Who can resist a great story about an animal? Whether imaginary, prehistoric or the more familiar four-legged variety, animals have a perennial appeal to children and adults alike.
In addition to being fun and engaging, stories about animals can provide young readers with the opportunity to connect reading with the world around them.
As legend has it, the Sasquatch is a manlike woodland creature that lives in North America. In Search of Sasquatch (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99, age 9 and up) by Kelly Milner Halls, compiles the history of Sasquatch folklore.
With a straightforward text, sketches and photographs, Ms. Halls new book chronicles both the lore and the (often suspect) scientific proof of the creatures existence.
According to the experts at the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (yes, there really is such an organization) there have been 93 official Sasquatch sightings in Pennsylvania alone. Evidence for the existence of this creature is spotty at best, but this book might make a Bigfoot believer out of you — or at least offer some off-beat entertainment.
Some of the tips given for tracking a Bigfoot are looking for giant footprints and broken branches that have been turned upward. So consider taking a walk in the woods to look for clues. Who knows, during a stroll in Frick Park, you might witness the 94th official sighting.
While mammoths might seem like imaginary beasts, they are in fact extinct relatives of the elephant. Baby Mammoth Mummy: Frozen in Time: A Prehistoric Animals Journey into the 21st Century (National Geographic Kids, $17.95, age 8 and up) by Christopher Sloan, details the amazing discovery of a completely intact baby mammoth in Siberia.
Baby Lyuba was uncovered on a river bank where she was mummified in mud for 42,000 years. Mr. Sloans book provides an in-depth look at the process scientists used to free her and their reactions to their discovery.
Paleontologist Daniel Fisher, for example, is quoted as saying, Oh my goodness, shes perfect — even her eyelashes are there. It looks like she just drifted off to sleep. Suddenly, what Id been struggling to visualize for so long was lying right there for me to touch.
Tags: Animals