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Spotted Salamanders

One amazing animal to get to know better is the salamander! Salamanders are amphibians  that have long, slender bodies that are moist and smooth. Salamanders in the world vary greatly from color to size. Some have 2 or 4 legs and others have lungs or gills, or neither and breath through their skin. Others have identifiable spots that are easily seen in the night thanks to their yellow florescent spots along their backs. These spots are mostly identified with the Spotted salamander.  Our book Salamander Season  chronicles the journey of a colony of Spotted salamanders in the process of breeding within a vernal pool (a temporary pool of water).

Salamander egg and tadpole

For most species of salamanders, humid forests and a water source is crucial for their survival to produce offspring and to keep their skin moist. Salamanders are bred hundreds at a time and are born as tadpoles from their eggs. Over time, their bodies develop and the process of breeding in a vernal pool starts all over again.

Salamanders are generally nocturnal and keep cool during the day under rocks or trees. During the night, they go hunting for food which primarily consists of meat such as worms, slugs, and snails. Besides the main priority of most salamanders depending on humid forests and water as sources for survival, their skin also provides a source for protection. Many species of salamanders can secrete a poisonous liquid from their skin to combat enemies. Salamanders are really interesting creatures, aren’t they?

To learn more about salamanders and how other animals develop, check out these books!:

Salamander Season                                                                                               One cold, rainy, spring night, a young girl and her scientist father participate in “Salamander Night” to follow hundreds of spotted salamanders as they venture into a vernal pool to mate and lay eggs. Together, the father-child team studies the salamanders through their complete amphibian metamorphosis, culminating in the adult salamanders’ disappearance into the woods in late summer. In easy-to-understand text, the girl relates the tale through her illustrated, photographic journal. 

Turtles in my Sandbox                                                                             Imagine finding turtle eggs in your sandbox! When a mother diamondback terrapin lays eggs in a young girl’s sandbox, the girl becomes a “turtle-sitter” to help the babies safely hatch. She raises the teeny hatchlings until they become big enough to fend for themselves in the wild. Then, with the help of experts, she releases them. Along the way, she learns about these unique animals and that she has made an important contribution to their survival. The “For Creative Minds” section includes terrapin fun facts and a turtle habitat craft.

Turtle Summer                                                                                                 This is a companion book to Mary Alice Monroe’s novel,Swimming Lessons, the sequel to The Beach House. In the novel, the readers witness a young mother, Toy, writing a journal for her daughter, Little Lovie. This is the journal Toy is writing. Using original photographs, this scrapbook journal explains the nesting cycle of sea turtles and the natural life along the southeastern coast, including local shore birds, shells, and the sea turtle hospital. Adults and children will enjoy the images, information and the journal with or without the novel.

Big Night for Salamanders by Sarah Marwil Lamstein, illustrated by Carol Benioff

On a rainy spring day, a young boy comes home hoping that this will be the Big Night.  After dinner, the boy gets his raincoat on and a flashlight covered in pink plastic to lessen the glare.  He and his parents head out to the wet road in the dark.  In the dark and the rain, the family help salamanders cross the road safely as they move from forest to pond to lay their eggs.  But some of the cars are going so fast that it is dangerous not only for the salamanders.  So the boy creates a sign that says “Go Slow, Salamander Crossing!”  It is indeed a Big Night.

The story of the boy is presented side-by-side with information on what the salamanders are doing.  Readers get insight into the animals, told in a much more poetic and flowing way than the human story.  It makes for a lovely contrast with one another where not just the font and the content tell the different stories but also the tone and writing style.

Benioff’s illustrations are equally at home with the humans and the salamanders.  It is a pleasure seeing a child of color in a story where there is no mention of it at all.  Her art is bold enough to work with groups, and this book as a whole is ideal for reading aloud in storytimes about spring or salamanders.  All children will reach the end of the book wishing that they too could shepherd salamanders across a road at night.

A lovely science story book, this book successfully marries science into a picture book story.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by:

• Jeannine Atkins
• The Picnic Basket