Jim Arnosky

"I'm a turkey, they call me Tom. / I got a turkey dad and a turkey mom." So begins the rhyming, sing-song narrative of this picture book from author / illustrator Jim Arnosky, who has created more than one hundred works of natural history for children. The simple text describes meleagrine life, from living in a large flock to peeping, squawking and gobbling to communicate, taking flight (yes, turkeys fly!) to hiding from predators...

Published in 2009, I'm a Turkey is the forty-eighth book I have read from Arnosky (what can I say? I'm a fan), and is a departure from many of his other titles that I have previously encountered. Although still informative on a basic level—readers and listeners will learn some basic facts about turkeys—it feels much more like a book just for fun, than many of its creator's other titles. Which isn't to say that his other books aren't entertaining—some of the early Crinkleroot books feel almost like ecological fairy-tales—just that this has a somewhat silly, lighthearted feeling absent from most of the other Arnosky books I have encountered. Apparently the words to the book came to the author while he was studying turkeys in the wild, and he even created a song to go along with them, which was once downloadable from the Scholastic site, and which can now be purchased from Arnosky on this site. Recommended to little turkeys, and to anyone seeking lighthearted picture books for young animal lovers.… (mais)

All is peaceful in a desert canyon in this lovely picture book for younger children, as the wren makes her nest in a cactus, a cottontail hare hops about and a covey of quail move quietly through the prickly pears. All that changes with the advent of four young coyotes, intent on having fun and frightening the other residents of Cactus Canyon. It is only when this coyote raid encounters a rattlesnake that they realize they aren't the scariest creatures around...

Talented and prolific author/illustrator Jim Arnosky has created many wonderful works of natural history for children, from informational books like those in his All About series, to more fanciful titles such as those about Crinkleroot, that grandfatherly guide to the wild who was raised by bees. He has also created a number of engaging picture books for younger children, featuring simple stories about animals in the wild. Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon is an example of this latter type, pairing a brief but engaging text with beautiful artwork depicting the animals being described. Recommended as an introduction for younger children—I would say between four and seven years old—to the kind of desert ecosystems one would find in the American southwest.… (mais)

The immensely talented author/illustrator Jim Arnosky, known for his many wonderful works of natural history for children, turns in this picture book to the topic of animal tracks, and how to recognize them. He devotes sections to deer family tracks, tracks of other hoofed animals, bear tracks, small animal tracks, feline tracks, canine tracks, and reptile and bird tracks. A general discussion of these tracks is followed by pages showing life-sized reproductions, some of them requiring fold-out pages...

The forty-sixth book I have read from this prolific creator, Wild Tracks!: A Guide to Nature's Footprints is immensely engaging, pairing an informative text with lovely artwork. I appreciated the life-sized reproductions of each track discussed, and think the fold-out pages (there are four) will make the reading process more entertaining for younger readers. This book was referenced in the back matter of Mia Posada's excellent Who Was Here?: Discovering Wild Animal Tracks, and I can definitely see why, as it is both educational and fun. Readers should be aware that it is focused on North American animals, something that should have been mentioned in the book's description, and was that. Leaving aside that critique, provided one is aware of this focus, it is one I would heartily recommend to all young animal and nature lovers.… (mais)