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Where Else in the Wild?: More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed. . .and Revealed by David M. Schwartz (15-Sep-2009) Hardcover
Ten creatures await, camouflaged in artful, full-page photographs, while playful poems offer clues about each animal's identity and whereabouts. Think you've spotted one? Lift one of ten gatefolds to find out. A full page of fascinating information accompanies each animal so readers can learn how nature's camouflage serves hunter and hunted alike. Why do fawns have spots during their first year of life? How did killdeer birds get their name? What makes a crab spider so good at ambushing its prey? Naturalist notes provided on each species. Teachers Guide available at www.tricyclepress.com.Awards2008 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Book and Films Prize for Excellence in Science Books2008 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12-National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children'¬?s Book Council (CBC)Cybils Award FinalistReviewsThe New York Times Book Review 4/13/08Booklist Editor'¬?s Choice, 2007"Lasting Connections of 2007" annual roundup of the year'¬?s best books to tie into curriculum-Book Links Download the Guide for Educators
Unknown Binding
First published September 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
David M. Schwartz
86 books28 followers As a child, I was filled with a sense of awe as I contemplated the universe. The huge numbers of stars and their sizes and distances never failed to amaze me. With binoculars and magnifying glass, I also focused on closer subjects like birds, flowers, frogs and bugs.
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
But science and math weren't my only fascinations: I also loved bicycles, baseball, boats…and ice cream. Years later, on a clear spring night, I looked up at the sky and a shower of memories descended. I suddenly remembered my childhood awe at the wonders of space.
That night I was inspired to write my first book, How Much Is a Million? Now, almost 50 books later, I spend much of my time finding unusual, whimsical ways to make math and science come alive for kids and teachers, both through my writing, and through speaking at schools and conferences. I also write science articles for magazines, especially Smithsonian, and to do the research I've made exciting trips to some of the more remote corners of several continents. I've been to Africa to study hippos, to South America to visit an indigenous tribe living in the rain forest, and to far northern Scotland to track illegal egg collectors. But I still love the land outside my door in northern California, and the same distant stars that inspired me years ago.
from http://www.davidschwartz.com/about_da...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
March 25, 2019
Very nice photographs that demonstrate how some very interesting animals and creatures can camouflage themselves in order to survive.
The whole book is like a game that challenges the children to find the hidden animals. And then their story is told.
The creatures/animals/incects/fishes that are included in the book are:
-Coyote
-Graytree frog
-Fawns
-Weasel
-Moth
-Killdeer egg
-Crab spider
-Flounder
-Green snake
-Red spotted Newt
The whole book is like a game that challenges the children to find the hidden animals. And then their story is told.
The creatures/animals/incects/fishes that are included in the book are:
-Coyote
-Graytree frog
-Fawns
-Weasel
-Moth
-Killdeer egg
-Crab spider
-Flounder
-Green snake
-Red spotted Newt
March 14, 2017
The informational text "Where in the Wild?" by David M. Schwartz would be perfect for fourth or fifth grade classrooms. Not only is this book informative, but it is a fascinating read. Poems on the left page give readers an idea of what organism, whether it is an animal or an insect, that they may be looking for and then provides a brief description for why the creature needs to be hidden. The images clearly represent camouflaged organisms by showing the organisms how they look in nature and then spotlighting its location. There are facts about the organism that explain why each animal/insect/egg needs to be camouflaged. There are several different opportunities to use this book that would benefit the students. One example is during a habitat unit in science when students are learning about the different habitats that organisms live in. Another example of a time that this would be relevant is during the food chain unit. I would use this book to explain that prey need to hide from predators by using camouflage. This book was a WOW book for me because I was entertained the entire time, which kept me motivated to continue reading. It had the perfect combination of poetry, images and factual text.
November 13, 2019
Where in the Wild is on my favorites shelf because it is an unlikely combination of poetry and informational text that children will find intriguing. Each section is dedicated to a different type of poem that then describes a creature hidden within the adjacent picture in its natural habitat. Children are challenged to figure out which animal the poem is referring to using text cues as well as pick out that animal in the adjacent picture. To reveal what the animal is and where it is hiding, the picture flap can be opened exposing the animal and its hiding place as well as informational text regarding the animal. Many grade levels and reading levels can enjoy this book ranging from kindergarten to 3rd grade. Some poems are simpler than other making different sections more realistic for emergent readers, but all students can engage with finding the animals in their natural habitat as well as learning more about each animal. The combination of poetry with photography and informational text help to make it more accessible and interesting to students as well as encourages them to truly engage with the poetry to help figure out what animal they are looking for.
In a reading classroom, I would use this book to encourage children to engage with poetry and poetry comprehension. The challenge of figuring out what the animal is as well as finding it in the picture will encourage children to listen to and make sense of the poetry. Word choice, figurative language, and the structure of the poem can all be used as clues as to what is hidden in the picture. Ultimately, the reward is not just making sense of a poem, but getting to build one’s knowledge of animals and nature as well. Additionally, the nonfiction sections supply wonderful vocabulary words that will help enhance students’ basic as well as science content vocabulary.
In a reading classroom, I would use this book to encourage children to engage with poetry and poetry comprehension. The challenge of figuring out what the animal is as well as finding it in the picture will encourage children to listen to and make sense of the poetry. Word choice, figurative language, and the structure of the poem can all be used as clues as to what is hidden in the picture. Ultimately, the reward is not just making sense of a poem, but getting to build one’s knowledge of animals and nature as well. Additionally, the nonfiction sections supply wonderful vocabulary words that will help enhance students’ basic as well as science content vocabulary.
June 4, 2018
The photographs in this book are absolutely beautiful. Together, they give a very complete picture of animal camouflage, across several different types of animals. My only criticism of this book is that it tries to do too much. It wants to be both a nonfiction book on animal camouflage and a collection of whimsical animal poems. The intended result is for the poems to support the informative text by giving you clues to what animal is hidden in the picture. Personally, though, I felt like I was reading two different books at the same time--and that those two books were perpetually getting in one another's way. As a piece of nonfiction, this book is engaging, skillfully photographed, and well thought out. Without the poetry, it would have been one of my favorite books of the year. But the poetry is there, and it frankly isn't good poetry. It's not blindingly bad: it's the same brand of cutesy doggerel that you find in most poetry books by mediocre children's writers. For me, though, it dragged down a book that otherwise would have been truly remarkable.
February 12, 2018
Coming from a guy who finds nature fascinating (myself) I found this book a very fun read. This book is informative, and with an interesting approach of explanation by using the poems made it sort of like a game/scavenger hunt. Offers multiple lessons to children about nature, and the crazy stuff that animals can do
November 20, 2018
Poetry and Non-Fiction
Grades K-5
Whether this book is read aloud or the students read it individually, a unique feature of this book is the mystery behind each poem. Students will love trying to figure out which animal the author is talking about from each poem. Better yet, the students can search and find in the picture to see if they are correct!
Date Completed: October 29
Grades K-5
Whether this book is read aloud or the students read it individually, a unique feature of this book is the mystery behind each poem. Students will love trying to figure out which animal the author is talking about from each poem. Better yet, the students can search and find in the picture to see if they are correct!
Date Completed: October 29
August 11, 2021
Poems and pictures of camouflaged animals encourage readers to try to guess what and where the creature is before revealing the answer on the fold-out page. A clever, informative book which my four-year-old enjoyed!
June 23, 2021
This is a fun look and find book. Probably most appropriate for kids 4-7, who really like to learn about different creatures in nature.
August 19, 2024
Age range is all over the place. A seek-and-find book with interesting photos, but between the graphic descriptions of carnivorism and the bad poetry…Skip this.
July 24, 2012
4 stars
My biggest pet peeve in non-fiction books is inaccurate facts. I would have rated this book 5 stars if it hadn't been exactly that - a misleading fact. "Coyotes, bobcats, and other members of the dog and cat families only see in black-and-white." I immediately had to check online to see if this were true because of a vague memory of hearing this myth debunked. While I didn't find enough information on coyotes specifically, I did find conflicting information in cats and dogs. Additionally, it seems like an unimportant fact in a picture book on camouflage.
Moving on, this is a great classroom book to share. There is an excellent introduction about the purpose of camouflage. Each page presents a poem with hints about an animal or insect hiding on the following page. The photographs work beautifully, and many of the creatures are indeed very difficult to find. By opening the foldout page, the hidden animal is revealed along with further facts about the animal.
A book where trying to find a hidden creature in a book may not seem to be the ideal book to share with a group. However, with document readers this can be successfully done. Additionally, students can take turns predicting what they think is hidden, and trying to find it.
