Lifetimes (Sharing Nature With Children Book) - Softcover

Rice, David L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1883220599 ISBN 13: 9781883220594

Publisher: Dawn Publications, 1997

Synopsis

A book to help readers appreciate nature and consider the fundamentals of life. By learning and thinking about the life cycle of a variety of animals on earth, children begin to see our planet and it's creatures as one and develop a personal connection to it.

Beginning with "A lifetime for a mayfly is about one day," it presents 24 "lifetimes" such as that of an earthworm (about six years), a giant sequoia (about 2,000 years), a bacteria ("well, that depends"), a dinosaur ("never again") and the universe (about 15 to 20 billion years). Each example comes with detailed illustrations and something to ponder, such as, for earthworms, "Worms teach us that our work can be very important, even if it can't be seen." Each plant or animal is practically a lesson plan in itself, with "tell about it," "think about it," and "look it up" challenges. Written by a retired teacher, this is a favorite book for children and teachers alike.

Perfect for anyone looking for books:

to use as homeschool materials.

that make learning fun.

to help discussions of life and death.

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.

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dawn Publications
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1883220599
• ISBN 13: 9781883220594
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32