Lifetimes (Sharing Nature With Children Book) - Hardcover

Rice, David L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1883220580 ISBN 13: 9781883220587

Publisher: Dawn Pubns, 1997

Synopsis

Demonstrates the difference in lifespan of various plants and animals

About this title

About the Author

When David Rice was seven years old, he observed a small dog trying to wake its mother which had been killed by a passing car. As he watched the grieving puppy's vain attempts, he was struck by the depth of sadness and pain. David's lifelong interest in feelings - both animal and human - comes through in his books, Do Animals Have Feelings Too?, Lifetimes and Because Brian Hugged His Mother. Lifetimes introduces some of nature's longest, shortest and most unusual lifetimes and the lessons we can learn from them. Because Brian Hugged His Mother shows how a chain reaction of kindness can spread through a whole school and community as a result of a single hug. David Rice is retired elementary and special education teacher, currently residing in southern California.

Michael S. Maydak is a professional artist whose love for wildlife provides the inspiration for his artwork. He has illustrated three books for Dawn Publications: A Drop Around the World, Lifetimes, and Salmon Stream (Spring 2001). He is a resident of Cool, California.

Reviews

Grade 1-3?While this book's concept is a good one, its execution is not entirely successful. Rice presents a selection of plants and animals, arranged according to longevity, in order to give children a perspective of each living thing's place and importance in the web of life. The author begins with a mayfly, which lives about one day, and continues chronologically through a saguaro cactus, which lives about 100 years, before branching out into lifetimes that are uncertain (a banyon [sic] tree) and astronomical (the Earth is now thought to be four and a half billion years old). The text is preachy and didactic, the layout is often distracting, and the illustrations are inconsistent in quality. There is a running white band across the bottom of every page with three chimps, one holding a banana, one covering his ears, and one reading a book. The first signals a sharing activity readers that may engage in, the second a question to ponder, and the third a research question. This device totally detracts from both the information and artwork in the body of the text.?Megan McGuire, Lake View Elementary School, Madison, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Old age is relative, depending on one's life span; a mayfly whose lifetime lasts one day reaches geezerhood by the time the sun sets. Rice allows readers to compare Earth's residents by their life lines, from the short-lived mayfly to the 2,000-year- old sequoia tree. Included also are the time spans of the Earth, the sun, and the universe--cosmic references that dwarf human life spans. Every page includes brief information about the life form profiled set against a realistic, full-color painting. Notes at the bottom of each page--``Tell about It,'' Think about It,'' and ``Look it Up''--provide dogmatic suggestions for readers to follow for further information. More intrusive are rationales for each creature's existence, e.g., ``Army ants show us that if everyone works together, we can do almost anything.'' The author's attempt to show the relevance of every species in strictly human terms often leads to sentimental statements or morals (``Venus flytraps remind us that things are not always as good as they first seem to be'') and limit the otherwise provocative and useful facts about lifetimes. (Nonfiction. 5-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 3-6. Clearly designed for classroom use, this colorful book focuses on individual animals, plants, and astronomical bodies. Each page or two introduces a new subject, tells its life span, discusses its characteristics, defines what it "teaches" us, and suggests related ideas for readers to tell about, think about, and look up. For instance, elephants live about 65 years, weep when "very, very sad," and "remind us to be kind and gentle, especially to those who are not as big or smart as we are." Children are encouraged to tell about another animal they have seen showing emotion, think about how an insect or lizard feels when kept in a jar, or, on a more prosaic note, look up the differences between African and Indian elephants. The emphasis on learning lessons from nature may strike some as too values-based, but others will respond warmly to Rice's approach. Michael S. Maydak's handsome paintings add to the book's appeal. Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Dawn Pubns
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1883220580
• ISBN 13: 9781883220587
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Maydak Michael S.
• Number of pages: 32