Written by Jennifer Keats Curtis
Photographs by Various Rescuers

Written by Marianne Berkes
Illustrated by Rebecca Dickinson

Written by Mary Alice Monroe
Photographs by Barbara J. Bergwerf

Home to native as well as exotic animals, zoos are amazing places to see and learn about different kinds of animals from here and abroad. Some are plentiful while others may be on the verge of extinction. Zookeepers not only feed and care for these animals, they may also be helping to conserve and protect a whole species. In this photographic journal, follow the extraordinary duties of these unusual animal helpers.

FCM thoughts:
Compare and Contrast the Animals
How Do Animals Get Hurt?
Taking Care of Dangerous Animals
Animal True or False

key phrases for educators: compare/contrast, EE, threatened or endangered animals        

Polly 'Possum is looking for a new home to raise her expected babies. Along the way, she meets a wide variety of diurnal and nocturnal forest-living animals. She learns how they build and live in webs, nests, hives, shells, burrows, lodges, dens, caves, dreys, and even hollows. While those homes are perfect for those animals, they aren’t right for her. How does Polly find a home and will she find it in time?

FCM thoughts
Animal Homes (general) Match the Animal Homes (include how animals change environment and use plants)
Diurnal or Nocturnal?
Polly's Forest Map

Key phrases for educators: compare/contrast, animal homes, interaction plants, diurnal/nocturnal, map

The colorful flowers in Mama’s garden reveal a hungry caterpillar. “What is this? Does it sting, does it bite?” Nana Butterfly will know just what to do. With a little help from Mama, and plenty of milkweed, watch the caterpillar transform into a chrysalis, and then into a beautiful butterfly.

FCM thoughts
Monarch Life Cycle Sequencing, Vocabulary Matching Activity, Monarch Generations and Migrations and Raising Monarchs

Key phrases for educators: Life cycle, metamorphosis, plant-animal interaction, sequencing, compare and contrast

Written by Kevin Kurtz
Illustrated by Erin E. Hunter

Travel deep into the ocean way below the surface and you’ll encounter some creatures you never knew existed! This book takes you on a journey through the dark depths of the sea towards the ocean floor. Most ecosystems need sunlight, but deep in the ocean where the sun doesn’t shine animals have adapted some very interesting ways to see, protect themselves, and eat. Discover the unique habitats, adaptations, and food chains of these deep sea creatures.

FCM thoughts:
Deep Sea Habitats (5 zones) Matching
Deep Diving and Pressure
Bioluminescence
Build a submersible (STEM)

key phrases for educators: adaptations, compare/contrast animals, (deep ocean) habitat, interconnectedness, life science, living/non-living, ocean landform, rhyme or rhythm, water features

Step back in time and follow dinosaur tracks around the world. Whether made by a few dinosaurs or large groups, these tracks provide clues to the movement and behavior of these lovable ancient creatures. What dinosaurs made the tracks and what do scientists think they were doing when they made them? The author tells the story in rhythmic rhyme that can be sung to the tune of Over the River and Through the Woods.

FCM thoughts:
Dinosaurs
Tracks in the World
You be the scientist;
Fossils and Tracks (Make Your Own Tracks) (identify fossils with pieces of plants or animals versus “trace” fossils

key phrases for educators: fossils, extinct, maps, rhyme & rhythm         

When a young child decides to build a fort in the backyard, Grandpa comes forward to help. But they can’t do it alone—they get help from the six simple machines: lever, pulley, inclined plane, wheel and axle, screw, and wedge. Told in cumulative rhyme, similar to The House That Jack Built, readers follow the building process to completion and discover the surprise reason it was built.

FCM thoughts:
Simple Machines
Math and Measuring Tools
Hands On: Building a Fort

key phrases for educators: simple machines, tools, measuring, STEM activity     

Written and Illustrated by Samantha Bell

After begging for a pet, a child finally gets a "yes."Now it's time to select the perfect pet, but what will it be? Starting with the Kingdom Animalia, the child walks through the various animal classifications trying to choose the best one. Jellyfish are clean, but Mom says to pick a vertebrate. Reptiles and amphibians are out, and birds and fish are soon off the list. That leaves mammals, but which one? An elephant won't fit through the door, and a tiger would be too hard to walk. What's a child to do?.

FCM thoughts:
Animal Classification
Compare and Contrast the Animals

key phrases for educators: animal classification, adaptations, compare and contrast, rhyme and rhythm