Wild Discoveries: Wacky New Animals
Written by Heather L. Montgomery
Wild Discoveries: Wacky New Animals, written by Heather L. Montgomery, is one of the best science books I have ever read that offers budding scientists and animal lovers at the fourth grade reading level a look at a topic that is not often discussed: wacky new animals! Did you know that scientists have identified almost one million different animals on earth and that there may be as many as six million animals still waiting to be discovered?
Discoveries are happening every day at the rate of two per hour. In Wacky Animals Montgomery reveals those discoveries from a wide range of habitats such as: rain forests, oceans, islands, mountains, as well as wacky places such as a truck stop, a toxic-waste dump, and even a New York City park! Scientists are not the only ones making discoveries. Kids can find new species, too! Who knows? Maybe you will be the next person to discover a new species.
Montgomery weaves in fun facts, as well as colorful photos on every spread that are sure to appeal to kids at the 4th grade reading level. She begins with a concise Discovery 101 lesson to ground budding scientists on some key facts and terminology and then highlights how new discoveries are named. She groups a collection of recent animal discoveries by habitat and has also thrown in a couple of new non-animal discoveries because they were simply too cool to leave out. On each animal spread she provides the “scientific name” and the species’ “role in nature”. She closes with information on how kids can become active in making new discoveries, as well as an easy to read glossary.
Kids are sure to love this book and Montgomery’s approach in making the information lively and engaging. Be sure to include this in your library of books.
Title: Wild Discoveries: Wacky New Animals- Author: Heather L. Montgomery
- Illustrator: Assortment of photo credits from various photographers
- Publisher: Scholastic
- Reviewer: Annemarie O’Brien
- Paperback: 64 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-545-47767-3
- Genre: Science, nonfiction
- Lexile Score: IG840
