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Jump to... Books,
Events
Animals abound throughout the world and are very
interesting creatures. "Cows Sweat Through Their Noses" by Barbara
Seuling is a new book in the children's section and it is filled
with zany facts about animal habits, characteristics and homes.
As the title suggests, cows really do sweat through their
noses, while dogs sweat through footpads.
I had so much fun reading this book and learned all kinds of
fun facts. This is a book you'll want to read yourself and share with a
child. Here's just a sampling of trivia in the book:
Dalmatians are born without spots.
Giraffes are the only animals born with horns.
A yak's milk is pink.
An elephant's hearing is so good it can hear the footsteps
of a mouse.
A shark's skin is covered with tiny scales that can scrape
your skin off just by brushing against it.
Frog bones grow new rings as they age, just as trees do.
Cows give more milk when they listen to music and some show
a preference for Mozart.
Ants have five noses.
If you collect 650 houseflies they won't even weigh as much
as a paperclip.
And my favorite, hummingbirds hitch rides north in the
spring tucked among the feathers of Canada geese. That's truly amazing and I
wonder how that was discovered.
There are many animal books in the collection for both
adults and children. Try some of these:
"Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?" by Stanley Coren answers just
about every question children have about dogs. Did you know they can tell
when a storm is coming and can predict earthquakes? Their noses are a
thousand times more sensitive than ours and they hear things we can't even
imagine.
Animals have adapted to every condition the Earth has and
they live in every type of habitat there is. "Extreme Animals" by Nicola
Davies shows how polar bears stay warm even though it may be 70 degrees
below zero. You'll learn which animal has fur eight times warmer than
sheep's wool and a host of other facts.
What do animal names mean? They may tell you where the
animal is from, what it likes to eat, what it looks like or even what it
sounds like. Think about names such as African elephant, rat snake,
walkingstick, whooping crane and howler monkey. "They Call Me Wooly" by
Keith DuQuette is filled with these facts.
There are many strange-but-true stories of animals. What
about a horse who lives in a house and his owners live next door? Or the
greyhound dog who had to have contact lenses to win a race? And then there
was a cat with a transmitter and antenna implanted in his tail so he could
spy. "A Horse in the House" by Gail Ablow is a collection of newspaper
reports from around the world, all true.
Enter the curious world of animals and their behaviors in
"Headless Males Make Great Lovers" by Martha Crump. The author is a
well-known tropical field biologist and her collection of essays highlights
the unusual conduct of animals. The animal referred to in the title is the
praying mantis who continues to mate after being beheaded. Learn how sponges
engage in free love, sea cucumbers eject their intestines and horned lizards
squirt blood.
"Animals Can Be Almost Human" is an anthology of true animal
stories. Imagine a dolphin who plays tricks on scuba divers, a dog who is a
kleptomaniac and a xylophone-playing seal. Some of these stories will have
you laughing out loud while others will have you near tears. A heartwarming
collection. |