Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move (National Geographic Kids)($17.95Value)

Description

Great herds of zebra thundering across the African plain…fragile butterflies traveling unbelievable distances…family groups of whales coursing through the waves. Many kinds of animals make annual migrations, and their stories reveal incredible strength and will to survive. These treks are magnificently documented in Great Migrations, the children’s illustrated companion to the upcoming 7-hour National Geographic television special of the same name. Created for the huge audience of young animal lovers—and for the nation’s schools, where migration is taught as part of the core curriculum—this book spotlights wild creatures of highest interest to children. Action-filled photo spreads deliver immense "wow" appeal as animals vault over obstacles and escape the clutches of predators. Info-graphic spreads pack in the fascinating facts, with at-a-glance information on where, why, and how animals migrate. Throughout the coverage, this timely book addresses the effect of climate change on animal migration—a story that is just now reaching the public, from scientists and other experts who have witnessed alarming trends. From Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move Click on the photos below to open larger images. When wildebeests are on the move, the ground trembles beneath millions of pounding hooves. The animals travel in a rough circle across huge areas of Kenya and Tanzania, a region called the Serengeti. As plant eaters, they have to stay on the move to find a steady supply of greens. (Anup & Manuj Shah) Some 10 million golden of migrating jellyfish transform a Jellyfish Lake into a magical world of bobbing orbs as they follow the sun during their daily migration ritual. (National Geographic Television) Monarch butterflies take flight for the longest insect migration in the world. The delicate butterflies cannot survive cold winter temperatures, so in the fall they head south to spend the winter in Mexico. A single butterfly travels an average of 50 to 100 miles a day. (Stephanie Atlas) With giant hooked jaws, swarms of army ants rule the rain forest, feeding on anything in their path. They must travel daily in order to find enough food. In relation to the army ant’s size, each of its nightly migrations is equal to a human running a marathon. (Mark Moffett/Minden Pictures) An official companion book to the Great Migrations television series on the National Geographic channel, this colorful book offers excellent photos of eight migrating animals: Mali elephants, red crabs, monarch butterflies, golden jellyfish, zebras, army ants, wildebeests, and sperm whales. On the double-page spreads carrying information, some sentences are printed in standard paragraph form, while others are singled out and printed in uppercase letters, and sometimes in a form more vertical than horizontal. Within those sentences, some words and phrases are further emphasized with the use of still larger type in different colors. Although these visual elements give the pages a dynamic look, they detract from the experience of actually reading the text and absorbing the content. Still, the writing style is often lively, the maps are excellent, and the photos are exceptionally clear and vibrant. Readers enthralled by the TV series may want to have a look. Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan “In the official companion to the fall TV special, zebras throng the East African plains, sharks slice through the waters off Baja California, and king penguins totter across islands of the Southern Ocean. The photos are rendered in instantly recognizable National Geographic style, vivid and clear.” –EW.com ( Entertainment Weekly )   “Great Migrations tackles everything from ants to elephants, and even sea life—including Earth’s largest fish, the whale shark. The movement and images of all of these creatures is no less than breathtaking, and writer K.M. Kostyal brings all of the images into perspective with excellent accompanying text.” – BookPage   “Brings nature to life with a visual and emotional wallop…a wondrous new jaw-dropper… movingly beautiful…” – The Washington Post   “…details, with amazing photos, the astonishing distances covered and dangers faced by creatures ranging from monarch butterflies to sperm whales.” – San Antonio Express-News   “Author K. M. Kostyal keys on the internal and external forces behind these journeys, which sometimes sends two species into a choreographed collision.” – Access Atlanta Elizabeth Carney is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York. She specializes in nonfiction children's books and science, math, and STEM-related magazines. Her author credits include Everything Big Cats ; Everything Dolphins ; Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move ; and several titles in the National Geographic Face to Face and Readers series.