamanders transform from eggs to full-grown amphibian.

As with all of Arbordale’s books the For Creative Minds section is the perfect ending to explore each topic further and create discussions about the world we live in. The publisher also provides many resources for teachers at http://www.arbordalepublishing.com including standards alignment information, an activity guide and quizzes that are smartboard compatible.

The celebration for the new releases begins with the launch January 25, 2015. All Arbordale titles are available in various formats through local bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other major distributors. Enhanced English and Spanish read aloud eBooks are available through the publishers website online or through Fun eReader® on the iTunes store.

If you ever take a stroll through the historic streets of Charleston, South Carolina you will probably hear the guinea fowl before you see them. Among the mansions and historic sites a flock of these birds roam free. Now scientists at Brown University have employed this chicken-like bird to help understand more about how dinosaur tracks formed, how dinosaurs moved and how the soil structure impacted the tracks.

The scientists are using x-ray video and poppy seeds to get a better understanding of how tracks were made and preserved over so many years. This also gives them insight into how dinosaurs walked and moved across the land. Watch here:

Paleontologists are constantly learning more about how fossils were created and learning more about the animal itself. Author Rhonda Lucas Donald is fascinated with dinosaurs and the field of paleontology, her book Dino Tracks is a great introduction to tracks and how they are found. The follow-up Dino Treasures is coming this January and goes further into how paleontologists have discovered different traits of these large beasts through the artifacts they left behind.

Check out the books on Arbordalepublishing.com

Are you looking for something to do today? Well in celebration of  Bake Cookies Day we have a recipe for you! Rainforest Cookies!

The rainforest is a rich habitat that grows all sorts of foods and spices. Learn more about this amazing place and the animals that call it home in The Rainforest Grew all Around!

A mountain side Christmas tree farm in North Carolina.

Christmas tree lovers rejoice! We come bearing good news for all who have been feeling guilty for buying a cut tree as the centerpiece of the holidays; real trees are not only a better smelling alternative to fake Christmas trees, but they create local jobs, provide oxygen and are a recyclable, sustainable resource.

Besides, imagine singing “O Tannenbaum” around a plastic Douglas Fir…

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can’st give me
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!

…it just doesn’t spread the same holiday cheer and give the same joyful feeling.

If you aren’t convinced, here are some of the facts about both kinds of trees:

• There are 350 million Christmas trees growing on 350,000 acres of land in the US right now. The 15,000 tree farms that grow the Christmas trees can be found in all 50 states (yes, even Hawaii) and employ about 100,000 people in full and part-time positions.
• Oregon and North Carolina are the leading tree producing states.
• One acre of Christmas trees produces enough oxygen to satisfy the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.
• In addition to producing oxygen, tree farms are excellent at sequestering carbon dioxide, meaning they remove carbon from the atmosphere and deposit it in the trees and the dirt.
• Young trees sequester the most carbon during their early growth spurts, but trees continue to sequester their entire lives. Because new seedlings are planted around cut stumps (instead of the ground being tilled between harvests) the carbon deposited in the roots and soil stays put, making tree farm dirt incredibly an incredibly valuable resource for combating climate change.
• According to the U.S. Commerce Department, 80% of fake Christmas trees are manufactured in China and have to be shipped in on cargo vessel. These trees are made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is a form of non-renewable, petroleum derived plastic, which means that their final resting place has to be in a landfill.
• Because of the energy intensive manufacturing process, a fake trees must be used for 20 years before it can match the small carbon footprint that farming and transporting one real tree makes.
• Buying a tree direct from a local farmer (like going to a cut your own tree farm) contributes to local economies and supports independent, often family owned businesses. (You can find the tree farm nearest you here.) Trees from major retailers sometimes report the state of origin of the tree, so you can still know and choose where your store-bought tree comes from.

The evidence seems compelling. Live is best! But if you buy a live tree and come January 1^st, you put the tree on the curb to be thrown out, you are undoing all your good work. A live tree’s best quality is that it is a natural resource that can be recycled.

A growing number of cities have pickup programs via public works to turn trees into mulch to be used in municipal parks or gardens. Some even mulch the trees and make it available for the donors to pickup again for personal use.

There are many other really interesting recycling projects going on that up-cycle Christmas trees. Coastal communities, like Jefferson, Louisiana use trees in marshes to protect the fragile ecosystem from waves and erosion.

Jefferson residents use trees in “cribs” to protect marshlands.

Others beach cities, especially in New Jersey and New York, are using Christmas trees to jump-start sand dunes that were wiped away by violent storms. On the other side of the country, Washington fisherman sink the trees in streams and bays to give fish like trout habitat to hide away in.

Trees act as sand dune building blocks in Seaside Park, NJ after Hurricane Sandy.

Many zoos and wildlife rehab centers ask for people to donate Christmas trees to be used as enrichment toys and a different, piney tasting treat for their residents. Big cats, like lions and tigers, love to play with the trees, where other animals like elephants actually love the taste of the bark. (You can check out our book “Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators”  for more information on how enrichment activities keep rescue animals happy and healthy!)

Zuri the lion plays with a donated tree at the Linton Zoo in the UK.

Buttontown Zoo keepers in Newbedford, MA hide food in recycled trees to give curious animals, like this otter, a fun afternoon activity.

