Creep, Leap, Crunch! A Food Chain Story
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this nonfiction picture book, discover how the animal kindgdom's food chain takes shape, from the lowly worm to the mighty king of the jungle.
There was a blue sky with a bright shining sun,
A dazzling, life-giving, fiery sun.
The day had begun.
Follow along as a day in the life of the food chain begins. From the sun that shines upon the grass and trees to the animals that feed each other, each element in nature has its place. But what happens when the food escapes? This cumulative story will delight, with a surprise ending that all science lovers will enjoy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Earth's food chain begins "with the help of the sun,/ the glorious, life-giving, fiery sun," which helps plants create sustenance. Bright, sound-rich rhyming verse engages throughout as the sun rises, the day progresses, and Jensen Shaffer (Emergency Kittens!) works her way up the chain. Silas Neal (All's Right with the World) zooms in close to watch a cricket munching on plant life, and a page turn reveals a deer mouse eyeing the insect ("The mouse from the thicket/ gobbled the cricket"). Each new event joins earlier lines, cumulatively repeating those that describe the plants and the "glorious, life-giving, fiery sun." A milk snake rears up behind the mouse, a hawk pursues the snake, a fox stalks the hawk, and a bear follows the fox until "this day was now done." But capture isn't inevitable. "Some days," the prey escapes ("The cricket that's fast/ hops away from the mouse"), and final pages visualize this truth, underscoring the roles that chance and speed play in the natural world. In this useful look at the food chain, readers see predator and prey together but never the moment of devouring, making for a STEM portrait suited to even sensitive readers. Back matter provides more about the featured flora and fauna. Ages 4–8.
