Around One Log: Chipmunks, Spiders, and Creepy Insiders

by Anthony D. Fredericks, Jennifer DiRubbio (Illustrator)

Explores the microhabitat of a dead tree, examines the animals that use it as food and shelter, and offers a field notes section to fill in the knowledge gaps.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Lucia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had great potential to be both eye-catching and educational. . . and then it started to rhyme. The rhyming became nauseating and then I couldn't go on. If only it had just simply told the story of how a very old oak fell and became a home too all the animals around it, it would have been engaging and enlightening. I love the cover with the little girl looking over the log's edge at a snake. Too bad it didn't follow through. Also, the pages are just too shiny!!! I know, who cares, but I had just finished a very classy book with mat finished pages and this one just fell short.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story about the life that goes on in and around an oak tree that lies rotting on the ground. That description might not appeal to some readers, but it really is very interesting to see nature doing what nature does, and so beautifully illustrated.

[Katie Brashears]

This book explains what happens to a rotting log in the woods. There are many bugs and creatures that inhabit an old log. Some of these include ants, worms, salamanders, snakes, and even chipmunks. The last sentence of the book is "Is this log alive? Or is it now dead?" This gives the class a bit of discussion.

I liked this book. What I liked most about it was the field notes in the back which went into more detail about the creatures in the book. It also had activities and projects in the back.

I would use this book in my classroom to discuss the cycle of matter in an ecosystem.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the contemplative question that ended the book. My kids love creepy crawly things and so really enjoyed this book. While I found the repetitive very a little boring, they got into it and when I left a gap for them to finish one of the rhyming lines they were able to figure it out. A fun little read.

[Monica Hocking · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice read to remember you of how things become new again, how change is good. This is an example of how something in nature dies and becomes new. A tree dies, then becomes a rotting log. But if you left it be, it can kinda become alive again. You decide!

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this could be fun to read aloud.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fallen log isn't junk--it's its own ecosystem on which many living creatures depend. A reminder that everything in the forest has its place.