Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home

By Carol A. Amato

Book Overview

Get to know the amazing creatures right outside your door

What do toads like to eat? Why do crickets sing? Why does a firefly glow? If you've ever longed to know more about the habits of the animals and insects that live in your backyard, here's the book you've been waiting for With Backyard Pets, you'll find out how to catch and care for lots of different, easy-to-find critters, from terrific toads to slithering slugs. You'll perform all sorts of investigations and activities, including discovering how snails eat and how caterpillars protect themselves, before you return your newly found pets safely to their natural home. And you'll even find out how to attract birds and butterflies to homemade feeders and gardens so that you can observe them every day as they go about their amazing lives.

As you take care of your pets, you'll learn how to interpret fireflies' signals; how to entice worms from their burrows with sound; and how to make birdfeeders, hummingbird gardens, and toad abodes. Along the way, you'll discover lots of fascinating facts about the lives of these clever critters-from what their favorite foods are to how they see, hear, and move, and even how they help the environment.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471416932
• ISBN13: 9780471416937
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.5" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

My favorite backyard nature study book

I just LOVE this book. This is a book I found at my local library and wanted for my own. Section 1: Bringing Backyard Pets Home 1. snails and slugs 2. toads 3. worms 4. crickets 5. caterpillars 6. fireflies Each chapter includes information about the animal, how to keep it in your home, investigations (like little experiments you can do) and activities. Section 2: Attracting Wildlife to Your Backyard 1. Bird Feeding and Housing 2. Hummingbirds 3. Butterfly Gardening