Out on the Prairie

Out on the Prairie

By Donna M. Bateman; illus. by Susan Swan

32 pages, ages 4 - 7

Charlesbridge, 2012

Donna Bateman takes readers to Badlands National Park where baby animals and their mothers wallow, run, slither, hop, and scurry from dawn to dusk. From birds to bugs, reptiles to mammals, she shares the secret lives of prairie animals.

“Out on the prairie where the sky is crystal blue, lived a speedy mother pronghorn and her little fawns two.” This is just plain fun to read – and just as fun to sing, if you’re game.

I particularly like Susan Swan’s illustrations – a mix of painted paper and found objects put together in collages. They’re bright and fun to explore… and I just love the expressions on the frog faces!

There’s lots of back matter: ten pages of fauna and flora facts that will make you want to head to the nearest prairie to go check out the wildlife. Bateman dishes out the true lives of howdy owls and coyotes, explains grama grass and gives a good prairie ecology lesson. This is one book you’ll want to tuck in the crate with the field guides if you’re heading anywhere near the Badlands, the Flint Hills or anywhere that tall grass grows and buffalo roam.

 

 This is part of the Nonfiction Monday round-up. Check out other great nonfiction resources today at Apples With Many Seeds. Review copy provided by the publisher.