NEW LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS FOR MEMBERS' LENDING
April -- 2001

California Academy of Sciences Library

Books
Children's Books
Multimedia & Audio/Visual
Curriculum Guides

BOOKS

Pub. QL683 .W4 Z55 2000
Birding in the American West: A Handbook / Kevin J. Zimmer. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000
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Not intended as a field guide, this book is meant to be a companion handbook to aid in finding and identifying birds. This book provides birders with general concepts to develop good bird-finding, and a more in-depth examination of microhabitats and hard-to-identify species. In essence, this book spends time doing what field guides don't have room for. By far the largest portion of the book, along with chapters called Techniques of Finding Birds and Techniques of Identifying Birds, is Difficult Identifications: Beyond the Field Guide.
The volume includes black and white photographs, illustrations, an appendix listing birds mentioned in the text, a bibliography, and an index.

Pub. GV838.673 .T5 S77 2000
Diving & Snorkeling Thailand / Mark Strickland and John Williams. Melbourne, Australia; Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 2000
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Lonely Planet has done it again! If you're planning a trip to Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), or the Andaman Sea for some quality dive or snorkel time, this is the book for you. Along with overviews of the area, including detailed maps, learn about practicalities like language, climate, getting there and traveling while in the country, what to bring, and activities and attractions. Along with the general information, the book provides very detailed information of the dive and snorkel sites, many with maps, along with the experience levels necessary to enjoy your time at the location. Helpful icons give information at a glance, with textual information to provide greater detail.
Color photographs abound, including marine life you're likely to encounter and hazardous marine life. Other resources, like recompression facilities, dive operators, and more are also provided.

Pub. F1246 .M253 2001
Journey with a Baja Burro / Graham Mackintosh. San Diego, CA: Sunbelt Publications, 2001
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"He was the best of burros; he was the worst of burros!" Thus starts this entertaining account of a man, a landscape, and a burro. This book follows the author and his pack burro, Misión, on a 6 month journey of over 1000 miles through Baja California. Along the way you meet the people who live in the area now, learn about the history and natural history of the area, and enjoy the author's encounters with the world around him.
Color photographs, a map of the journey, and bibliography are also included.

Pub. F786 .D37 2000
The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore / David Dary. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.

With the help of diaries, journals, business reports, newspapers, and more, travel back in time to the days of the Santa Fe Trail and learn the fascinating history of this integral portion of American history. Photographs, illustrations, and other non-text elements help to bring the chronologically told history to life.
The volume contains notes by chapter, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.

Biodiv. QL638.9 .S67 1989
Sharks in Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book / Victor G. Springer and Joy P. Gold. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1989.

If you have a question about sharks, look no further! This book contains answers to the most frequently asked questions about sharks, and some answers to questions you didn't even know to ask! One of the best features of the book is that each section and question contain references that can provide further information.
The book contains a glossary, bibliography, and an index.

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CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Pub. Juv QL452.2 .G72 1967
Be Nice to Spiders / Margaret Bloy Graham. New York: New York: Harper & Row, [1967]
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When Billy moved to a new apartment, he couldn't keep his pet, Helen. Instead, he drops the spider off at the Zoo. Soon, all of the animals love Helen because she keeps the flies away by catching them in her web. But what happens when the Keeper cleans the cages because the Mayor is coming to visit? Read the book and find out if Helen gets to keep living at the Zoo.

Pub. Juv QL467.2 .H53 1990
Bug Wise / Pamela M. Hickman. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1990.

Written for children between the ages of 7 and 12, this book contains thirty activities about insects and arachnids. Learn how to tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth, create your own terrarium, and create your own ant farm. Each activity includes the items that you'll need, clear instructions, and helpful illustrations.

Pub. AV&M QL125 .H64 1998
Coral Reef / Andrea Holden-Boone with photographs by Mark Blum. New York: Sommerville House, c1998
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This fun book teaches you about coral reefs and the animals that live in them, but also includes a 3-D viewer and cards made with stereo photography to produce a 3-D effect! The book spends time explaining the different kinds of corals, the interdependence of species in the coral reef, and the variety of kinds of animals you can find, including worms, mollusks, and fish.
The book also explains the concepts and techniques behind stereo photography and includes a glossary. Because the book includes cards and a separate viewer, it will not be placed with the general children's books in the Library. Please ask a librarian for help.

