The Calm After the Storm

Over the past few weeks, we have experienced a lot of showers and storms rolling through the Mount Pleasant area. Lucky for us, we have been busy inside the office, but it brings up the question what happens to the animals during or after a storm?

A recent news article from FOX 25 in Oklahoma City discusses one organization, Wild Care Oklahoma, that has taken in over 700 animals since the end of May. Wild Care has stepped in to provide care for many animals directly affected by the damaging tornadoes, many of which were babies. The recent storms hit during the peak of “baby” season. This left many young animals orphaned in the aftermath of the tornadoes. A litter of skunks, two racoons, and species of birds, turtles, coyotes, and foxes have been taken in by Wild Care after the destructive storms hit. The organization’s Facebook page frequently posts pictures and videos of their in treatment or newly released animals each day. I highly recommend checking out this page and all the adorable animal babies! You can also check-out ways to help Wild Care or their upcoming events.

Also, Author Patti R. Zelch in her book Ready, Set…Wait!, illustrated by Connie McLennan, gives insight into what happens to animals during storms. This picture book follows nine different wild animals as they sense, prepare, and react to an approaching hurricane. Definitely a good read for a rainy day inside!

Link to the Wild Care Oklahoma Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WildCareOklahoma

Wishing everyone a good day and stay dry wherever you are!

Deductive Detectives

“Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth,” Sherlock Holmes has said about his method of detective work. In Sylvan Dell’s new picture book, Deductive Detective, our hero Detective Duck shows that he’s learned from the best! He dons his best deerstalker hat, his much-too-big magnifying glass, and solves the case of the missing cake with the same methods the pros use!

That is, a style of logical thinking called “deductive reasoning.” In deductive reasoning, someone finds an answer they’re looking for by first finding out what the answer isn’t. When Detective Duck examines the clues and finds out which of his friends couldn’t have stolen the cake, it leads him closer to what really happened!

Of course, you don’t need a weird hat and a magnifying glass to use deductive reasoning. These methods come in handy every day! If you lose a toy, for example (or car keys), you may make your search easier by determining where the item isn’t.

“Oh yeah,” you may say, “I didn’t bring it to my friend’s house; I wasn’t holding it when I walked to the living room, or landed on the moon. I wouldn’t have brought it to my parents’ room or under the ocean or into Mordor.” By deciding where you shouldn’t look, you now have a better idea of where you should.

This kind of logic process happens throughout the day, sometimes without you even being aware of it; you might say your brain is always on the case as much as any detective!

Apply deductive reasoning the next time you’re in the bookstore: subtract the books that don’t meet the highest educational standards, offer pages of activities and facts, offer online supplements, are fun to look at and fun to read! You’ll be left with books by Sylvan Dell like The Deductive Detective!

A New Year A New Season

Welcome 2013, we are celebrating with the release of our seven new titles for Spring. Although it doesn’t feel like spring, it is right around the corner and we have new titles to share!

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries by Jennifer Keats Curtis
What happens to exotic pets when owners realize they can no longer care for them but they can’t be returned to the wild? And what about big predators that get hurt or sick? This photographic journal takes readers “behind the scenes” at five nonprofit sanctuaries and rescue zoos, and one care farm, that have opened their doors and their hearts.

Balloon Trees by Danna Smith, illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein
Balloons do come from trees—rubber trees. Told in rhyme, the story follows the wide variety of steps involved in making the air-filled decorations we all know and love. Starting with the tapping of the rubber tree, the ship that carries the liquid rubber to the factory, and the manufacturing process itself; readers will learn just how that balloon arrived at his or her house. This delightful, fun-to-read-aloud story is sure to give readers a new appreciation for balloons. key phrases for educators: change in state of matter, production of goods (how things are made), natural resources, transportation of goods, geography

Deductive Detective by Brian Rock, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
Someone stole a cake from the cake contest—who could it be? Twelve animal bakers are potential suspects but Detective Duck uses his deductive reasoning skills to “quack” the case. After all, the thief left hairs behind so the thief wasn’t a bird. Follow along as he subtracts each suspect one at a time to reveal just who the culprit was. This clever story will have children of all ages giggling at the puns and the play on words. Key phrases for educators: subtraction, deductive reasoning, animal adaptations, puns/play on words.

Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer by Mary Holland
Follow this young fox as he explores the world around him during the first few months of his life. He’s about a month old when he first comes out of the den. Watch as he explores the world around him, learning how to hunt through play and by using his senses. See the changes as he grows from a young kit to a young fox. After all, by the next summer, he’ll have children of his own! Naturalist photographer and environmental educator Mary Holland has captured Ferdinand’s First Summer in a way that is sure to grab children’s hearts.

Nature Recycles: How About You? by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Cathy Morrison
From sea urchins in the Atlantic Ocean to bandicoots on the Australian savanna, animals all over the world recycle. Explore how different animals in different habitats use recycled material to build homes, protect themselves and get food. This fascinating collection of animal facts will teach readers about the importance of recycling and inspire them to take part in protecting and conserving the environment by recycling in their own way. key phrases for educators: recycling, animal adaptations and behaviors, geography.

On the Move: Seasonal Migration by Scotti Cohn, illustrated by Susan Detwiler
Imagine seeing hundreds of the same type of animal gathered at the same place and at the same time! Right here in North America many animals gather in huge numbers and can be seen at predictable times and locations. Not all migrations are tied to seasonal food changes—some are tied to life cycles and the need to gather in huge numbers. Certain birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, fish, and even insects migrate during spring, summer, fall, or winter. Travel along with them as you learn about what puts these animals On the Move. key phrases for educators: life cycles, migrations, seasons, geography.

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?

The new eBooks have just gone online, and are available for purchase at http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com. Paperbacks and hardcovers are coming next month, but you can pre-order now!

Animal Helper: Kathleen Woods

October is flying by, and our Animal Helpers Features are nearing the end. Today we are featuring Kathleen Woods of the Phoenix Wildlife Center. Kathleen shares advice for aspiring animal rehabilitators.

Name: Kathleen Woods

Name of organization/clinic:  Phoenix Wildlife Center

State: Maryland

 Specialty/special areas of experience: Bald eagles, most raptors, songbirds

 Years as rehabilitator/volunteer: 20

 Busiest time of year: March through August

Number of hours you work per week during your busy season:  80+

Number of volunteers in clinic:  10

Why did you become a rehabilitator/volunteer:  I found two baby robins and could not find anyone to take them to.  I also volunteered at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge on the whooping crane project and knew that I was “hooked”.

Most rewarding aspect of rehabilitation: Giving people information over the phone so they can NOT interfere, and having them call back and say it was successful

As a rehabilitator, what is the most common question you are asked?   If I touch it, won’t the mother reject it?

Favorite animal story:  I love all the everyday heroes who go out of their way to rescue an animal and bring it here. 

What advice would you offer to children considering a career in wildlife rehabilitation:  Volunteer, read alot about the field, and consider a degree in biology or animal science, or vet school.  Take animal care classes over the summer at a local Nature Camp. 

Remember meet Kathleen and all the other rehabilitators in Animal Helpers: Wildlife Rehabilitators, which  is FREE to read unitl October 31st online at www.sylvandellpublishing.com.

Let’s Celebrate Antarctic Day!

Tomorrow, November 22nd, is Antarctic Day! This is a day to celebrate our neighbors way way south where the penguins and icicles play. This may be a nice place to visit, if you can handle the extreme cold, but I think it’s safe to say that none of us would want to live there.  Since we won’t be unpacking for good any time soon in the Antarctic, how about we give it its own special day and celebrate!

Here are some interesting and fun facts to get you and your kids excited about the Antarctic:

• To avoid confusion, the Antarctic is the region around our Earth’s South Pole, while the Arctic region opposite it is around Earth’s North Pole.  Now which one does Santa fly from again? 
• Did you know that that there are no polar bears in this southern region?  They only live in the Northern Hemisphere.  Penguins, on the other hand, are abundant in the Antarctic. 
• The very first human to be born in the Antarctic was named Solveig Gunbjørg Jacobsen (have fun pronouncing that one!).  He was born on October 8 of 1913.
• This region had no indigenous people living in it when it was first discovered
• There are more tourists that visit the Antarctic each year than people who actually live there!

Well there you go! To find out more about the Antarctic, keep an eye out for our new title coming in February of 2012, called “The Penguin Lady,”by Carol A. Cole. In this picture book, Penelope Parker lives with penguins!  Short ones, tall ones; young and old—the penguins are from all over the Southern Hemisphere including some that live near the equator! Do the penguin antics prove too much for her to handle? Children count and then compare and contrast the different penguin species as they learn geography.

In the meantime, however, you can learn all about the Antarctic’s rival region, the Arctic, by checking out our wonderful title, “In Arctic Waters,” by Laura Crawford.  While reading this book, you and your child can follow polar bears, walruses, seals, narwhals, and beluga whales while they chase each other around the ice in the Arctic waters!  It is a pure delight to read aloud, and the “For Creative Minds” section helps children learn how these animals live in the cold, icy arctic region. 

Let’s Toot the Horn of our Award-Winning Author, Donna Love!

Author Donna Love has become a USA Best Book Awards Finalist for her latest picture book, The Glaciers are Melting!

USABookNews.com is an online publicaion that provides coverage for books from mainstream and independent publishers to the online community of the world.  JPX Media Group, in Los Angeles, California, is the parent company of USABookNews.com.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of USA Book News, said that this year’s contest yielded an unprecedented number of entries, which were then narrowed down to over 500 winners and finalists. 

This is now the ninth year that these awards have been distributed.  Keen says, “The 2011 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the United States.  With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of the USA ‘Best Books’ Awards, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the upcoming holiday retail season.”

The Glaciers are Melting! deals with the story of Peter Pika, who is certain that the glaciers are melting after a drop of water falls on his head.  He decides to go speak to the Mountain Monarch about it.  Joined along the way by friends Tammy Ptarmigan, Sally Squirrel, Mandy Marmot, and Harry Hare, they all wonder what will happen to them if the glaciers melt.  Where will they live, how will they survive?  When Wiley Wolverine tries to trick them, can the Mountain Monarch save them?  More importantly, can the Mountain Monarch stop the glaciers from melting?

Donna Love is an award-winning author whose husband is a district ranger on the Lolo National Forest.  Two of their three children are now in college.  In addition to The Glaciers are Melting!, Donna’s other books include Henry the Impatient Heron, Loons, Diving Birds of the North, and Awesome Ospreys, Fishing Birds of the World. Awesome Ospreys became a Skipping Stones Press Honor Award Winner in 2006, for promoting ecological understanding and cooperation around the world. With a background in art education, Donna substitute teaches at the elementary and high school level. Throughout her years as a substitute and while raising her own children, she found she had a gift for explaining nature to children. She and her husband have three grown children and one grandchild.

If you are interested in learning more information about Love visit her website at www.donnalove.com. Check out more one her book, The Glaciers are Melting! through our homepage.

Sylvan Dell’s “Fur and Feathers” is a 2012 Teacher’s Choice Award for Children’s Books Winner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning Magazine has selected Fur and Feathers by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein, as a 2012 9th annual Teacher’s Choice Award for Children’s Books winner! 

The Teacher’s Choice Award is determined by a team of teachers from across the United States.  They judge the entries and provide reviews.  Sylvan Dell’s book, Champ’s Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too!  had the privilege of winning the Teacher’s Choice for the Family Award in November of 2011.  This is the only award that requires its judges to be both a teacher and a parent.  Winning titles are chosen based on qualities such as originality, creativity, safety and durability, and high-interest level and motivation for children. 

In Fur and Feathers, a young girl named Sophia dreams that strong winds whisk the fur and feathers right off her animal friends.  She decides to share some clothes with them, but as it turns out, her clothes don’t work so well on animals.  She offers to sew each one the “right” coat, and the animals line up to explain what they need and why.  Polar Bear needs white fur to stay warm and hide in the snow.  Fish needs scales, but with slime.  How will Sophia make a prickly coat for Porcupine?  This book brings animal coverings to life in an imaginative way.

Janet Halfmann is the award-winning author of more than thirty children’s books, both fiction and non-fiction.  Her other recent titles include Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, Good Night, Little Sea Otter, Little Black Ant on Park Street, and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story.  Janet is a memeber of the Society of Chidlren’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  Before becoming a children’s author, she was a daily newspaper reporter, children’s magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books.  For more information, visit her website: http://www.janethalfmann.com

Laurie Allen Klein has been a freelance aritst for nearly 20 years.  Over the last several years, she has worked as the on-staff artist for a marine park, where she does everything from painting life-size sea animal murals, to illustrating children’s activity books.  In addition to Fur and Feathers, Laurie also illustrated Where Should Turtle Be?, the award-winning Little Skink’s Tail, and If a Dolphin Were a Fish for Sylvan Dell.  Her website can be visited at http://www.lauriekleinart.com/.

October is National Collector’s Month! What do YOU collect?

Have you discovered the joy of stamp collecting?  Better yet, have you discovered the joy of collecting anything at all?  Now, I’m not talking about the junk mail that finds its way onto each and every one of our kitchen tables.  I’m talking about the collection of something meaningful, something that can offer knowledge and educate us, or simply be productive fun.

This month is your chance to get in the spirit, because October is none other than National Collector’s Month (…and Halloween of course)!  Did you know that stamp collecting just so happens to be the most popular hobby in the world?  Who knew?  And just like me, I bet you’re asking, “Why stamps?”  Well, they aren’t just little pictures on little sticky pieces of paper.  Stamps represent different historical events, people, and places!  It is the perfect stepping stone to learning as much or as little as you would like about the world. 

