Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives

by Lola M. Schaefer, Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)

In one lifetime, a caribou will shed 10 sets of antlers, a woodpecker will drill 30 roosting holes, a giraffe will wear 200 spots, a seahorse will birth 1,000 babies.

Count each one and many more while learning about the wondrous things that can happen in just one lifetime. This extraordinary book collects animal information not available anywhere else—and shows all 30 roosting holes, all 200 spots, and, yes!, all 1,000 baby seahorses in eye-catching illustrations. A book about picturing numbers and considering the endlessly fascinating lives all around us, Lifetime is sure to delight young nature lovers.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Mathematics, Science, Childrens, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2013

About the author

Lola M. Schaefer is an educator, writer, and gardener, and the author of many acclaimed books for children about math, art, science, technology, animals, and nature. She uses shovels, hoes, rakes, and scissors when she works in her garden. Lola M. Shaefer grew up in Indiana, and now lives in northern Georgia.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book introduces different animals and what they will do in one lifetime. For example, a caribou "will shred 10 sets of antlers," or a rattlesnake "will add forty beads to its rattle." At the back of the book is further information on the animals and how the average was calculated. Furthermore, there is a page on "What is an average?" and a page entitled, "I love math," in which the author discusses word problems.

This math book (for that is what it is) explores the concept of mathematical averages with the concrete illustrations of the average in an animal's lifetime. It highlights science while illustrating mathematics. The younger students might find the illustrations fascinating but the math may be above their understanding. I would introduce this book to fourth grade and up.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh wow. So beautiful, fun, and fascinating. Perfect for educators of science, math, and even art. My only complaint is that it's too short. Even with the wonderful appendices, which include numbers relevant to three more critters, I just wanted it to go on and on....

Did you know that a red kangaroo can birth at least 50 joeys in one lifetime?

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful concept! Love that it blends fascinating facts about wildlife with mathematics (particularly, averages). I wish it had been longer--I wanted more! Highly recommend.

[Colby Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that Christopher Silas Neal is the freaking bomb.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a unique look at what animals will do in a single lifetime in this book that combines counting, math and fascinating scientific facts. The book focuses on how many times a single animal will do a behavior during their life. The facts are based on estimations and opens with a description of how the numbers were figured out and explaining that each individual animal will be different than the estimate. The book opens with one spider’s egg sac, the sole one she will create in a lifetime. It then goes to the ten antlers that a caribou will grow and shed and moves on by tens. The book ends with one thousand tiny baby seahorses, the number a single male seahorse will carry and birth.

This is a spectacular way to introduce averages to children and estimation. It is a celebration of the information that mathematics can provide to us about nature. Schaefer has selected a wide variety of animals and intriguing facts about each of them. Readers can find more in-depth information on the animals at the back of the book. They will also find more information on averages and math there.

Schaefer’s art adds to the appeal of this book. Her illustrations have a boldness to them, a graphic quality that really works. They are flat and vibrant, clearly laying items on the page for counting. The book is a joy to page through since each page offers a new animal, a new habitat to see.

One of the most visually stimulating and smart concepts for a nonfiction picture book, this one is sure to beat the averages and be read more than once. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Joanna Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“During our year together we are going to learn a great deal about numbers! They are all around us, including the lives of animals. Today, we are going to read Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives, by Lola M. Schaefer. What word do you see right away on the cover? [LIFETIME]. What does this word mean? [Children respond.] You will see this word throughout the story. Lola Schaefer shares how numbers are related in different animals’ lives. Look out for Christopher Silas Neal’s amazing illustrations and how he represents the numbers Schaefer is describing.”

-Tell the meaning of a key word.
-Prompt the listeners to notice details.
-Draw attention to the writer’s or illustrator’s craft.

I selected this book because I will be trying out Guided Math this coming year and want to incorporate more math picture books for students to read and connect numbers with. This is a great book to begin the year with at any grade level to get kids excited about numbers and to notice them in the world around them.

(2014, April 7). Horn Book Guide. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are curious individuals among us who wonder about numbers. For instance, how many egg sacs do spiders spin during a lifetime? How many fleeces will an alpaca grow during a lifetime? How many nests will one alligator build during a lifetime? How many baby seahorses will a male seahorse give birth to during the course of one lifetime? The questions--and their answers--are infinitely fascinated, designed to entice the curious among us--and maybe even make a wonderer out of you. Back matter includes additional information about all the animals featured in the book as well as an explanation of the word "average" and how the author came up with her numbers. The text is informative and appealing, and the mixed media illustrations are just as engaging. I'm so glad I read this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and elegant facts about what animals do in a lifetime. From "this spider will spin 1 papery egg sac" to "this mail seahorse will carry and birth 1,000 teeny-weeny, squiggly-wiggly baby seahorses." Additional information about each animal is included at the end of the text, with facts about the average adult life span and the scientific name. The book also explains what is average and provides an additional page called "I Love Math."

Perfect for students in grades 2 - 4. My only wee complaint is that I wish the book was printed on heavier paper. For such a rich looking book, the paper is a bit of a disappointment.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating information that I think young elementary students will gobble up. The mixed media illustrations are very nice, and does depict all the objects referred to in the text; for example, if you have time to count them, you will probably find 1000 tiny wiggly seahorse babies on that double-page spread.

[A_s · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Cute book that blends animal facts with math! What more could you ask for!

[Peoria Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spencer rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.

[Selena Richins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives written by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Christopher Silas is focused on the random facts of animals and the numbers that relate to them. The author starts off the book with explaining what lifetime means and then explains how she found the numbers that were related to the animal. The book is then continued by talking about a different animal on each page and saying interesting facts about the animal that is related to a number. Schaefer does a good job on making sure to focus on one certain animal at a time. Doing this allows readers to not get mixed up with the numbers that are thrown at them as they read. The pages are colorful and realistic to the idea of what the animal would actually be doing in real life. This book is very informative, but personally I was not interested in the information that was being thrown at me. But I could see where this book is beneficial for readers. I could use this book in a classroom by discussing numbers and averages in a math lesson. This book offers the definition of average, and Schaefer helps you understand how she received the numbers for each animal. You can for example give an average for a certain animal and explain how she found it. Then later have students try finding averages with other numbers.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is an extraordinary book. The concept is fascinating and totally unique and I was absorbed completely in what numbers and behaviors would be revealed next. The information on each animal at the back is also excellent and the I Love Math section so intriguing. This is a terrific concept book with a difference. I loved the illustrations too - they work so well with the text for each example.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for any little kids, the drawings are adorable and amazing numbers are good for everybody - the older the reader, the more the facts actually sink in. Schaefer even provides an explanation of mathematical averages at the back of the book, along with her fun-filled animal facts. Just wish we'd found this gem sooner (but are loving it in 2nd grade).

[Donalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous book that uses biology and math to explain what animals accomplish in one lifetime. The back matter explains more about each animal and breaks down the math calculations.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant concept book for learning about the wondrous things that can happen in just one animal's lifetime, visualizing large and small numbers, and the concept of averages.

[Trever · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about different animals and approximations of what occurs during their lifetime. Great book to use for estimation.

[Tabitha Broek · Rating 5 out of 5]

the amazing numbers in animal lives: is about multiple different animals, species and special/interesting things that they can do in one lifetime. One example from the book is the male seahorse can carry and give birth to over 1,000 babies. Another example from the book is the caribou, they can shed up to 10 sets of antlers in their lifetime. I think this book is an interesting way to give students facts about animals and giving them the opportunity to see and learn about different species and not just specifically one animal overall. I especially liked at the end of the book how they included a page of information about each animal. For example, with the caribou, I shared an example about the antlers and how many they shed throughout their lifetime. On their page, at the end of the book, there is more in-depth information that talks about where they live and where they travel to. The book also talks about when their first set of antlers shed, as well as how long it takes for them to grow a full set of antlers. These pages at the end of the book included more in-depth facts about the animals and species, that were talked about throughout the book. I think this would be a great way to get students interested in animals and facts about animals, it's a great way to spark their interests in animals. It seems like the first part of the book is an opener, it allows for the reader to learn one interesting fun fact about the species/animal. This interesting fact can help spark an interest in the reader, and they can read more about this animal/species in the back of the book where there is a page of information about that animal/species. This would be a great book to use when getting student interested in animals.

[Sunah Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book introduces information on multiple animals that can be observed in one lifetime. For instance, rattlesnakes would add 40 beads to its rattle in one lifetime. The information described in this book is extraordinary and is not found in a series of nonfiction picture books. The book cover illustrates woodpeckers pecking trees and holes are filled with numbers which implies the motive of this book. The recursive patterns in the sentences on every page would stimulate young readers’ expectations and facilitate language learning. That is, each sentence starts with “in one lifetime” and provides information with average numbers of the extraordinary features along with wide double-spread illustrations. Some of the information includes straightforward commentary by the author. The additional information on each animal is added at the back of the book with the concept of average in math.

[Ruby Velazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for children who are learning big numbers and associating them to real objects. As I read through I would say it was an enjoyable book of facts that I can see being used for younger students to become excited about math (numbers) but still have the opportunity to learn more about each animal talked about. The book is very well constructed to give a variety of fun facts about different animals in a not so boring kind of way. Children are able to read the sentences and then associate the number given to the illustrations provided that surprisingly show the exact number presented no matter how small or how big. I would like to incorporate this book in my personal classroom with a lesson about counting. It could be a fun way for children to read and then answer questions about the amount being altered by adding or subtracting.

[Abigail Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It contained lots of information about animals that I did not know. The beginning of the book contained a singular piece of information on each page with an illustration that would help young children realize how big or small the number is. After the "picture book" part of the book ends, the author included a little summary about each animal covered in the beginning of the book. This book would be great for a basic lesson about differences between different types of animals. This book is great for young children and older children alike. At the very end of the book, there is a section explaining averages, which would open up room to transition from ELA to Math. This book would be a good addition to a home or classroom library. It would be perfect for a read aloud and discussion or an individual reading assignment.

[Farrah Mancino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informational teaching about different animals and what they go through in their lifetime like their amount of times shedding and how female spiders only lay one egg sac and make sea horses give birth to 1,000 baby seahorses and so many other examples. I liked the drawings as well representing what the words were telling, and at the end it gives different facts about alot of different animals and explains what its saying by also putting it into math equations which is also very informational.

[Ashley Biles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schaefer, L. Ill: Neal, C. S. (2016) Lifetime: The amazing numbers in animal lives. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books.

I loved how this book took a different take on learning numbers. Not only are you learning the numbers in the book, but you are learning about the numbers that naturally occur out in the wild! From antlers to woodpeckers and seahorses. This book is full of amazing things to learn.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in the concise-text-with-engaging-illustrations-that-reveal-more-in-depth-info-at-the-end category. Using numbers achieved in a lifetime as the context from the book is brilliant and gives us a new way to look at familiar animals. I love having a stockpile of these type of books for read aloud because they have offerings for the shared reading as well as the independent reading. And this one throws in a math lesson, too!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

What i appreciate in this book, aside from the beautiful illustrations, is the fact that it provides info on one animal per two-page spread. It isn't overwhelming, and I think it is safe to say that children who read this book or have it read to them more than once, might actually have these fun facts stay in their memories. At the end of the book there is more information on the animals and math.

[Jolynne Dougherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numbers, animals, fun facts - we were reading through this at the circ desk this morning - in one lifetime, a caribou will grow and shed 10 sets of antlers, aligators will build 22 nests and lay 550 eggs. Some animals live long lives and some short lives and while this isn't addressed in the text, the author listed facts about each animal in the back of the book, so if you or your little reader is interested in finding out more about the animals, check back there.

[Brianna Scarmack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story for reinforcing counting skills. There are different numbers on each page, and examples of that number. The teacher can read the story while also having students see the connection between the number and the amount. This book is a different kind of story book than I am used to. It is full of information about the animals and about numbers. I would love to use this book in my classroom one day.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible book for the young animal lover and learning how math is a very useful tool to study animals and other patterns. A couple of word problems in the end solidify the learning in a fun and engaging way. Illustration are equally incredible, cultivating a deeper appreciation for the bounty and beauty of the natural world.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This non-fiction book about numbers and animals could work well in story time. It counts by tens and then by hundreds, and relates these numbers to animals' lives such as "In one lifetime this woodpecker will drill 30 roosting holes in the woods." At the back there is additional information about the animals, and the concept of "average" is explained.

[feux d'artifice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I liked the idea of the picture book about these average numbers over an animals lifetime but I'm not sure if the way the knowledge is presented in this picture book is easy to understand

The most fun fact for me tho from the back of the book is that Joey is another word for baby kangaroo 🥰