An added bonus of this book is that each entry is in poetry format. It's always wonderful to find a book that can showcase poetry which will be received well by even reluctant readers. And just a final note on the poetry, one page features a poem in haiku, and another is a concrete poem in the shape of a spider.
My biggest pet peeve in non-fiction books is inaccurate facts. I would have rated this book 5 stars if it hadn't been exactly that - a misleading fact. "Coyotes, bobcats, and other members of the dog and cat families only see in black-and-white." I immediately had to check online to see if this were true because of a vague memory of hearing this myth debunked. While I didn't find enough information on coyotes specifically, I did find conflicting information in cats and dogs. Additionally, it seems like an unimportant fact in a picture book on camouflage.
Moving on, this is a great classroom book to share. There is an excellent introduction about the purpose of camouflage. Each page presents a poem with hints about an animal or insect hiding on the following page. The photographs work beautifully, and many of the creatures are indeed very difficult to find. By opening the foldout page, the hidden animal is revealed along with further facts about the animal.
A book where trying to find a hidden creature in a book may not seem to be the ideal book to share with a group. However, with document readers this can be successfully done. Additionally, students can take turns predicting what they think is hidden, and trying to find it.
An added bonus of this book is that each entry is in poetry format. It's always wonderful to find a book that can showcase poetry which will be received well by even reluctant readers. And just a final note on the poetry, one page features a poem in haiku, and another is a concrete poem in the shape of a spider.
December 9, 2012
Visually provocative and informative, this book is the perfect combination of scientific inquiry and artistic design. Where in the wild features 30 pages of a real-world hide and seek game. On the two-page scenic layouts throughout the book, there are real photographs of animals in their natural environments hidden by camouflage. Our job as the reader, or ‘predator,’ is to gain clues from the poem, and find the sneaky critters that blend almost perfectly into their habitat. If we do not see any animal, no worries. Each two page spread also has a fold out page that includes not only the area where the creature was hiding, but also cool facts about the animal!
One reason I choose this book is because it is difficult for me to be excited about poetry, but when I saw this book, which mixes science and poetry with a ‘find it’ game, all I could say was “cool!” In the classroom, this is a great book that can be used for science and literature lessons. Students will be intrigued and want to look for the animals hidden within the beautiful photos, and then be engaged in using the clues from the poem to solve the ‘game,’ which also involves learning interesting facts about curious creatures.
One reason I choose this book is because it is difficult for me to be excited about poetry, but when I saw this book, which mixes science and poetry with a ‘find it’ game, all I could say was “cool!” In the classroom, this is a great book that can be used for science and literature lessons. Students will be intrigued and want to look for the animals hidden within the beautiful photos, and then be engaged in using the clues from the poem to solve the ‘game,’ which also involves learning interesting facts about curious creatures.
August 9, 2016
Where in the Wild? offers another different approach to the informative book. After a brief introduction, each spread has a poem about a creature that uses camouflage in nature. The poems incorporate a variety of text layouts that sometimes convey a sense of the rhythm or correspond to the theme of the poem or illustration in interesting ways. The graphic design of the left page also incorporates patterns, colors, and images from the facing photo. The right side of the spreads feature color photographs of hidden animals, eggs, etc. The pages unfold to reveal another version of the photo with the colors of the surroundings muted so that the hidden animals are revealed. On the right side of the unfolded page, the animal is identified with several paragraphs of informative text explaining their unique adaptations and additional close-up color photographs.
The puzzle of finding the hidden animal on each page provides inherent suspense and there are many intriguing animal mysteries to discover, such as why fawns have spots that adult deer do not and why certain shorebirds “hide” their eggs in the open.
The puzzle of finding the hidden animal on each page provides inherent suspense and there are many intriguing animal mysteries to discover, such as why fawns have spots that adult deer do not and why certain shorebirds “hide” their eggs in the open.
December 9, 2014
This book is about different animals/insect and how they use camouflage in the wild. I really enjoyed this book as an adult; it is interactive, while at the same time being informative. I think that anybody would enjoy this book, young or old. It is fun to look at and learn from. Anyone that likes animals would really enjoy this book. Even if you do not necessarily like animal, you would like this book. This book can be used for a number of different lessons; poetry, wild animals, and a type of tactical deception. The poems to describe the animals is an attention grabber for the reader. It make you think of what animal you're trying to find and it makes you anticipate what the next animal is going to be described as. An activity that a teacher or parent can do with their children is have the children come up with their own witty poem for the animals or new animals they can think of. This is activity can engage the children with the book.