This is the perfect hobby to start young or with children, because it gives kids the chance to ask questions, and it’s a fun way to start.  It opens the door to so much history and information.  It may be a stretch, but if you let it, collecting can be like visiting other parts of the world from your own living room.  If you are looking for it, this is a wonderful experience to share with your children.  You can choose any way to start, which give you the opportunity to choose an approach that will interst your child the most.  For instance, you can focus the collection on a particular place or time period.  Here are a few specific areas of collecting to consider:

• Topical (birds, castles, Disney, etc.)
• Precancels (US or foreign)
• Machins (Queen Elizabeth heads)
• Perfins (stamps with holes punched into them)
• Classics (stamps issued in the 19th century)
• and so many more!

Reading with your kids about other collectors can be another great way to get them interested in a hobby of their own.  Sylvan Dell publishes a book called “Sort it Out!”  by Barbara Mariconda.  In this book, Packy the pack rat collects tons of things and has to sort them out.  To him, all of the things he has collected are treasures in some way special to him.  This book also includes interactive activites on sorting, categorizing, and classifying.  Check it out, and maybe your child will find something awesome to collect too!

 

 

A Hidden Silver Lining

Good new too all!  There may be a hidden silver lining to global warming…well, in the Arctic at least.  According to a new study, the persistent change in climate may very well improve the quality of air in the polar region.  This good news is rare seeing as global warming in the Arctic is increasing at a more rapid rate than in other areas of the planet.  Due to warming, air pollutants from industrial regions travel to the Arctic.  In turn, these pollutants only speed up the warming.  It is a vicious cycle! 

 Now, I’m sure you are asking, “Where is the good news?”  Well my friends, global rainfall is also predicted to be a widespread result of global warming.  Lucky for us, rain serves as a natural cleanser.  As said by the scientist leading this recent study, Timothy Garrett, “Precipitation is the atmosphere’s single most efficient way of removing particulate pollution.”  Raindrops take the pollutants with them. Simple as that!  Due to this redeeming natural occurrence, rainfall may already swipe pollution from the air before it even reaches the Arctic.

Read about another vicious cylce in our book, “In Arctic Waters,” by Laura Crawford.  I promise, this cycle is more forgiving and much more exciting!  Through this wonderfully illustrated book,  join in the rhythmic, building fun of Arctic animals as they play and chase each other around “the ice that floats in the Arctic water.”  What happens to interrupt and spoil their fun?  Go and see for yourself!

 

For even more fun with reading, dive into another one of our titles, “The Glaciers are Melting!” by Donna Love.  In this book, Peter Pika is sure the glaciers are melting and is off to talk to the Mountain Monarch about it.  Joined along the way by friends Tammy Ptarmigan, Sally Squirrel, Mandy Marmot, and Harry Hare, they all wonder what will happen to them if the glaciers melt.  Where will they live, how will they survive?  When Wiley Wolverine tries to trick them, can the Mountain Monarch save them?  More importantly, can the Mountain Monarch stop the glaceirs from melting?

Moving Forward to Fall and Revisiting the Past with Kids!

September 23rd, three days from now, will be the Autumnal Equinox!  Sit down with your child and take the chance to teach them something they may not know.  What better way to teach kids about this spectacular occurace that only comes twice a year?  They can observe and learn at the same time!  Check out our books, “Count Down to Fall,” and “Meet the Planets” to get your child interested in the changing of seasons and the world of the stars.  Through “Count Down to Fall,” by Fran Hawk, children can watch the vibrant falling of leaves all around and capture the majesty of the maple, the oak, the linden, and more!  Through “Meet the Planets,” by John McGranaghan, children can soar into the solar system and learn about the planets.  And those of you suffering from a mild case of nostalgia, don’t worry, it doesn’t forget to include our former ninth planet, Pluto! 

By visiting our website, you will also have access to numerous arts and crafts ideas as well as interractive quizzes for kids with budding creative minds.  Corresponding to this particular time of year, we have provided some free activities for you to enjoy with your child. Children can learn the identification of stems, roots, and seeds as well as their fuctions and purposes.  Who knows, you may even find something new to learn that you didn’t know!

Not only do we have the changing of the seasons occuring around us as we speak, but look out! September 28th is coming soon.  This day has been dubbed Read a Child a Book You Like Day.  Go ahead and visit your local library to check out one of your favorite books from your childhood!  This way your child will get to know a little piece of something you enjoyed at their age.