Pub. Juv QL668 .E227 .S29 2001
Dig, Wait, Listen: A Desert Toad's Tale / April Pulley Sayre. Greenwillow Books, 2001.

Why does the spadefoot toad wait for months in a burrow in the desert? Why, it's waiting for rain! As it waits, it hears the sounds of other animals in the desert: the kangaroo rat, the peccary, and the rattlesnake all make appearances about the burrow. Once the rain comes, the toad comes out, mates with another toad, lays eggs, the eggs hatch, and, eventually, the hatchlings burrow into the ground to await more rain.
This charming book features fabulous illustrations and fun sounds that children will like to make along with you during a reading. It also includes descriptions of the other animals in the book, and more scientific information on the spadefoot toad.

Pub. Juv PZ7 .W68313 Ear 1994
Earthlets: As Explained by Professor Zargle / Jeanne Willis. New York: Penguin Books, 1994
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If an alien from outer space wanted to learn about you in class from his teacher, what would the teacher say? I think we might look as funny to aliens as they would to us! This book lets you read Professor Xargle's lecture as he talks about Earthlets, young humans with only four tentacles with graspers on each end.

Pub. Juv QL49 .C369 1999
From Head to Toe / Eric Carle. [New York]: HarperFestival, 1999.

How are you like all your favorite animals? Can you bend your neck like a giraffe can? Are you like a gorilla, cat, or donkey? How is a parrot like you?

Pub. Juv QL666 .O6 J598 1993
The Girl Who Wore Snakes / Eric Carle. [New York]: Orchard Books, 1993.

Ali love snakes, but her parents, her friends, and her teacher don't like them. Where does she come by this love of snakes? Is there anyone in the family who likes snakes like Ali does?

Pub. Juv QH26 .A84 2000
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists / Jeanne Atkins. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 2000.

What do you do when see a spider? Do you run the other way or pick it up to examine it? If you're one of the six women profiled in this book, you definitely wouldn't run the other way, unless it was to get your magnifying glass! This book presents the life stories of six women who became award winning scientists and naturalists. The women include Maria Sibylla Merian, who sailed from Europe to South America in 1699 to find out about beetles and other insects, Frances Hamerstrom, a field biologist in the American midwest, and Jane Goodall, who still studies chimapnzees in Africa to this very day.
A list of resources is included, along with illustrations.

Pub. Juv QH528.5 .R53 1997
Lifetimes / David L. Rice. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1997.

How long is a Lifetime? It all depends on who and what you are! If you're a mayfly, it's about one day. If you're a giant sequoia, it could be 2000 years! A little information is given about the profiled lives, and questions you might want to ask are included. Some of the questions might include activities that you can do or questions to ask your parents.

Biodiv. Juv QH541.5 .M65 C66 1992
Mountains / Alan Collinson. New: Dillon Press, 1992.

What exactly is a mountain? Where can you find them, and what lives in them? These questions and more are answered in this book. Great color photographs and entertaining and educational text fill this volume, which also contains an index.

Pub. AV&M QL755.5 .H64 1998
Night Creatures / Andrea Holden-Boone with photographs by Simon M. Bell. New York: Sommerville House, c1998
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Another book in the same vein as Coral Reef, this book contains information and 3-D cards about creatures who are most active at night. Why are some animals active at night? How do they see at night in the dark? What about animals who never see the sun? You can find out the answers to these questions, as well as other answers, in this neat book.
The book also explains the concepts and techniques behind stereo photography and includes a glossary.
Because the book includes cards and a separate viewer, it will not be placed with the general children's books in the Library. Please ask a librarian for help.

Pub. Juv PZ8.3 .S8585 Ro 2001
Rock Steady: A Story of Noah's Ark / Sting. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

A retelling of the story of Noah's ark through the lyrics for Sting's song Rock Steady, this book follows the traditional story.

