Summertime Sleepers
Animals That Estivate
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
A 2022 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
Everyone knows about animals that hibernate in the winter. But it's time to discover animals that sleep all summer long!
All science classrooms discuss animals that hibernate during winter months, but few know about animals that estivate--a prolonged sleep during hot or dry periods. Dual layers of text awaken readers to the reasons estivating animals become dormant--whether it's because warm weather threatens food supply or to avoid increased body temperatures. From the ladybug to the salamander, from the lungfish to the desert hedgehog, twelve estivating animals and their habits--both when sleeping and awake--are explained through clear text and elegant watercolor illustrations that create a scrapbook feel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This engaging nonfiction picture book instructs young readers on the opposite of wintry hibernation: summery estivation, a more recently discovered seasonal sleep cycle engaged in by certain animal and insect species, including convergent ladybugs, the African lungfish, and the pixie frog. Stewart's prose balances a conversational tone with easily absorbed facts about estivating beings across several continents ("At the first hint of summer, a yellowbellied marmot heads underground for some serious shut-eye"), with some pages including additional information in a smaller font. Inset diagrams with species details plus near-photorealistic illustrations by Brannen make the subject matter more accessible for visual learners. Budding biologists will especially appreciate this intriguing primer on a lesser-known process. Back matter includes more about the animals depicted, suggested further reading, author's and illustrator's notes, and selected resources. Ages 6–9.
