Animals
Animals
Hibernation is a very deep sleep. During this sleep, an animal’s heart rate and temperature are very low, and they take fewer breaths. Ground squirrels and bats are true hibernators. Bears, on the other hand, go into a lighter sleep called torpor. The bears’ temperature drops slightly and their heart rate slows. Reptiles and amphibians go into a type of hibernation called brumation. Their bodies go very still, and they go months without eating. They may move sometimes for a drink.
As one of Scholastic Canada’s titles in the “Winter in Canada” series, Cynthia O’Brien’s Animals describes a variety of Canadian animals and their various coping mechanisms which ensure their survival against the cold winter weather. Both behavioural and physical traits are taken into consideration for animals big and small on land and in water, such as bears, caribou, foxes, beavers, whales, seals, insects, reptiles, and birds. O’Brien’s quick descriptions serve as simple introductions to these animals, their habits, and their habitats.
The design layout is consistent from page to page with any text in paragraph form limited to the left-hand side of the open double-page spread. Beneath the paragraph and all over the right-hand side are large, colourful photos of the animals being described. With much of the space in this book taken up by photos and the author’s use of simple vocabulary, it is clear how it may be very appealing to younger readers. Furthermore, the book uses large font and multiple coloured, attractively placed sidebars, so it would be ideal for young learners in the primary classroom to support the study of animals and their diverse traits. However, just as likely, this book would be a fun and enjoyable recreational read for any little person interested in cool facts about animals found in the Canadian wilderness, such as the distance a cougar can jump (12 m) or the running speed of an Arctic hare (60 km/h).
Animals includes many elements of a nonfiction text with a table of contents preceding and a glossary succeeding the text. While there is no index, it does not impact the reader’s ability to locate information within this book as a result of its short length and clear organization by animal group as identified in the table of contents.
Having written other ‘beginning reader’ books for Scholastic regarding mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects, O’Brien is a good fit for this introductory book on various animals in the Canadian winter. The facts O’Brien includes are not always those that are commonly known, and within each section, I found myself encountering information that caused me to stop and to think. Animals, a quick read loaded with many facts and photos, is sure to captivate any young mind in the classroom or library.
Dorothea Wilson-Scorgie has completed her MA degree in Children’s Literature at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is currently pursuing an online MLIS degree at the University of Alberta. She is a member of the Victoria Children’s Literature Roundtable steering committee, works at as a teacher-on-call, and resides in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband, their toddler son, and newborn daughter.