Schwartz, D. M., Schy, Y., & Kuhn, D. (2007). Where in the wild?: Camouflaged creatures concealed-- and revealed : ear-tickling poems. Berkeley: Tricycle Press.
Schwartz, D. M., Schy, Y., & Kuhn, D. (2007). Where in the wild?: Camouflaged creatures concealed-- and revealed : ear-tickling poems. Berkeley: Tricycle Press.
December 22, 2013
Great informational text series. Students of all age will enjoy this series on different levels. The author and photographer have done an excellent job working together to write about and see the amazing pictures. Each photograph shows an animal in its camouflaged habitat. Going along with the gorgeous photo is a poem that gives you clues and information about the animal. Open the flap and see where the animal is hiding in the photograph and then read additional information about the animal. Students off all ages will enjoy this book on different levels. Young readers will enjoy finding the animal in each picture and getting information from the photograph. Older readers will be able to read the poem to learn additional information. Advanced readers will like reading the added information that is available on each flap page. This book is the first in a series. Children will enjoy this book for years!
September 11, 2013
Kids love learning about animals, so kids would appreciate this book. I would use this book when I want students to write their own poems about an animal or if they do a research project on a specific animal. This book would also be great for a read aloud that focuses on using context clues and making predictions. The book provides information on multiple animals, such as birds, snakes, fish, and spiders. For each animal, it provides a poem about the behaviors of each animal, so the students could predict what animal it is by looking at its environment and utilizing the clues. Then the students have to try and find the animal that is camouflaged in its environment and read some additional facts about them.
May 13, 2008
This book combines visual puzzles with vivid photography and inviting poems. Each page is dedicated to a single animal who is camouflaged in the accompanying photograph. The poems reveal information on the animal but remain poetry, nicely bridging art and information. The images are inviting, amazing and great fun. Fold out the page, and you find the answer to the visual puzzle along with some fascinating facts about the creature.
A welcome addition to any science book collection, this book is best used one-on-one due to the intricacy of the images and the reader's need to linger and learn more. Recommended for use by 6-9 year olds.
A welcome addition to any science book collection, this book is best used one-on-one due to the intricacy of the images and the reader's need to linger and learn more. Recommended for use by 6-9 year olds.
December 6, 2014
Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed by David M Schwartz will take its readers on a scientific journey like no other. Clever little poems will give you the clues, now can you guess who is hiding in the Wild? Just open the flap and all will be revealed. Schwartz uses guessing games and camouflage to engage students in science. The exploration of nature and animals is only made more intriguing by the beautiful full page pictures taken by Dwight Kuhn. The harder you look the trickier the wild becomes, a great informational text from the descriptive (and informative) poems to the real life, full color photos.
November 26, 2011
This book uses little poem type riddles to explain an animal. Then the reader is to use the clues from the text along with the camouflaged picture of the animal to try and guess what animal it is that the page is talking about. Can YOU guess what the animals are?
I would use this book as a discussion book in groups. I would read the pages and have the students broke up in different groups and take guesses at the animal. I would then show the picture and see if they can figure it out from the picture. I would turn it into a learning game.
I would use this book as a discussion book in groups. I would read the pages and have the students broke up in different groups and take guesses at the animal. I would then show the picture and see if they can figure it out from the picture. I would turn it into a learning game.
February 5, 2017
Text: 5 stars
Art: 5 stars
Totally fun nonfiction picture book about how animals camouflage themselves in nature. The creative format uses real nature photographs as seek-and-find pull-out flaps, with the animal revealed on the page underneath. Poems on the opposite facing pages provide clues as to the hidden animal. The animals and their camouflage techniques are described on the inside of the pull-out flaps. A lot of solid educational value disguised as a game. Kids will be so engrossed they won't even realize they are learning science.
Art: 5 stars
Totally fun nonfiction picture book about how animals camouflage themselves in nature. The creative format uses real nature photographs as seek-and-find pull-out flaps, with the animal revealed on the page underneath. Poems on the opposite facing pages provide clues as to the hidden animal. The animals and their camouflage techniques are described on the inside of the pull-out flaps. A lot of solid educational value disguised as a game. Kids will be so engrossed they won't even realize they are learning science.