This  elephant at the Berlin Zoo gets a tasty treat during the annual “The Feeding of the Christmas Trees” event.

Because each area conducts their own recycling programs, you’ll have to do some digging to find out what is available and best suits your family best in your town. Does your city have a really cool way to reuse Christmas trees that we don’t know about? Tell us in the comments!

Until recycling time comes…enjoy that real Christmas tree smell!

Resources:

http://www.realchristmastrees.org/dnn/Education/QuickTreeFacts.aspx

http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/01/what-is-the-greenest-christmas-tree

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/12/christmas-trees-seeking-carbon-markets

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-pablo-real-or-fake-christmas-tree.html

We often associate the poinsettia with the holiday season and Christmas, but did you know that today is a day that we not only celebrate the plant but the man who this flower is named for.

The poinsettia is native to southern Mexico and Central America; it was Joel Roberts Poinsett that brought the plant to America. Poinsett was the first Ambassador to Mexico in the early 1800’s and his interest in Botany inspired him to bring back samples of the red flowers that grow wild in Mexico. The Aztecs called the flower Cuetlaxochitl, the botanical name is Euphoria pulcherrima, and other names have included “the lobster flower” and the “flame-leaf flower.” It was in 1836 that William Prescott was asked to name the plant and he chose to honor the Ambassador by naming the plant poinsettia.

On December 12, 1851 Joel Roberts Poinsett died, and poinsettia day was enacted by congress to honor the amateur botanist. Likewise in Mexico December 12^th is the Dia de la Virgen, and the poinsettia is displayed as a symbol of the day.

So to celebrate today here is a craft to make poinsettias and learn more about the parts of a plant.

You will need:

Red and green felt
Gold sequins or beads
craft glue, or glue gun

Cut a five point flower out of the green felt, then cut the same flower out of the red felt.  We used this pattern from the Shabby Art Boutique

Glue the red on top of the green with both colors showing.

Then cut five petals and curl them up and glue the two sides together at the wide end.

Glue the petals onto the red and green base.

Then in the center glue the sequins or beads

Your poinsettia is complete! Now download the For Creative Minds section of The Tree that Bear Climbed to learn more about the parts of a flower. Then do your research the poinsettia is not ordinary flower.

Learn more about flowers and plants with Count Down to Fall, Daisylocks and The Tree that Bear Climbed.

Manatees are credited with being the inspiration for the first mermaid sightings. In the days that Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” he recorded in his diary that three not so pretty mermaids were rising out of the sea. Because manatees are known to stand on their tails many believe that Columbus’ mermaids were actually manatees.

In the South Pacific the dugong, a close relative of the manatee, is known as the “lady of the sea” where residents of Malaysia and Palau celebrate this gentle animal. Many historians believe that it was here after Europeans spent several months at sea they mistook the dugong for a mermaid.

Today both the manatee and the dugong are protected by law and listed as threatened on the endangered species list.  Their friendly nature may be what has put this “mermaid” into trouble.

When the northern waters start to get colder many manatees will head south with a large concentration of the population in Florida. They do not shy away from humans and although they can swim very fast they spend most of their time in rivers and creeks. This time of year is particularly dangerous and the number one concern for manatees is boaters. The thick skin on their backs and surprising speed is very helpful in defense against sharks, but boat motors are a little more dangerous.

If you would like to learn more about manatees check out these Arbordale books that feature mermaids!

Shark Baby
By Ann Downer illustrated by Shennen Bersani
“Who am I?” wonders Shark Baby. When his “mermaid’s purse” egg case is torn loose in a storm, he finds himself on a journey through different ocean habitats: kelp forests, coral reefs, and seagrass meadows. He learns what kind of shark he isn’t, but not what kind he is. He needs to find the “mermaid” to learn where he belongs, but the ocean is big and full of dangers. Will he find out who he is—and what he can do—in time?

Felina’s New Home: A Florida Panther Story
by Loran Wlodarski illustrated by Lew Clayton
Felina the Florida panther loved growing up in her forest home, until the forest starts to shrink! Trees begin to disappear, and Felina doesn’t understand the new busy highway in the neighborhood. Other animals are in danger, too. Will Felina find a way to survive as humans threaten to ruin her home? Environmental science writer Loran Wlodarski gives children a look into deforestation and endangered animals in Felina’s New Home: A Florida Panther Story, complemented by the detailed, emotive illustrations of Lew Clayton. Learn whether the animals in Felina’s forest adapt to the new human presence and what children can do to keep wild animals safe, happy, and healthy.

Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean
By Gail Langer Karwoski illustrated by Connie McLennan
Tuck your little ones into bed with this soothing, restful story. How do marine mammals – animals that breathe air – sleep in the deep waters of the ocean? Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean answers this question. Youngsters meet ten marine mammals, including sea otters and bottlenose dolphins, manatees and harbor seals, humpback whales and walruses, and learn about each animal’s unique habits. Although the brief portraits are based on up-to-date scientific research, author Gail Langer Karwoski weaves the facts into simple, poetic language. Connie McLennan’s rich oil paintings capture the ocean’s habitats and its appealing creatures. The story invites children to drift into a peaceful sleep on the gentle waves of imagination.