What do you think?
Rate this book
[ What in the Wild?[ WHAT IN THE WILD? ] By Schwartz, David M. ( Author )Aug-24-2010 Hardcover by Schwartz, David M. ( Author ) Aug-2010 Hardcover ]
From the creative team that brought us Where in the Wild? and Where ELSE in the Wild? come 10 new mysteries of the natural world for readers to solve. Kid-pleasing riddles paired with mystifying images give clues to What creature made that pile of twigs, mass of leaves, frothy spittle, and so on...And why? As with the other books, answers are found by opening a generous gatefold and revealing full-color photographs. From the Hardcover edition.
Unknown Binding
First published August 24, 2010
25 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...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 5, 2017
Text: 5 stars
Art: 5 stars
A solid science book, though not as much fun as the seek-and-find photography of the other books in this series. This book uses the same format, but the photos are the habitats of the animals. Readers figure out which animal uses each habitat. Through the hints provided by the poems, I deduced the earthworm, praying mantis, owl, mole, squirrel, and I was close on the vole. But the other four animals were new to me, so I could not have guessed correctly, even with the help of the clues. Really like the variety of poetic forms used. As in the other books of this series, the photos are outstanding.
Art: 5 stars
A solid science book, though not as much fun as the seek-and-find photography of the other books in this series. This book uses the same format, but the photos are the habitats of the animals. Readers figure out which animal uses each habitat. Through the hints provided by the poems, I deduced the earthworm, praying mantis, owl, mole, squirrel, and I was close on the vole. But the other four animals were new to me, so I could not have guessed correctly, even with the help of the clues. Really like the variety of poetic forms used. As in the other books of this series, the photos are outstanding.
January 11, 2011
I like this book, and it can be used with all ages. The "guess what this describes" lift-the-flap book can be a fun challenge for preschoolers and young elementaries, and the detailed descriptions provide plenty of solid science content for older kids. It's a nice surpise to find great non-fiction books that are both fun and informative.
October 7, 2010
Poems and accompanying photographs (owl pellets, cocoons, holes) give readers clues for identifying animals. Lifting the page behind each photograph reveals scientific information about the animals and their behaviors.
June 28, 2021
This is a fun little book for kids featuring some of nature's critters. Each featured animal (be it mammal, bird or insect) has a picture and poem related to it. Then the reader tries to guess from those clues which creature is being portrayed. Open the page flap and the animal is revealed along with some interesting facts. This is an intriguing and interesting introduction to nature.
October 23, 2021
Great for elementary nature study! 🐿
December 6, 2016
Great book about nature. Let's kids be the detective to find things in nature
May 2, 2015
Personal Reaction: I really liked the format of this book. It has all of the facts of an informational book, but it allows the reader to read clues about an animal and then try to figure out which animal the author is talking about. Then, the reader opens the page even further to find out if their guess was right, and they can then read more facts about the animal. I have never seen this format on an informational book before, and I thought that was a very interesting idea, and I think children would love reading it.
Use in the Classroom:
Curricular Connection: I would use this to connect to a science unit about animals. This would be a great supplemental reading for a project on animals. It is also one that I would read aloud so that the class could try to guess the animal that the author is describing. I think the students would love to hear this book read aloud because it really is interactive.
Independent Reading: This would be a great independent reading book for third, fourth, or fifth grade students. The sentence structure is very simple, while still providing great information. I also think this book is one that elementary students would want to keep reading so that they can keep guessing the different animals.
Nonfiction Conventions: This book includes plenty of characteristics of informational books. It has photographs, titles, as well as sources for further reading on different animals. I would use these characteristics to teach my students about the different aspects of informational books and how to properly use these resources.
Use in the Classroom:
Curricular Connection: I would use this to connect to a science unit about animals. This would be a great supplemental reading for a project on animals. It is also one that I would read aloud so that the class could try to guess the animal that the author is describing. I think the students would love to hear this book read aloud because it really is interactive.
Independent Reading: This would be a great independent reading book for third, fourth, or fifth grade students. The sentence structure is very simple, while still providing great information. I also think this book is one that elementary students would want to keep reading so that they can keep guessing the different animals.
Nonfiction Conventions: This book includes plenty of characteristics of informational books. It has photographs, titles, as well as sources for further reading on different animals. I would use these characteristics to teach my students about the different aspects of informational books and how to properly use these resources.
February 27, 2011
Bay Area author Schwartz loves to find unusual ways to draw children into discovering science in the world around them. In What in the Wild?, he hooks kids in with a mystery and riddle, asking kids to guess what creature made a pile of twigs, a mass of leaves, frothy spittle. He cleverly uses a bit of the gross factor to intrigue kids, and then draws it out with a clever poem. As they open the page, further pictures reveal the creature that has created this structure. As one student said, “You start out thinking ‘Gross’ and then open it up and realize that it’s really cool.” For example, one poem reads: "We're long and lithe, we wiggle and writhe. Of dead things we dispose./We daily toil to plow the soil, and help stuff decompose!" As you open the flap, you see a full color photograph of an earthworm depositing another cast on the pile. Schwartz combines nonfiction science writing, poetry and photography to great effect. This is a book kids will come back to many times.
June 29, 2015
What in the Wild? is a phenomenal and unique informational text that includes poetry, factual information, and surprising, interesting pictures. Each two-page spread begins with a poem on one page that acts as a riddle connected with the picture on the opposite page. The poems include many different rhyme schemes and structures, including some neat concrete poems. The pictures usually show the outside of some kind of creature's home and include the invitation to "Lift to Reveal Me!" Once lifted, photos underneath show what the animal is and give a four to five paragraph explanation about its habitat, behavior, diet, life cycle, and a host of other facts. Some of the photos and text also include a bit of a gross-out factor that will hook kids. This is a title that is sure to interest both adults and children and inspire further curiosity. It is also a cool way to introduce kids to both informational and poetic text, showing that different styles do not have to be mutually exclusive.
January 31, 2011
This is a wonderful book of photographs and poems, a followup to Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed ... and Revealed and Where Else in the Wild?. I like the poems (some rhyming, some not), with their interesting shapes and rhythm. And our girls love the lift the page design, guessing what is hidden. The descriptive paragraphs on the animal featured are informative - perhaps a bit long to hold their intereest, but still fun to read. We love these books and hope this team of authors and photographer makes more!
September 17, 2012
A fabulous mix of poetry and photography make this an unusual riddle book. A short poem, done in a variety of styles from haiku to shape poems introduces an animal riddle complimented by close up photograph on the page opposite. Lift the flap to reveal the colour photograph of the animal along with interesting tidbits of information. Unusual animals such as the star-nosed mole are pictured along with worms, owls and other 'mysteries of nature'.
A terrific read aloud and a wonderful addition to the usual animal non-fiction books. Grds 1-4
A terrific read aloud and a wonderful addition to the usual animal non-fiction books. Grds 1-4
November 30, 2013
What in the Wild is a wonderful book for elementary-age children. It combines poetry with science for a very fun reading experience. The reader gets to guess what type of animal is in the picture and poem, and behind the flap it is revealed with more detail. I would recommend this book for a teacher who wants to make science more fun.
April 15, 2014
This is a book with the lot. Interesting photos, guessing games with open-the-flap answers, lyrical text and informative text to meet the demands of children of all ages and abilities. My ten-year-old (who is known as the "animal encyclopedia" in her class)pointed out to me that this book was posing questions she had to think about, and teaching her new information. Sounds good to me!
August 30, 2010
You may need to suppress your gag reflex for some pages in this book. This title is a wicked cool combination of photos and poetry-- where you read a riddle and try to guess what the picture is. Fold out pages reveal the answers... and fun facts about the animal. Great for Grades K-6.
February 22, 2012
This book investigates weird things found in nature. Each is photographed and described cryptically in a poem, with a fold out with a description of each thing. This book is interesting and well done, especially for elementary school age children who like weird things in nature.
August 29, 2012
What in the Wild consists of ten different poems that also act as riddles. This is great because it combines nature with poetry. I think kids would enjoy trying to figure out what they are looking at before they flip the page to reveal what it is. It would be a good book to read for science.
October 22, 2012
grade:K-2
topic: biology
some of these pictures are amazing!
great real-life pictures with easy discriptions.
studnets can reveal the secret parts in the each pages!
great for students who are interested in NATURE!
topic: biology
some of these pictures are amazing!
great real-life pictures with easy discriptions.
studnets can reveal the secret parts in the each pages!
great for students who are interested in NATURE!
December 3, 2012
this book can be used for:
- science facts about some animals and insects
- example on how to write riddles
- predictions and reasoning
- connections to things seen in nature
- placed based lesson
- rhyming
- science facts about some animals and insects
- example on how to write riddles
- predictions and reasoning
- connections to things seen in nature
- placed based lesson
- rhyming
March 16, 2016
What in the Wild is an engaging book of poetic mysteries paired with nonfiction information about each animal profiled. The poems are accessible for kids as young as kindergarten, but the nonfiction text is much more sophisticated.
September 13, 2010
Poems that inform and act as clues, amazing photos, intriguing creatures, and lift flaps...non-fiction has gotten to be so much fun!
October 30, 2010
Information is great and well presented, poems are poor and add little
January 5, 2011
This is a great book! The mixture of poetry, informational text, and photography make the mysteries of nature come to life. It can be used as a resource at any level K-6.
May 22, 2011
Well, what a weird book! Will review this on my blog!
http://ecslibrary.edublogs.org/2011/0...
http://ecslibrary.edublogs.org/2011/0...
April 26, 2018
This book deftly uses poetry to reinforce scientific concepts such as camouflage. My students loved identifying clues and figuring out these poetry riddles. Great for inferencing.
July 24, 2013
This book has more gross stuff in nature than I like (or than were in the other books in the series)... but I am sure that there will be plenty of kids who'll enjoy this book (gross-factor and all)!
December 11, 2013
This book is fantastic! The poetry teases into the answer hidden under folded pages and there's a bunch more information on them. This book is fantastic for a budding interest in animal science.
February 17, 2014
A creative book, great for doing inferring strategies with children.
February 17, 2014
Perfect for inferencing
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews