Review: The Woolly Monkey Mysteries by Sandra Markle

How much does one particular species really matter to an entire ecosystem?

9781512458688
$31.99

In the cloud forests of the Amazon Basin, scientists are installing extraordinary numbers of camera traps in the hopes of learning more about an elusive species—woolly monkeys.

No one knows for sure how many woolly monkeys are left in the wild. But they play a key role in their ecosystem, and without them the rain forest is in trouble.

Join scientists on their quest to solve the mysteries surrounding the lives of woolly monkeys before it's too late.

The nice thing about reviewing a Sandra Markle book is that you can rest on her reputation and be relatively certain the science is well-researched and accurate!

So, why are the woolly monkeys so important? The answer lies in...poop! The monkeys eat a variety of fruits from different trees in the forest to keep up their energy as they jump from tree to tree. They also need to stay light, though, so they have to poop frequently. That waste not only contains the seeds of the fruit they have eaten, it provides a nice little pocket of fertilizer to get a new tree started! In this way, the variety of trees and plants that the rainforest needs to have in order to support the variety of wildlife is 'planted' throughout by the monkeys.

No monkeys = no monkey poop = no plants = no animals = no rainforest.

For this reason and more, scientists want to make sure they understand how the woolly monkeys live, so they can make sure they aren't even more endangered than believed. Are they all the same species? How often do they give birth? How far do they travel in a day? And...why do they sometimes eat dirt?? But, how do you study an animal that hides so well? (Hint: lots and lots and lots of cameras...and some expert tree climbers!)

Markle's writing style is conversational, imparting a boatload of facts with direct quotes form scientists in the field. A two-page spread describes the layers of the forest, and colorful sidebars describe the many close-up photographs. Readers can even scan QR codes to hear the monkeys or watch videos!

A fabulous addition to any elementary library, sure to be enjoyed from the eye-catching cutie on the front cover to the activity suggestion at the end.

Review: Build, Beaver, Build! Life at the Longest Beaver dam, by Sandra Markle and Deborah Hocking

9781467749008

This book is going to fit several niches for me. For anyone not aware, next year's national summer reading theme revolves around building - building as in construction, building as in creating, building as in making better. Animal builders will definitely be a featured subtopic, and nobody can build quite like a beaver!

Markle's text loosely follows the life of a young beaver, from three weeks old and "softball-sized" to two years old and ready to find a mate. Most of it centers around the family's dam - the protection it provides and the way each beaver helps to maintain and build it - as well as the changing seasons and some of the predators they face. You won't find complicated engineering descriptions, but that could lead to some fun at a nearby waterway, letting your kids figure out what works and what doesn't themselves.

What I found intriguing is that this is set at the biggest beaver dam in the world - visible from satellites (although that isn't mentioned until the afterward.) Generations of the same family of beavers have been adding onto it since the 1970's. This could be a great segue into the children's own families - what have they built together, be it a business, a tradition, a way of service? Or, what could they start building together now? We are right in the middle of our county fair here, and the theme is heritage - lots to think about there, whether you have a long family history to look back on, or want to start something for future generations to build on!

Review: The Long, Long Journey: the Godwit's Amazing Migration, by Sandra Markle and Mia Posada

978-076-135-6233

 

I started telling my husband about the trip these birds make at just 4 months old, and he exclaimed, "L. is almost two, and I don't even like him being atthe end of the driveway!"

 

While most animals have to grow up quickly, and many different species migrate, godwits are especially impressive in both areas. A young female godwit hatches in Alaska in early June, and her parents protect her from predators and teach her to fend for herself. By August, she is flying - and then her mother leaves! Her father leads the young godwit and her siblings to the coast, but then he, too, takes off.

 

Around mid-October, the young godwits - with no adults to lead or protect them - take off en masse on a nonstop flight from Alaska to New Zealand. They fly for nearly eight days straight, travelling over 7,000 miles. Their arrival in New Zealand is heralded by gathered crowds and the ringing of cathedral bells, and is seen as one of the first signs of Spring.

 

The simple but poetic ("The young female prances across the mud on her long legs") text tells the story of this young godwit's first summer, easily imparting facts about food and predators. The illustrations seem almost soft to the touch, just as our feathered friends would be. A page of recommended reading and web site suggestion, as well as an author's note of personal experience complete the book. This would be fine as a read-alone, or as part of a curriculum. Recommended for elementary age libraries or classrooms.

 

Thank-you to Millbrook Press for the review copy! For more great nonfiction books (and another review of this one), head over to Perogies and Gyoza.