What Is a Biome?

by Bobbie Kalman

Earth has over 30 types of biomes, some of which are home to thousands of ecosystems. All of the plants and animals living in these huge natural areas depend on one another for survival. Children will love learning about life in each major biome. Using simple-to-understand text and beautiful images, What is a Biome? clearly defines the concepts of biome and climate, and covers: - the world's biomes including forests, deserts, grasslands, wetlands, oceans, and the chilly arctic tundra - how wildlife have adapted to their biome's particular climate - biomes in danger

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1997

About the author

Bobbie Kalman is the award-winning author of more than 400 non-fiction books. She established herself as a leading author in children’s non-fiction in the 1980’s and 90’s with two acclaimed series about pioneer life, The Early Settler Life Series (15 titles) and The Historic Communities Series (31 titles), both published by Crabtree Publishing. She has created many of Crabtree’s most popular series, which also include The Native Nations of North America Series (19 titles), The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series (93 titles), and The Science of Living Things Series (32 titles), among others.

Born in Hungary in 1947, Bobbie and her family escaped to Austria during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. The family spent several weeks there as refugees before immigrating to North America. A former teacher, Bobbie Kalman taught at both the elementary and secondary levels. She also spent several years working as an educational consultant for several publishing companies. Bobbie holds degrees in English, Psychology, and Education. She is married and has four children and three grandchildren.

Although best known for her non-fiction, Bobbie’s newest book is autobiographical. Released in September, 2006, Refugee Child is the account of Bobbie and her family’s escape from Hungary when she was just nine years old. Written to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution in October of 2006, the book is told from the perspective of a young girl.

Reviews

[Ashley Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great informational book that I would use for 3rd-5th graders. It does a Greg job introducing the different biomes and their characteristics to students. I could use this book to do an entire unto on biomes. First we could focus on what a biome is. Then we would look at each biome separately and compare and contrast one to another. How are they different, how are they alike. The student could do a venn diagram to compare and contrast one biome to another. What animals are found in each biome? What physical characteristics do those animals have that would allow them to live in that particular biome and survive.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of biomes. Lots of great photos, but not very detailed info.

[Megan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, good pictures. It kept the boys’ attention.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the great information. It is not really good for a read a loud as it is very wordy but it is great for a mid to upper elementary student to do some research on the biomes. It has so many different examples of ecosystems. It is a great reminder that there is a vast variety of environments around this world. The combination of pictures and illustrations really made it a visually interesting book. I would love to have a classroom set of these books if could.