Pub. Juv QH541.5 .S3 B35 1998
This is the Sea that Feeds Us / Robert F. Baldwin. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1998.

Following the same kind of recipe as The House that Jack Built, this book repeats itself in the way that children love to follow along with. From tiny phytoplankton eaten by shrimp, to a fish caught for dinner with shrimp as bait, this book follows the food chain of the ocean, including humans. Many of the species are profiled outside the story, and children will enjoy the beautiful illustrations.

Pub. Juv GN380 .K76 1998
With Love to Earth's Endangered Peoples / Virginia Kroll. Nevada City, CA: Dawn Publications, 1998.

Animals and plants aren't the only things that can be endangered. Many groups of poeple around the world are also endangered, and this book brings your attention to some of them. Not only does the book cleverly talk about the way of life of an endangered people, it also identifies where they live, and, in many cases, the ways that they interact with their environment.

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MULTIMEDIA/AUDIO VISUAL

Pub. AV&M QL49 .A48 1999 v.5
Animal Safari: A Learning Journey - Tongues, Tails, and Scales / Fallbrook, CA: Coyote Creek Productions, 2000.

This 51 minute video about reptiles is geared to elementary school children. Pacific Animal Productions, a private zoo in Southern California, brings animals to kids for educational purposes. This episode features reptiles from around the world.
Turtles, alligators and crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and tuataras are all discussed during the episode. Information is given for many species and includes what makes all reptiles alike. A bearded dragon, box turtle, North American alligator, Brazilian rainbow boa, and other animals make appearances and the children interact with the reptiles. What the animals eat, where they live, and interesting things about them are presented in an entertaining and educational format.

Biodiv QL737 .C4n I57 1997
In the Company of Whales: Gentle Giants of the Watery Realm /
Bethesda, MD: Discovery Channel, c1997.
In 90 minutes this video takes a viewer to 15 different worldwide locations to view right whales, humpback whales, sperm whales, and more. In Patagonia, Alaska, and other locations, Dr. Roger Payne has spent his life working with and for whales. He takes us back to some of the places he has worked, describes his life with whales and why he loves them, and, along the way, provides fascinating detail into the lives of a variety of species.
The underwater photography is beautiful and Jessica Tandy's narration provides a lovely touch. May close-encounters with whales are captured in the video, along with turn-of-the-century whaling footage, Greenpeace activism, and more.

Pub. AV&M QK86 .U6 S87 1997
Survivors of the Soil: Rare Plants of the Ione Chaparral /
[California?: s.n., between 1997 and 2000].
12 minutes isn't a great deal of time, but in 12 minutes this video describes the wondrous plants that call the Ione chaparral home. The habitat is located in western Amador County in California, and it's unique soil has created an exceptionally unique environment with plants that grow no where else on the planet.
The video particularly mentions Ione Manzanita, Ione buckwheat, and Irish Hill buckwheat. All of the plants, and the habitat, are in danger. Mining, off-roading, development, and other human intervention could easily wipe out these rare plants. While organizations are doing what they can, more needs to be done.

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CURRICULUM

Pub. QE714.7 .F67 1990z
Fossil Treasure Box: For Elementary School Teachers / San Francisco, CA: California Academy of Sciences, 1990z.

This fantastic resource for teachers is a must for any classroom unit on fossils. The kit contains casts of actual fossils, a classroom activities guide with activities for kids from kindergarten through grade 6, and a chart that covers 60 million years of life on Earth.

Pub. QL638 .S2 H37 1990z
A Salmon Homecoming Story-Based Curriculum for Primary Envrionmental Education / Seattle, WA: The Tribal Communities of the Pacific Northwest, The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, The Seattle Aquarium, 1990z.

Designed for children in the primary grades, this curriculum guide includes educational stories about salmon told from a Native American point of view. Exercises supplement the stories.

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All of the materials above are available for check-out to Academy members.

This page will not be complete until the end of April. Please check back for more materials and reviews.


 

 

 

 

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Last update: April 26, 2001.