4thgradereading

Written by Penelope Arlon and Tory Gordon-Harris

Buy on Amazon

Vivid and detailed close ups of bugs are part of the fascination for this creative look at the life of bugs. This is a great way to observe without having to gather the actual bugs and a good way to desensitize the squeamish. Many of the photos are at least one hundred times as large as the real creature, so the reader comes face to face – literally – with bug after bug. Several collections of many, many bugs within a group highlight the contrasts within the group. The authors first explore classification of invertebrates, the relative populations of those classifications, and the physical attributes of invertebrates. » Read more

By Jennifer Keats Curtis

Buy on Amazon

The animal pictures in this book will win hearts, but the message is the important thing here. Most people try to help animals when they are hurt, but many cause more harm than good. If you find yourself in the company of an animal in need, call in the experts. Wildlife rehabilitators know how to best help hurt or abandoned animals and they can teach others the right way to do it, too. This photo-essay shows animal rehabilitators doing a variety of jobs: feeding orphan babies, helping animals that are trapped or tangled, even performing surgery. They train others to have the skills and knowledge to do the right things to help animals in need. The emphasis is on returning animals to the wild whenever possible, but animals living in zoos or education centers are mentioned. » Read more

Written by Martha S. Campbell

Illustrated by Chad Wallace

Buy on Amazon

When I was in high school, a friend gave me a sticker that said, “Neat people never make the exciting kinds of discoveries I do.”She knew me well. In the book, Hidden in the Midden, author Martha S. Campbell helps readers get to know the real live pack rats of the animal world, too. » Read more

Written by Carolyn Ford

Illustrated by Marnie Webster

Buy on Amazon

Tides, by Carolyn Ford, is a simple, straightforward book about tides—what they are, what causes them, and what happens when all
that water rises and falls each day around the world. With seven pages of main text, the actual information provided is spare. However, Tides would be a good way to introduce readers in the fourth grade or younger to some of the basic concepts having to do with this powerful, important natural phenomenon. Using it as a read-aloud book would allow for discussion of questions about some of the concepts presented. » Read more