Welcome to the World of Coyotes

by Diane Swanson

A coyote's keen senses help it survive. With eyes that can spot the smallest movement, ears that can hear the faintest rustle, and legs designed for racing, it's no wonder some coyotes live to be more than 10 years old. These adaptable canines communicate by howling, and those who live in cities even respond to the sirens of fire trucks. This book explores the lives of clever coyotes at work and at play. Did you know coyotes are often spotted at golf courses, cemeteries and parks? Sometimes even in your own backyard! Or that they aren't fussy eaters and will eat practically anything including grass, nuts, insects, skunks, fish, and birds? Did you know coyotes can reach speeds of 65 kilometres an hour? Explore these cunning yet playful creatures in Diane Swanson's latest addition to the Welcome to the World series. Learn about coyote habits, food, and what they do for fun. With colorful photographs and inviting text, children are sure to enjoy discovering the world of coyotes. Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

Genres: Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Diane Swanson grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. When she was a child, she collected rocks, watched insects, went swimming, and ate ice cream cones. She could make paper dolls and play the piano. Diane held pet shows and circuses for the neighborhood children. And to make a little cash she gathered cardboard boxes and sold them to the local grocery stores. She listened to radio programs like The Cisco Kid and played cowboys. Diane also loved to read. The Secret Garden was one of her favorites and she always wrote stuff—all kinds of stuff, especially her own adventures.

Diane’s dog, Sammy, was her ever-present pal. On summer mornings they would walk to a lake and scour the shore for neat-looking rocks. At home, Sammy would sit by the piano as Diane played, pretending that she had discovered a song that could open the door to a secret passage. Diane recalls that about the only thing they didn’t enjoy together were prairie thunderstorms. Sammy would hide, while Diane loved to watch the lightning flash across the sky. She thought it especially great when a hailstorm broke while they were outside. Then she and Sammy would take cover in the garage and send messages along the clothesline to the house: “We’re stranded! Send cookies!”

Now a full-time author, Diane has made a career of writing fun and informative factual books for kids. She credits the astonishing natural world as the inspiration behind her writing. Children have always influenced her approaches to writing: the child she once was, her own two children, and all the children she knows. One tip that Diane would give to young writers is: “Write what really excites you. No matter what your subject is, if you let your excitement shine through your words, you’ll grab your readers’ interest.”

Diane has published over 70 books for children including her latest with Annick Press, Animal Aha! (Spring 2009), about some of the incredible discoveries made about animal bodies and minds. Other books written by Diane include A Crash of Rhinos, A Party of Jays (2006). The Wonder in Water (2005), is a look at just what's in the wet stuff, from the tiniest drop of sweat to the largest ocean. Tunnels! (2003)is the first in the exciting True Stories from the Edge series. While researching these real-life tunnel stories, Diane unearthed the fascinating true story of two families’ daring 1979 escape over the Berlin Wall in a homemade hot-air balloon. That incredible event didn’t fit the underground theme of Tunnels!, but Diane could not let go of the story’s powerful message of triumph over dangerous political folly. The result is her first picture book, The Balloon Sailors (2003), a creative allegorical storybook based on those inspiring true events.

Other Annick Press titles by Diane include The Dentist & You (2002), Turn It Loose: The Scientist in Absolutely Everybody (2004) and Nibbling on Einstein's Brain (Original 2001, Updated 2009), which has recently been updated and newly illustrated. Her work has earned numerous awards, including the B.C. 2000 Award, the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, and the International Youth Library’s White Raven Award. Her work has also been shortlisted for the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the B.C. Book Prize, the Red Cedar Award, the Silver Birch Award, and many more.

She was one of the original members of the Victoria Chapter of PWAC (Periodical Writers Association of Canada), a member of The Canadian Children’s Book Centre, is a member of CANSCAIP, CWILL, and was a volunteer tutor for Project Literacy.

Diane lives in Victoria, B.C., with her husband. When not working on writing projects,she is busy geocaching, ballroom dancing and raising bonsai trees. She also often visits schools and attends conferences.

Reviews

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

READING LEVEL: 4.9 AR POINTS: 0.5

Originally published in 2001.
Welcome to the World of Coyotes by Diane Swanson is the perfect book for children around ages 5-7 and older. My 6 year old grandson needed a little help pronouncing some of the words.

A week ago, late at night, I heard a couple of coyotes howling close by in the woods. We knew they were around because we found a couple of chickens missing with feathers all around. I opened the window and recorded their howling with my iPhone so I could show a few of my young 'outdoorsy' grandsons. They became so intrigued and started asking question after question. So I decided to surprise them with this little book with simple facts about coyotes that they could understand. They loved it.

Sadly, a couple of days ago, we saw one of the coyotes had been hit by a car out on the highway. And here it is spring. I'm sure she or he (they stay together in pairs) most likely has babies in a den somewhere in the woods.

[McKinzie Bark]

This is an informational text about coyotes. It starts off by talking about how coyotes fur varies from one another, how big they are, and how their sense help them hunt. The text then talks about where coyotes live and how they have moved into larger cities. Then the text goes into what they eat and how they hunt for their food. I didn't know this but found it interesting that they play tricks on their prey. They will play dead until a crow comes to check to the "dead" animal and then the coyote will snatch it up quick! The text then discusses how they communicate with each other and their pups. After that it talks about the coyote pups and how the mother, father, and babysitters care for them. I thought it was interesting that they have babysitters when the mother and father need to hunt for food. I found it interesting that coyotes bring smaller animals to their pups when they're young and then gradually increase the size of the meal when they get older, it reminds me of human babies. The last part of the text talks about the coyote pups and how they play with toys just like our own pets. This would be a perfect informational text for third to fifth graders.