What do you think?
Rate this book
Scholastic Reader
Marsupials
Another fascinating close-up look at the wonders of the natural world from Sibert Honor photographer Nic Bishop.
Most people know about lions, zebras, monkeys, and bears, but what about bettongs and bilbies? Or quolls and quokkas? And potoroos and pademelons? These animals live on the continent of Australia, along with kangaroos, koalas, and many other marsupials. With breathtaking full-page images, including a double-gatefold spread, Sibert-Honor photographer Nic Bishop introduces the beauty and diversity of these amazing animals. The simple, engaging text presents both basic information and fun, quirky facts about marsupials' appearance, habits, and life cycle. An index and glossary are included.
Most people know about lions, zebras, monkeys, and bears, but what about bettongs and bilbies? Or quolls and quokkas? And potoroos and pademelons? These animals live on the continent of Australia, along with kangaroos, koalas, and many other marsupials. With breathtaking full-page images, including a double-gatefold spread, Sibert-Honor photographer Nic Bishop introduces the beauty and diversity of these amazing animals. The simple, engaging text presents both basic information and fun, quirky facts about marsupials' appearance, habits, and life cycle. An index and glossary are included.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
1 person is currently reading
83 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 25, 2020
Mic Bishop has created another stunning wildlife book--this one celebrating some very unique species. Everyone has heard of kangaroos and koalas, but you may be surprised to discover just how varied the marsupial class really is.
February 27, 2023
Marsupials by Nic BishopOf the two marsupial books I read for this, I liked this one a lot more. Although it doesn't contain as much broad information or as many specifics, the information it does contain is concise and accessible. The text and photograph pairings stand out a lot more as making sense. I think this is because the photographs are more featured.
I hadn't realized Nic Bishop (another prolific name I haven't spent much time with) did all his own photography, but the way he talks about his experiences with the animals while photographing alongside the information provided makes for a really enjoyable read. I dabble in photography myself, and the patience you'd have to have to capture some of these elusive animals is extraordinary. I don't think I could do it, especially in some of the world's harshest climates in Australia.
Because the book focuses on Bishop's photography tour, all the animals featured are Australian. I love being able to experience this one through a photographer's eyes. And Bishop's patience definitely paid off, these photos are gorgeous, and some of them are so close up. I love this.
*
March 8, 2010
This book is a treasure. Beautiful photographs and informative text. We learned more about kangaroos and koalas from this book, than we did from books about kangaroos and koalas. And speaking of, how did I go 37 years on this earth without knowing that koala's have a backwards pouch and that their young eat their pooh? I am outraged. I feel like I should sue my old school teachers. What kind of crappy education was I given?????
But not only to you get the "big two" but loads of info on bilbies and numbats and quolls and other often unmentioned animals from Australia.
We loved the author/photographers comments about how he took the pictures and his experience with the animals. It added a personal feel that many science books lack.
I will be looking for more books from Nic Bishop - absolutely wonderful and highly recommended.
We took several days to read this, and it would work for elementary through middle school.
But not only to you get the "big two" but loads of info on bilbies and numbats and quolls and other often unmentioned animals from Australia.
We loved the author/photographers comments about how he took the pictures and his experience with the animals. It added a personal feel that many science books lack.
I will be looking for more books from Nic Bishop - absolutely wonderful and highly recommended.
We took several days to read this, and it would work for elementary through middle school.
September 13, 2017
This book was very informational on animals that live in Australia. The author was there for 6 months and captured images of these animals as well as studied them for facts about them. There are many different types of animals from ones you have heard of to those that have not been seen before.
I liked this book but it was very long and had an assortment of marsupials. The real photographs were my favorite part of the book. It is good for the facts if doing an animal research.
I would use this in an animal unit and have students do projects on different mammals. Including marsupials, these students could use this book for accurate information and images.
I liked this book but it was very long and had an assortment of marsupials. The real photographs were my favorite part of the book. It is good for the facts if doing an animal research.
I would use this in an animal unit and have students do projects on different mammals. Including marsupials, these students could use this book for accurate information and images.
May 9, 2018
This book had quite a few marsupials I'd never heard of, and I consider myself pretty well informed in this regard. Plus, it has a great picture of a tree kangaroo. We decided we'll have to go to New Guinea (or far northern Australia) to search for one in the wild...
August 19, 2010
Marsupials, by Nic Bishop. Scholastic Non-Fiction. 2009. Trade. ISBN: 9780439877589 48 pgs. $17.99 includes afterward, index, glossary.
** EI, EA, JH
Everything a young reader would want to learn about Marsupials can be found in Nic Bishop’s Marsupials. Bishop’s devotion to his craft of nature photography is never more evident than in the photographs of Opossums, Kangaroos, Bettongs, and Numbats he patiently captured for this extensive look at a Marsupial world. Full page images offer the reader rare glimpses into the underground world of the wombat and the flight of the sugar glider flying across the double gate fold spread. The reader is invited into the world of the rare Matschie’s tree kangaroo through an image of a cuddly red creature peaking through the leaves of a tree.
The young researcher will be able to follow the accessible text which describes in simple sentences, the eating habits, and habitats of dozens of these mammals. Who wouldn’t want to know about the Koala’s unique diet of the “leaves of eucalyptus trees, which are so poisonous they would kill most animals.” Colorful, bolded text beckons the reader to learn about the unique features, protective instincts, and life cycle of the Tasmanian devil, Quoll, and Planigale.
If you wonder just how Mr. Bishop is able to capture these spectacular images, he explains the process in an informative afterward, sharing the trials and frustrations of nature photography. There is a glossary provided, and a comprehensive index which will aid in non-fiction research. Further information about his techniques, bibliographies and other books can be found at nicbishop.com which I encourage readers to check out. This title is a must for elementary and middle school collections, as well as public libraries.
** EI, EA, JH
Everything a young reader would want to learn about Marsupials can be found in Nic Bishop’s Marsupials. Bishop’s devotion to his craft of nature photography is never more evident than in the photographs of Opossums, Kangaroos, Bettongs, and Numbats he patiently captured for this extensive look at a Marsupial world. Full page images offer the reader rare glimpses into the underground world of the wombat and the flight of the sugar glider flying across the double gate fold spread. The reader is invited into the world of the rare Matschie’s tree kangaroo through an image of a cuddly red creature peaking through the leaves of a tree.
The young researcher will be able to follow the accessible text which describes in simple sentences, the eating habits, and habitats of dozens of these mammals. Who wouldn’t want to know about the Koala’s unique diet of the “leaves of eucalyptus trees, which are so poisonous they would kill most animals.” Colorful, bolded text beckons the reader to learn about the unique features, protective instincts, and life cycle of the Tasmanian devil, Quoll, and Planigale.
If you wonder just how Mr. Bishop is able to capture these spectacular images, he explains the process in an informative afterward, sharing the trials and frustrations of nature photography. There is a glossary provided, and a comprehensive index which will aid in non-fiction research. Further information about his techniques, bibliographies and other books can be found at nicbishop.com which I encourage readers to check out. This title is a must for elementary and middle school collections, as well as public libraries.
October 19, 2009
Typical Nic Bishop - smartly written, beautiful photographs, and informative. If you're expecting only kangaroos and koalas, you will be surprised to learn about wombats, boodies, opossums, bettongs, potoroos, bilbie, quolls, and Tasmanian devils. Bishop covers a wide range of marsupials indeed. Formatting is wonderful - although there is a lot of text in this book, bolded letters are to draw attention to important information. There is a nice epilogue in which Bishop explains how he does his research and photography.
March 14, 2016
Fascinating and enthralling. This book, of course, talks about wallabies, kangaroos and koalas. But it also describes quolls, opossums, bettongs and bilbies to name a few lesser known marsupials. Each page describes a type of marsupial, its diet and some of its unique adaptations. The photographs are absolutely amazing. The feather tail glider was one of my favorites to read about but I think I learned something new about each and every animal. It also includes an author's note about his process to get the photographs.
August 25, 2010
This is a wonderful nonfiction book about marsupials for children of all ages. The pictures are amazing and the information is concise and interesting. We had no idea there were so many different kinds of marsupials and we were fascinated by the odd facts and wide range of characteristics. (Who knew a koala baby eats his mom's poop?!?)
September 20, 2017
Summary: This book is about…you guessed it…marsupials! Written by Nic Bishop, who has a doctorate in biological sciences AND is an award winning photographer, this book accurately captivates several different marsupials from around the world.
Evaluation: “Marsupials” is a fact-packed text that has a lot of different information presented in a very basic format. The font isn’t terribly appealing to look at, however the brilliant pictures and interesting facts make up for it. The author, who is also the photographer, is an award-winning individual and he traveled for 6 months to get information on all of the different marsupials included in his book.
Teaching Idea: I think the book would be best accepted by a student who was learning about different kinds of animals or had an interest in animals in general. There isn’t too much skill-based learning one could teach from this book except maybe finding new vocabulary.
Evaluation: “Marsupials” is a fact-packed text that has a lot of different information presented in a very basic format. The font isn’t terribly appealing to look at, however the brilliant pictures and interesting facts make up for it. The author, who is also the photographer, is an award-winning individual and he traveled for 6 months to get information on all of the different marsupials included in his book.
Teaching Idea: I think the book would be best accepted by a student who was learning about different kinds of animals or had an interest in animals in general. There isn’t too much skill-based learning one could teach from this book except maybe finding new vocabulary.
January 8, 2020
I actually wish that I could see more photos in this book but still, I'm amazed by how patient Nic Bishop was in order to take the photographs of these marsupials. I feel sad since I only care more about the huge variety of animals after having seen the bushfire disaster in Australia recently. So many great facts about unique creatures that I'd never heard or seen before, which is really inspired me to work on a new illustration project for this year.
December 8, 2018
Reading level: 5.4
Summary: This was a fascinating book about Marupials, which live in Australia. The other side of hte world was brought to life through this fun-to-read and descriptive book. The different animals' body traits, characteristics and environmental habitats are expressed through the vivid and carefully constructed photographs.
Genre: Informational
Writing Trait: Presentation is the key writing trait. The pictures are so well done that they make the reader want to read it. Voice is also integrated into the reading due to the large and colored clips from the reading, pointing-out big and exciting ideas.
Classroom Integration: This can be used to both learn about a new place (Australia), or for learning about science. This would be a perfect book to integrate literacy with a biology (science) notebook.
Summary: This was a fascinating book about Marupials, which live in Australia. The other side of hte world was brought to life through this fun-to-read and descriptive book. The different animals' body traits, characteristics and environmental habitats are expressed through the vivid and carefully constructed photographs.
Genre: Informational
Writing Trait: Presentation is the key writing trait. The pictures are so well done that they make the reader want to read it. Voice is also integrated into the reading due to the large and colored clips from the reading, pointing-out big and exciting ideas.
Classroom Integration: This can be used to both learn about a new place (Australia), or for learning about science. This would be a perfect book to integrate literacy with a biology (science) notebook.
September 19, 2018
This book talked about several different marsupials, where they are from and other interesting facts about each animal. On each page, there was also a picture of the animal being talked about. It is a great, easy book for children to read and get information out of.
June 10, 2022
Beautiful photos alongside engaging information about marsupials. I enjoyed reading this to my daughter.
September 6, 2023
48 pgs. This is a gorgeous book packed with information on an interesting animal family. Photos are outstanding. Great for reports or reading for fun. Highly recommended for Grades 4-6.
February 25, 2010
Purchasing Information
Author: Nic Bishop
Title: Marsupials
Publisher: Scholastic
Imprint: Scholastic-Nonfiction
Edition:
trade
13 digit ISBN: 978-0-439-87758-9
price: $17.99
number of pages: 48 pp.
Includes:
index
glossary
photos
Rating
5 stars: excellent; nearly flawless; a must-have for all libraries serving youth
Marsupials by Nic Bishop
Make room, kangaroos and koalas! In his latest photographic marvel, Marsupials, scientist Nic Bishop treats readers of all ages to an impressive array of creatures in this animal family. Read about bilbys and quolls, rare rabbit-sized potoroos, and the two-inch long planigale! – all who have a pouch to carry their young.
Bishop’s vocabulary is rich – a quoll is described as having a “feathery tongue,” a wombat is “muddleheaded”, and a bilby has a “feast full of squabbles.” Bishop’s distinctive style – explanations in everyday terms such as a kangaroo’s jumping ability due to stretchy tendons described as “bungee cords” exudes his enthusiasm and empathy for his subject. He wonders how a backwards-facing koala joey might feel when looking out at the ground far below, or, how lucky one would be to actually see one of ten types of tree kangaroos in New Guinea.
Bishop’s bookcraft is remarkable in that it provides many ways to “read” Marsupials. Within the text of each page is one sentence set apart by color and size of text such that one can tailor the amount of information shared for a particular audience. Bishop’s spectacular photographs speak more than one thousand words, and the captions extend the understanding of the image. Hopping, dashed lines lead the reader on to the next page.
As a conclusion, Bishop includes you-are-there information about his research for this book – including his belly wriggling to confront a wombat and the contraption he rigged to photograph at night. A detailed index and glossary complete the book.
Make way for Marsupials – a versatile addition to library collections as it will delight storytime listeners and inform animal researchers.
Author: Nic Bishop
Title: Marsupials
Publisher: Scholastic
Imprint: Scholastic-Nonfiction
Edition:
trade
13 digit ISBN: 978-0-439-87758-9
price: $17.99
number of pages: 48 pp.
Includes:
index
glossary
photos
Rating
5 stars: excellent; nearly flawless; a must-have for all libraries serving youth
Marsupials by Nic Bishop
Make room, kangaroos and koalas! In his latest photographic marvel, Marsupials, scientist Nic Bishop treats readers of all ages to an impressive array of creatures in this animal family. Read about bilbys and quolls, rare rabbit-sized potoroos, and the two-inch long planigale! – all who have a pouch to carry their young.
Bishop’s vocabulary is rich – a quoll is described as having a “feathery tongue,” a wombat is “muddleheaded”, and a bilby has a “feast full of squabbles.” Bishop’s distinctive style – explanations in everyday terms such as a kangaroo’s jumping ability due to stretchy tendons described as “bungee cords” exudes his enthusiasm and empathy for his subject. He wonders how a backwards-facing koala joey might feel when looking out at the ground far below, or, how lucky one would be to actually see one of ten types of tree kangaroos in New Guinea.
Bishop’s bookcraft is remarkable in that it provides many ways to “read” Marsupials. Within the text of each page is one sentence set apart by color and size of text such that one can tailor the amount of information shared for a particular audience. Bishop’s spectacular photographs speak more than one thousand words, and the captions extend the understanding of the image. Hopping, dashed lines lead the reader on to the next page.
As a conclusion, Bishop includes you-are-there information about his research for this book – including his belly wriggling to confront a wombat and the contraption he rigged to photograph at night. A detailed index and glossary complete the book.
Make way for Marsupials – a versatile addition to library collections as it will delight storytime listeners and inform animal researchers.
August 16, 2012
Marsupials contains great photos (as expected from Nic Bishop), but I was also impressed with the wide range of marsupials covered in this book! There were animals in here that I had never heard of before. Unfortunately, there weren't photos of every one of the animals that Bishop mentioned, but he did state that many of these marsupials are rare, and that makes them very difficult to capture on film.
In addition to presenting "new" animals, Bishop also highlighted all kinds of lesser known facts about familiar animals.
Marsupials was probably just a little bit too long for my four year old nephew and eight year old niece. They heard the whole book, but about half way to 3/4 of the way through I found that I was paraphrasing much of the information presented on each page. There was just a little bit of information overload for my little relatives, and it just became clear that they needed me to help them process things in more bite-sized pieces. They still seemed to appreciate this book, though, and they liked the text and the photos in equal measure. Another great book for marsupial units in school, or for kids needing to write a report about these creatures.
In addition to presenting "new" animals, Bishop also highlighted all kinds of lesser known facts about familiar animals.
Marsupials was probably just a little bit too long for my four year old nephew and eight year old niece. They heard the whole book, but about half way to 3/4 of the way through I found that I was paraphrasing much of the information presented on each page. There was just a little bit of information overload for my little relatives, and it just became clear that they needed me to help them process things in more bite-sized pieces. They still seemed to appreciate this book, though, and they liked the text and the photos in equal measure. Another great book for marsupial units in school, or for kids needing to write a report about these creatures.
April 7, 2014
Nic Bishop does a great job again, this time in his book Marsupials. It tells us that marsupials are animals that have a pouch and carry their babies in there. The name comes from the fact that the pouch found on this animals is called a marsupium. Marsupials are mammals and they raise their babies on milk and some give birth to really tiny babies. some as small as a grain of rice!!Because they are so small when they are born they must live inside this pouch until they are ready to walk on their own and carry on their own. This book would be a great addition to my classroom because it would teach my students new vocabulary like marsupials, which is a word that not a lot of young kids would know. It would also be a great lesson to teach my students new animals and not common animals like a lion or a zebra, but animals like bettongs and bilbies, animals that I didn't even know about before reading this book. This would be great to have each student find a masrupial and present to the class the information they found about it.
