Why Do Animals Migrate?

by Bobbie Kalman

Autumn is the time that many birds fly to places with warmer climates. Spring signals their return trip. Many birds migrate to keep warm and to find food that is not available in their winter homes. Not all migration is seasonal, however. Animals that graze, such as wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes, migrate in huge herds of millions of animals to find water and new plants to eat. There are also animals, such as humpback whales, sea turtles, and salmon, which migrate to reproduce. This book, containing fabulous photographs, will bring migrating animals, the navigational tools they use, and the challenges they face, to life for children. Teacher's guide available.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good addition to our study on animal migration.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very informative Science book. Great to read to learn, or to use as homeschooled applications. For older children, as it was simply to much for my advanced 2 year old. So we just looked through the illustrations-photos and read some of the minor stuff she would understand. It is a well written thorough book.

[Inna Nako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade 1-3, Basic needs of animals, Habitats of animals

-this book is full of facts about animals and reasons why they migrate
-very capturing pictures
-also touches on life cycles of a few animals
-very informative