Safe, Warm, and Snug by Stephen R Swinburne

by Stephen R. Swinburne

Find the answers -- and some unusual animals -- in this colorful book.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals

Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Steve was born in London, England. He holds a BA degree in Biology and English from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has worked as a ranger in a number of national parks and is the author of over 30 children's books. His extensive travels to faraway lands such as Africa and treks through Yellowstone have all influenced his book projects. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published Steve’s book Sea Turtle Scientist in 2014. His most recent title is from Scholastic and entitled Safe in a Storm, a comforting read-aloud story, where all the animals find cozy places to keep them safe and warm. Steve visits nearly a hundred schools a year across the United States as well as many international schools. He lives in Vermont with his wife Heather, two dogs named Scout and Jem, and a cat named Skittles.

Reviews

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Large softly colored images accompany short rhyming verses about how animal parents protect their young. Some of the animals and modes of protection are fun and unusual, a mama cichlid that hides her babies in her mouth or a cockroach carrying a sack full of babies, and others are more familiar like a joey hiding in a kangaroo's pouch. Some readers might find the python illustration a little scary, but the information is really interesting. Back matter includes a more in-depth paragraph about each animal.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an informational book about how animals take care and protect their baby's
as a teacher you can use this book when learning about animals and talk about how they protect their baby's is different then humans

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parent animals protect their babies from predators and the elements in lots of unusual ways. This delightful rhyming picture book explores some of the unique behaviors that creatures from kangaroos to cockroaches, emperor penguins to Surinam toads, use to keep their offspring safe, warm, and snug. Full color.
- Thanks to goodreads

Literary Awards and Nominations:

Genre:

Reading Level: K-2nd

Social Issues: Preservation of animal life

Topic: Rhyme, Endangered Animals

Use: Poetry Unit, Read Aloud

Written by Stephen R. Swinburne and Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey

Illustrations: The illustrations are very colorful and kid friendly. I think children would enjoy seeing the wide variety of animal types in this story.

Published: April 1, 1999 by Harcourt Children's Books

[Lana Clifton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sing-song rhymes and watercolor illustrations inform young readers how different animal species, living in their natural habitats, protect their young. Learn and teach about animals outside of the 'Lions, Tigers and Bears' kingdom and venture into the unique characteristics of killdeers, cichilids, sea horses and tumblebugs. My own children were fascinated to learn certain animal facts, such as seahorse males give birth, and the male emporer penguin protects the egg. Warning-- this book will lead to many more questions about the animal kingdom and you might need more factual references on hand to satisfy hungry minds.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much for the rhyming couplets he used. It's kind of the default poetry structure for this age group. However, this was a great book for its nonfiction informational text value. It was full of great information about how different species protect their young. Also the endnotes were great additions to the original text. What I wonder about are the illustrations. They're not terribly detailed or accurate to the appearance of the animals but maybe that was intended. It's not my favorite style, but that's fine. It's still a good book.

[Virginia Brace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't a large amount of rhyming text, but with the excellent pictures this becomes a fantastic informational book for preschoolers and older children who like to learn about animals. Some of these are less known animals but they all use unusual ways to protect their young such as carrying them in hidden places or laying eggs in unusual places.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, but interesting information; colorful illustrations