October 22, 2014
Marsupials by Nic Bishop is an informational non-fiction text. It uses photographic images to show readers what these animals look like. For most young children, these animals are not as familiar to them. However, the book does a great job at connecting marsupials to animals that kids come in contact with daily - like certain household pets. I would recommend this book for second through fourth grade due to the amount of text and information provided. As a teacher, this book would be wonderful to use for a unit on different animals! I personally enjoyed this text because it is educational but the facts are also presented in ways that children can connect to, understand, and take an interest in!
Read
November 12, 2014Marsupials by photographer Nic Bishop is a captivating book that looks into the natural world of Marsupials. This book introduces many types of marsupials such as bettongs, bilbies, quolls, quokkas, potoroos, pademelons, along with the well known kangaroos, koalas and many others that live on the continent of Australia. The book includes full page images and double gatefold spread as well as an index and glossary. This is a great book for children ages 4 through 8 who are interesting in learning more about Marsupials! Teachers can also use this book as a part of a text set about the animals that live in Australia!
December 2, 2019
introduces kids to, well, marsupials, in an interesting but easy-to-understand way. It's a book that can be looked at on your own. It's possible to skip to different sections, as it's fairly clear where information about one animal begins and ends, but it's designed to be read start to finish, which is great. There are short captions for the photographs that are not necessary but can be read for additional information. And I appreciate that the pages aren't packed with disconnected blurbs as so many non-fiction books are. It makes them frustratingly unreadable.
February 16, 2010
What would it be like to go with Nic Bishop on his trips to take photographs? He said at times it was unbearably hot, but I still think it would be fascinating. The most interesting part of this book - apart from Nic Bishop's great photographs - are the many types of marsupials he writes about. Many, many of them I had never heard of, such as: bettongs, bilbies, potoroos, pademelons, dibblers, dunnarts, boodies, planigales, mulgaras, ningauis, quolls, and numbats.
January 12, 2010
Recommended Ages: grades 4-7
Such animals as quolls and pademelons live on the continent of Australia, along with kangaroos, koalas, and many other marsupials. With breathtaking full-page images, including a double-gatefold spread, Bishop introduces the beauty and diversity of these amazing animals.
Such animals as quolls and pademelons live on the continent of Australia, along with kangaroos, koalas, and many other marsupials. With breathtaking full-page images, including a double-gatefold spread, Bishop introduces the beauty and diversity of these amazing animals.
October 18, 2010
I have to give it five stars for the photography. It is just AMAZING. The fold-out of the sugar glider is sure to amaze (and, sadly, get crinkled in a library copy ... but that is neither here nor there).
The text would be at about a late third grade level. There's plenty of information to be had and an index to help keep track of it.
The text would be at about a late third grade level. There's plenty of information to be had and an index to help keep track of it.
May 1, 2014
As with all of his books, the fascinating facts and superb photos make learning about such interesting animals as boodies, , bettongs, bilbies, potoroos, pademelons, dibblers, numbats, and dunnarts a lot of fun. Of course, he also has information about more well-known animals such as kangaroos, koalas and wombats.
February 4, 2010
wow he does it again with his photographs and words. I love the notes at the end that share the story behind the story. Having seen him in person this year and hearing how he sets up shop in his house with lizards and spiders and all kinds of creatures makes this book and his others just amazing.
wish-list
January 27, 2011Sarah Mulhern describes Nic Bishop's Marsupials as a "gateway book" in her review at The Reading Zone. I am trying to expand my horizons with more nonfiction, and this sounds like a great one.
June 24, 2011
Amazing photographs and detailed text make this not only a go-to resource but also a fun read for curious kids. As an adult I enjoyed learning about opossum, yapok, kangaroo (including tree kangaroo!), koala, numbat and many other types of marsupials. Includes index, glossary.
April 24, 2012
Award-winning photographer Nic Bishop's stunning photos of all kinds of exotic marsupials, as well as a visually engaging layout, make this book a great way to teach kids about these fascinating mammals.
October 22, 2013
The thing I liked the most about this book would have to be the pictures. The pictures were very good and very colorful. This book describes the fun and interesting facts about one of the more uncommon animals. This is a very good educational book for someone interested in such a topic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews