Archive for Wildlife

About Habitats: Forests

Written by Cathryn Sill
Illustrated by John Sill

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What are forests and why are they important? What kind of wildlife lives in a forest? These questions and more are answered in the latest offering from the About Habitats series.

Cathryn and John Sill have created a wonderful beginner’s guide, presented in a clean, organized fashion. On the left-hand side of the page spread, a simple sentence with easy language appears over a white background. To the right, readers are treated to a painting, vivid with color and detail. With clear labeling for easy cross-reference, different levels of information are available for different reader levels. A kindergartener may pore over the picture of the cute chipmunk, while a second or third grader can expand their knowledge and literacy skills from the plant and animal identifiers (e.g., an Eastern Chipmunk in a deciduous forest, surrounded by morel mushrooms and Christmas ferns).

Young readers will learn about the different types of forests like deciduous, tropical, or boreal and how each has their own distinct characteristics. The illustrations show animals and plants thriving within each habitat: a snowshoe hare blends into the snowy landscape of the boreal forest; an orangutan finds shelter in the tropical forest canopy; a black bear, broad-winged hawk, and box turtle live side by side in the deciduous forest.

Extras include a global map of the major forest areas of the world, a glossary, bibliography, and additional websites for further information. For more titles in the About Habitats series, visit the publishers website: www.peachtree-online.com.

  • ForestsTitle: About Habitats: Forests
  • Author: Cathryn Sill
  • Illustrator: John Sill
  • Publisher: Peachtree Publishers, 2014
  • Reviewer: Lauren Abbey Greenberg
  • Format: Hardcover, 48 pages
  • ISBN: 978-1-56145-734-2
  • Genre: Picture Book, Nature, Wildlife, Ecology