Book Review: Curious Critters & Salamander Dance

My faithful readers know how much I adore my critters in my forest, frog pond and wetland. I was sent these marvellous books for review. I was grandsitting this month, and needed a picture book for bedtime.

I read them two of them to my granddaughter, Isabelle, age 5. Iz wasn't quite ready for sleep. She loved the pictures and went through them on her own.
Salamander Dance and Curious Critters.

These are lovely books, and fit in with our attempts to create curious young botanists in our grandchildren. My daughter, with her M.Sc., has always been a curious person. I've learned a lot from her!

DAVID FITZSIMMONS

What is fun is that his list of 10 can be found in  my blog posts.

• Muskrat Love in the frog pond
• Tree frogs and wood frogs are singing in the wetland
• Cottage Life; Pond life in Perth
• Wetland Warriors
• What a visit it was!
• Grandsitting PD Day April 15th

My faithful readers know that we go and play in the vernal ponds, frog pond, wetland and forest! Salamander Dance illustrates the cycle of a pond and salamanders, very well. It would be a great teaching tool.

Curious Critters has amazing macrophotos of critters photographed in the wild, at education, conservation and rehabilitation centres.

I think he is 'preaching to the choir' amongst many of my retired (teacher) blog buddies, who similarly go out and play in nature just for fun. The photos are amazing, and the artwork is excellent.

Award-Winning Nature Photographer Offers Ten Wonderful Ways to Connect Children and Nature  

Environmental writer and photographer David FitzSimmons is on a mission to connect children with nature. With his naturalist wife and three children of their own—not to mention a job that gets him into the wild frequently—he’s an expert on immersing kids in the natural world. You can view some sample pages here.

1.   Take a walk. 

2.   Birdwatching. 

3.   Visit a nature center. 

4.   Explore a wetland. 

5.   Plant something. 

6.   Visit a park.

7.   Go creek stompin’.

8.   Go geocaching. 

9.   Read a book about nature. 

10. Take pictures of nature and share them! 

So, what are you waiting for? Take your kids outside to explore. And don’t forget to grab a few photos along the way—You’ll treasure how you captured their giant smiles as they got good and dirty and get well-connected with nature.

For more information, visit www.curious-critters.com

About the Author -- DAVID FITZSIMMONS