January 10, 2008
Ten pleasantly familiar animals perch boldly exposed — yet cleverly concealed — in full page photographs tossing tantalizing clues to their whereabouts through an assortment of snappy, lyrical, comical and informative poems in this 2007 Cybils Non-Fiction Picture Book Award Finalist.
You can listen to our chat about this book on the Children's Book Podcast .
You can listen to our chat about this book on the Children's Book Podcast .
May 24, 2010
I'm so glad that this book has two follow up tiles (Where Else in the Wild? and What in the Wild?) because the game-like format really engages readers while promoting their observational skills. Each spread features a fun poem that gives clues about the animal that blends into the background of the accompanying phoot. If kids are stumped, there's an easuy fix. Just open the gatefold to see an opaqued version of the image with only the hidden animal shown clearly. What a fun book!
October 6, 2011
This book contains informational poems about creatures. It also gives photos for you to find the creatures in.
This book is great to help teach students infer, which will give them better comprehension skills. You can decipher each line, making guesses on what animal you think it is. In the end, you can look through the pictures and see if you can recognize it, then live the flap and it will tell you exactly what animal it is along with other information about it.
This book is great to help teach students infer, which will give them better comprehension skills. You can decipher each line, making guesses on what animal you think it is. In the end, you can look through the pictures and see if you can recognize it, then live the flap and it will tell you exactly what animal it is along with other information about it.
January 28, 2012
Love it! The text is super-engaging and fact-filled, enticing learners to want to discover more. The photos are fun, and kids (both small group and one-on-one) enjoy searching for the hidden creatures. It is a little harder to pull this off with a larger group, but you could make a power point and project it on a screen for all to see. Perfect for preK-1st grade, develops reading skills and interest in science.
March 8, 2012
A very appealing book of poems about animals and camouflage that also includes interesting facts about the animals and how and why the camouflage they employ works. Kids who love Steve Jenkins will like these books, and it will make a great read aloud as well (though skip all the extra facts). The photographs are color-saturated and amazing. The lift the flap could be a little problematic in a school library, but well worth it. Well done.
April 19, 2012
I love this book!!! It's a great fun book for children to read.
There are many photographs in this book of animals in nature that camouflage in order to protect itself. It is up to the reader to find the animals in the photographs! It also has a lot of information on the animals and what they must do in order to survive.
Very interesting book! I would recommend this to any grade. All kids will be engaged with this book. However, putting it to use probably would not start until 3rd-4th grade.
There are many photographs in this book of animals in nature that camouflage in order to protect itself. It is up to the reader to find the animals in the photographs! It also has a lot of information on the animals and what they must do in order to survive.
Very interesting book! I would recommend this to any grade. All kids will be engaged with this book. However, putting it to use probably would not start until 3rd-4th grade.
July 11, 2012
This is an excellent book for children of all ages! Animals are pictured in these full-color photographs, camouflaged by their surroundings and readers can look to see if they can "spy" them. If they can't, they can lift the pages up and see where the animal was hiding and learn more facts about them. My boys LOVED this book! It's part of the Read to Lead in Wisconsin State Parks program for this year and that's how we discovered it!
December 3, 2019
Fine concept. I love interactive, guessing-game type books like this (though I do think they're a little one-time use for each child). But the poetry in this sucks for its audience. The language is way too difficult, and unnecessarily so! I guess it's done for poetic effect, but this is a book for children, and it's not like the poetry is so lovely. It just uses language too difficult for its audience. The fold-out pages were interesting, but unnecessary I think.
May 21, 2009
Amazing photos of camouflaged animals -- if you didn't know they were there, you'd glance right over them! Fascinating! Both kids and adults found this book to be lots of fun, and the kids got really excited to look for the animals in the follow-up books, Where Else In the Wild? and What in the Wild?.
June 5, 2010
Kids love this clever introduction to camouflage. Creatures are camouflaged in a photograph on each page. The text gives clues as to what animal is disguised and you have to look very carefully to see who is there. When you turn the page, the animal is brightly colored and the background fades to let you see if you were right!
November 19, 2010
Wonderful poetry, and an "I spy" quality with camouflaged pictures and a flip-back page to reveal the animal. I've used this book with a wide age range (K-4th grades) and it is always a hit. The text design and overall book design make this a book I love to give as a present. I'm surprised I haven't seen it on more non-fiction award lists.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews