Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals Are Big and Little Animals Are Little (Animal Science) - Hardcover

Davies, Nicola

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763639249 ISBN 13: 9780763639242

Publisher: Candlewick, 2009

Synopsis

From a celebrated team comes a fascinating look at why we don’t have super powers (alas) — and why size matters, for creatures big and small.

Did you ever wonder why there are no high-fl ying, wall-climbing, tall-building-leaping superheroes in real life? Find out what keeps big animals (like us) from engaging in astonishing feats of strength and agility, and yet why being tiny and all-powerful might have a downside. What if you could lift fi fty times your weight (hello, ant), but getting wet could kill you? Or you could soar like a bird, but a cold breeze would do you in? Whether big or small, our size defi nes more about us than we could ever imagine. Join the duo that brought us POOP, EXTREME ANIMALS, and WHAT'S EATING YOU? for a fun and intriguing exploration of what it means to be just the right size.

About this title

About the Author:

Nicola Davies has written many award-winning books for children, including POOP, EXTREME ANIMALS, and WHAT'S EATING YOU?, as well as BIG BLUE WHALE, ONE TINY TURTLE, SURPRISING SHARKS, and BAT LOVES THE NIGHT. She lives in Somerset, England.

Neal Layton is the illustrator of POOP, EXTERME ANIMALS, and WHAT'S EATING YOU? He lives in Portsmouth, England.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4–8—This unique title uses geometry to discuss the varying strengths and capabilities of different animals. In a chatty tone, Davies starts off by describing the strict rules that control what bodies can and cannot do. She goes on to explain how the strongest animals are much smaller than humans. "Some important features of bodies—like how much food and air they need—depend on volume and weight. Others—like the strength of muscles—depend on cross section or surface area." This is the basis for the BTLT (Big Thing, Little Thing) Rule: "If you DOUBLE the length of something, its surface area and cross section go up FOUR times, while its volume and weight go up EIGHT times!" BTLT is used throughout to explain why humans cannot fly, yet Arctic terns can travel 20,000 miles every year from pole to pole and back again. Humans cannot lift buses, but the rhinoceros beetle can lift 850 times its own weight. The author uses clear language and engaging examples throughout. Cartoon illustrations add humor and clarity to the book. A handy introduction to animal sizes.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
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About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0763639249
• ISBN 13: 9780763639242
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Layton Neal