Flying Frogs and Walking Fish: Leaping Lemurs, Tumbling Toads, Jet-Propelled Jellyfish, and More Surprising Ways That Animals Move

A survey of animals who employ some unusual forms of transportation like walking on fins, hopping amazing lengths, being secret swimmers or unusual climbers, gliding through the air, rolling around, or using jet propulsion in water.A fascinating book including animals both well-known and rarely seen. All of them employ some unique transportation method, it may just be something they do occasionally or it may be their primary transportation method. The book is organized by transportation type. There's a walking spread, hopping spread, swimming spread, climbing spread, flying/gliding spread, rolling spread, and propulsion spread. Each animal gets one of Jenkin's signature collage illustrations and a few sentences describing their unique actions and when they use it. In the back of the book is further information on every animal featured, including habitat and normal diet. It's very well done with just the right amount of text to inform but not overwhelm or bore. Hand this one to curious kids, reluctant nonfiction readers, or those who need ideas for an animal report. It would also make a good nonfiction read aloud.

Summary: The Jenkins-Page team takes on animal movement, asking if you’ve ever seen a walking octopus or a swimming elephant. After the page on the walking octopus, for example, comes a two-page spread of several other animals that walk in some unusual way. The illustrations are done in Jenkins’ inimitable cut-paper style with amazing details. The last two pages include thumbnail pictures of all the animals with a few sentences of additional information for each. 40 pages; ages 4-7.Pros: This award-winning team just keeps cranking out beautifully-illustrated, engaging science picture books. Kids will love browsing through the pictures and descriptions, or listening to the book as a fun read-aloud.Cons: The format is nothing new, similar to other Jenkins books like What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and How Many Ways Can You Catch a Fly?

Great for interactive read aloud that expands students' vocabulary. Animals that "walk" also tiptoe, waddle, stroll, and march. Animals that "jump" also pounce, spring, rocket, bound straight up, vault, flutter, burst. And more. So much potential fun and learning. The kind of book kids will want to hear read again and again. For older students this might launch research or serve as a mentor text for writing.