Salamanders: Secret, Silent Lives

by Sara Swan Miller, Stephen Savage, Jose Gonzales

An introduction to salamanders that includes descriptions of fourteen species and recommendations for finding, identifying, and observing them

47 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response- I found this book absolutely fascinating and a great resource. Every page has at least one large picture with a caption so the reader knows what they are looking at. I love animals and this book gave a great break down of the different species of salamanders and where they live. The book even compared salamanders to lizards to teach the difference because they can look somewhat similar.

Purpose in the Classroom- Third graders would be able to read this as an independent read for a project over amphibians. They could create a poster to present with fascinating facts other students may not know. Several pages in the book could be used as a read aloud during an amphibian lesson. The first few pages discuss how you know it is a salamander and show pictures of salamanders and lizards to compare the differences. The teacher could use these pictures as an introduction to salamanders to see if students think lizards look like salamanders. Nonfiction conventions that can be shown to the class are headings, captions for pictures, comparison, an index, and a words to know section (key words).

[Krittle Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the way they put it all together, and the break down of the classifications. Helped the children get a bigger picture.