Sandra Markle's Blog, page 5

Trees Are TREEMENDOUS!

 

There are trees featured in WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!?  and WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!? (Scholastic). Can you find them?

For that matter, you couldn't read a printed copy of any of my books if it wasn't for trees. If it wasn't for trees, there wouldn't be wood pulp.If it wasn't for wood pulp, there wouldn't be paper.If it wasn't for paper, there wouldn't be printed books.
Clearly, trees are very important to me. 

I've only ever written one book that's just about trees--OUTSIDE AND INSIDE TREES.  However, as I looked back through the books I've written, I discovered something very interesting. Trees--sometimes whole forests--are an important part of many of my books.  Check it out.



A tree plays a dramatic role in my book LITTLE LOST BAT (Charlesbridge).





































In this story, the mother bat leaves her baby in the bat colony's cave nursery and goes hunting for insects to eat. On night, she passes a tall oak tree. 

Read this story to see what is in that tree.
Keep reading to find out what happens next.

And keep on reading to find out happens at the very end of this story.























Trees are a key part of my story FINDING HOME (Charlesbridge).

First, something happens to a forest to start this story. Read and see WHAT HAPPENS!

Then there is a big search for one kind of tree. Read to find out WHY IS THAT KIND OF TREE KEY?



What tree's fruit is a pod the size of a football, hard as wood on the outside and full of beans surrounded by white pulp?That tree is featured in this next book. It is REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME! My favorite treat comes from it. WHAT TREE IS IT?  



Trees are more than wood. Trees are WONDERFUL!

JOIN ME FOR WORLD READ ALOUD DAY!

 

Hello, Readers! I'm reading my book Waiting for Ice (Charlesbridge).  This is also to help you celebrate International Polar Bear Day on February 27th. Now, get comfy and listen. 💝

International Polar Bear Day on February 27, 2023 is a good time to stop and think about how global climate change is challenging these bears. They are the top of their food chain, big, strong and able to survive almost anything except not having enough ice.

CELEBRATE PENGUIN AWARENESS DAY!

 

THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE
(Millbrook/Lerner, 2017) is about African penguins. 
This is one of 4 books I've written about penguins. Here are the other three.
A MOTHER'S JOURNEY  (Charlesbridge, 2005) is about Emperor penguins.








PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD  (Available on Amazon Kindle) with my photos from camping out with Adelie penguins.







AND COMING SOON!  COULD YOU EVER WADDLE WITH PENGUINS!?

I love penguins because I had the wonderful opportunity twice to live with 60,000+ Adelies in Antarctica during the summer while they raised their chicks. I also watched Emperors from an icebreaker while they were riding on icebergs (off duty from wintertime egg hatching). And I  saw two more kinds of penguins when I lived in New Zealand: Fairy Blue penguins and Yellow-eyed penguins. 


There I am recording Adelie penguins in action in Antarctica. 
HOW PENGUINS STAY DRY
First, use the link to download a printable picture of an African penguin. You will need two pictures for this activity.  

The picture tells how to correctly color an African penguin with one exception. 
Check out the photo of an African penguin on the cover of THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE . African penguins always have that pinkish area by their eyes. Be sure to color the white areas of the penguin too.

Next, you will need a glass of water and aneyedropper. Drip 5 drops of water on the uncolored African penguin. Then drip 5 drops on the colored African penguin. What difference do you see?

The water soaks into the uncolored penguin and beads up on the colored on. African penguins, like all penguins, have a special gland that lets them spread an oily coat over their feathers. Like the crayon wax, that lets their feathers shed water. 
Penguin feathers are incredibly small. I know because I've held some in my hand. But the tiny feathers tuck tightly over each other, like roof shingles, to form a thick, watertight coat. In fact, penguins have more feathers than most birds--as many as 100 feather per square inch.




What looks pink above the penguin’s eyes is a specialbody part that keeps it from overheating. As the penguin’s body warmsup, blood flow increases to that area. The lack of feathers over that area lets heat radiate away as the blood flows through it. That cools the penguin.
PENGUINS ARE AMAZING! Celebrate PENGUIN AWARENESS DAY on January 20th!

THIS VIDEO JUST MADE MY HOLIDAY! Melissa Hayes gifted he...

 

THIS VIDEO JUST MADE MY HOLIDAY! Melissa Hayes gifted her second graders at Avery Elementary in Hillard, Ohio my WHAT IF YOU HAD!? books and here's their WONDERFUL reaction.


Happy Holidays to you!

DON'T MISS THIS!

 

WOW! Don't miss this chance to gift a teacher or yourself with my award-honored book now at an incredible discounted price on Amazon! Just $4.37 for the library binding--usually $31.99

Order here!

TIME TO GO TO SNOW SCHOOL!

 

Ready to hear this story? Ok--sit back and enjoy!

Now, keep going to explore more and do some fun discovery activities....

Dr. Tom McCarthy with snow leopard cub
(courtesy of Panthera Snow Leopard Trust)When I can, I love to investigate firsthand. But, when that isn't possible, I track down experts who have been able to study animals in amazing wild places.  Then I can share the stories talking to those experts inspire--like  Snow School .  I discovered that story about snow leopard cubs growing up from interviewing Dr. Tom McCarthy who has spent many years climbing the high, rugged mountains of Pakistan in order to learn about the life and behavior of snow leopards.  That's it--shown in red on this globe.

The setting for story is the Hindu Kush Mountains in that country.  That high mountain habitat is one of the harshest on Earth. It requires the cats to be able to chase fast prey downhill over very rocky terrain.


















Even during his many years studying snow leopards Dr. McCarthy shared that he only had a chance to watch a few downhill chases as snow leopards caught prey.  He said, “Once, I was lucky enough to see a mother have two cubs with her while she hunted.”  
Dr. McCarthy guessed the cubs were in training.  Snow leopard cubs spend two years with their mothers learning to survive on their own.  That inspired me to wonder what lessons snow leopard cubs need to learn in order to be successful in the extreme conditions of their home habitat.  

For one thing, as soon as they’re big enough, snow leopard cubs travel with their mother. That way they get a close look at the features of their environment.  And they learn the shortest, safest routes to take. 

The snow leopard’s habitat is really a high desert with very steep terrain.  When these cats hunt, they have to chase down prey animals, like ibex, capable of running down steep, rocky slopes without falling.  And they have to pounce at just the right moment to stop their prey without going over a cliff.


Snow leopards do have some natural built-in advantages. One is a very long tail.  Dr. McCarthy reports that a snow leopard’s tail is all muscle and that it’s heavy. He said, “It must even be heavy for the snow leopard.  In snow, I’d see a mark where  a cat would start to drag its tail after every two or three steps.  So holding up its long tail must be tiring.”

Having such a long tail is worth the effort, though, when the snow leopard starts to run.  It swings its tail back and forth and that helps it stay balance while twisting and turning.  To get a feel for how its tail helps a snow leopard stay balanced, try this.  Stand on one foot with your hands at your sides.  Then repeat standing on one foot but this time stretch out your arms and move them forward and backward.  

Snow leopards also have big feet that act like snowshoes, helping them walk on top of fluffy snow.  In fact, Dr. McCarthy reported a snow leopard’s feet leave very round footprints because their feet are about as wide as they are long (about four to five inches in both directions.) 

These cats also have a lot of fur around their toes and the pads of their feet to shield them from the ice and snow.  Like housecats, snow leopards have retractable claws.  They put these out to help them climb and to stop themselves from skidding.

Dr. McCarthy reported that once a snow leopard catches prey it needs a safe place to eat—safer than on a steep mountainside.  Dr. McCarthy said, “I’ve watched a snow leopard drag a big goat that weighs as much, if not slightly more, than the cat does.  And it drags this prey uphill.”   

Imagine pulling something that weighs as much as you do.  Now, imagine doing it the way a snow leopard does.  This cat bites to grab its prey.  Then it drags this weight between its legs.  This is another behavior snow leopard cubs learn by being copycats, doing what their mother does.

You might be surprised to learn that snow leopards usually only get a chance to catch big prey about once a week.  So when it does, the cat is likely to stay by its prey and eat as much as 25 pounds of meat a day for two to three days.  

Can you guess what snow leopards do after such big meals?  You’re right!  They sleep.  Like lions, tigers, and housecats, snow leopards sleep most of the day to save their energy for hunting.  

OCTOBER IS DINOSAUR MONTH!

What if one day you woke up with dinosaur feet!? What would be cool about having dinosaur feet?

What problems might you have with dinosaur feet? 

It's the perfect month to imagine having dinosaur parts.

TELL A DINO-TALEMake up a story about what's going on in this picture...
WHOA! First, read about this dinosaur's special feature. That will help you tell your story.

PICK YOUR DINO-PART
What if you could have one of these dinosaur parts for a day. Which would you choose?Brachiosaurus neck?T. rex teeth?Parasaurolophus crest?Spinosaurus sail?

WAIT! Read about each of these dinosaur's special features before you decide.



Now, convince at least 2 other people they should like having that dinosaur's special part too! 
What are 2 reasons you can tell them that dinosaur part is right for them?
 For even more DINOSAUR fun read the whole book. You are sure to smile from beginning to end! 



I know I did!

FOLLOW QUEEN ELIZABETH AND ME IN HAVING A PEN PAL

 

Queen Signing PhotographTim Graham / Getty Images

  I was surprised but delighted to learn Queen Elizabeth had a pen pale. For 70 years, the queen exchanged letters on her birthday with

Adele Hankey of Park River, South Dakota. They had the same birthday--even the same birth year. And so Adele wrote to the Queen. To her surprise, she received an answer. You can read about it here.

Having a pen pal is a very special experience. And I mean a real--letter through the mail. I had two very different but wonderful experiences with having pen pals.

All through high school I was pen pals with a girl in France. I don't remember exactly how I connected with but probably through my French teacher. 

Part of what made this memorable was our sharing our holidays and experiences. This also happened to be during the time that President Kennedy was assassinated. It was special to receive my pen pal's messages about how her country was reacting, and how sad she was about "my" loss.

Then when I first settled in New Zealand in 2000, I had round robin pen pals. 

I lived out in the country in Amberley near Christchurch on the South Island. 

Amberley Main Street

It was a very rural area and this was an amazing way to get to know local customs and people. I joined this by picking up an address on a bulletin board at the local library. Then what happened was an envelope (a large mailer) circulated during each month. 

When it reached me, I read the letters from each of the other five women in my round robin group. Then I wrote my letter to the group. In it, I told what I'd been doing. I asked questions if I had any, such as suggestions for getting something I needed to buy or gardening tips. And I included something extra. It might be a favorite recipe. It could be a photo of something growing or a wild animal I'd spotted. Then I packaged up my envelope with the name of the next person and posted it.

This was in the Post Office Store

    By the way, local post offices in New Zealand's rural areas were private businesses. They were a general store as much as a post office. So, I traded paperbacks I'd read with a new one to read at the post office. I also bought snacks, picked up art supplies, and visited with neighbors who were there too. Delivering the mail was a business too. Our mail couple (man and wife) often dropped in for coffee and to visit.

Share photos. Share ideas. Share smiles!

Queen Elizabeth enjoyed having a pen pal. My pen pal experiences were also special to me. So, I have to suggest having students try it. Could be within your class or between classes--even between schools in different places. 

But also think about doing a round robin pen pal program with another class. Let students think up what to share in the envelope each month: notes, photos, an activity to each do and share results, and a book to read aloud.  

 

    

MAKE BACK TO SCHOOL COLORFUL!

 It's back to school time. 

Let's make this a colorful year!



For some great ideas for creating colorful crayon art and being creative with broken crayons. Check out these sites.Number OneNumber TwoNumber Three
And, of course, being National Crayon Collection Month, August is the perfect time to share several of my favorite children's books that star crayons.Of course, I have to include the story of Crayola Crayons' Invention. The Crayon Man (Natascha Biebow/HMH Books for young readers, 2019)


Red: A Crayon's Story (Michael Hall/Greenwillow Books, 2015)

Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

The Day The Crayons Quit (Drew Daywalt/Philomela Books, 2013)

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?


COMING SOON!The Crayons Trick or Treat (Drew Daywalt, Philomel Books, September 6, 2022)
The Crayons want to go trick-or-treating, but they're not sure what to say! In a humorous Halloween story, Purple Crayon teaches the rest of the crayon box the magic words to say when they ring their neighbors' doorbells. (Hint: It's NOT "Boo!")
AND NOW!
1.Make up your own story about a colorful adventure. And make your favorite crayons the stars of your story.
2. Choose your very favorite crayon. Tell why you LOVE it. And convince at least 2 other people they should LOVE it too.

BEAU'S SUMMER BOOK PICS!

Now that it is summer 

do what my cat Beau does.

Find a couple of good books to enjoy.

Then take a LOOOOOOOOOONG nap!  

Here are Beau's current summer reading and napping favorites...