A Year with the Beavers

A Beaver's Busy Year
by Mary Holland
32 pages; ages 4-8
Arbordale (formerly Sylvan Dell), 2014

Natural historian Mary Holland takes us into the lives of beavers through a year of seasons. We learn about their teeth - and how they use them to gnaw down trees for their building projects. We learn about their special see-through goggly eyes and their strong webbed feet. We see them get ready for winter and emerge with kits in the spring. And we even learn the secrets of how beavers get wood splinters out from between their teeth.

There's plenty of additional material for curious naturalists. Holland includes a section about "beaver signs". Just because you don't see beavers doesn't mean they aren't there, she says. You might find bite marks or tracks or other signs that they've been about. She also has a section about beavers as "habitat engineers" and gives a closer look at how they build their dams. And though some people think of them as pests, beavers play a role as a "keystone species" in an ecosystem.

When not writing books, Mary Holland is out with her camera observing nature. Check out her awesome website, Naturally Curious. And remember to drop by STEM Friday to see what other science books and resources bloggers are sharing. Review copy provided by publisher