Diane Swanson

Join the Gibson Park nature detectives—Lynn, Mike and Christie—as they explore the grasslands near town. With Christie's teenage brother, Tim, they make some exciting discoveries:
•  Sagebrush has hairy leaves that protect it from heat and cold.
•  Coyotes, hares and burrowing owls use burrows dug by badgers.
•  Grasshoppers can jump 20 times their length.
•  Meadowlarks build a grass roof over their ground nests.
•  Magpies collect shiny things.

The Gibson Park grassland detectives introduces readers to nature's great grasslands. It shows how plants and animals interact and adapt to the grassland. It also teaches how living things depend on non-living things, such as water, light and soil. 

The book also presents examples of grassland fossils, Indigenous peoples’ uses of grasslands and the ways people harm—and help—grasslands. By the end of the book, Lynn, Mike and Christie want to help care for the grassland near their town. They find a way. 

 

Reviews

"These are must-have resources for the classroom and for inspiring the next generation of environmental champions and green leaders!" - Canadian Teacher Magazine

Series & Educator Information
The Nature Detectives Series is a set of five books. Each book introduces children to one of five fascinating ecosystems designed to address the grades 2 to 4 learning standards in the BC Science curriculum.

Each book introduces children to one of five fascinating ecosystems. The books show how plants and animals interact and adapt themselves to their environment. They show how living things depend on non-living things, such as water, light, and soil. The books also present examples of fossil life, Indigenous peoples’ uses of plants and animals in each ecosystem, and the ways people harm — and help — ecosystems. By the end of each book, readers will have a new appreciation for an important ecosystem.

Each text includes a glossary, index, and information about:

• the diversity of plants and animals in an ecosystem
• how plants and animals have adapted themselves to their environment
• how plants and animals interact with each other
• the life cycles of specific plants and animals
• fossil records of plants and animals
• the causes and effects of extinction and endangerment of plants and animals
• Indigenous peoples’ uses of plants and animals

Teacher's Guides for each of the books in this series are also available.

Additional Information
46 pp. softcover, full-colour illustrations

The Kingfisher Camp River Detectives shows how plants and animals interact and adapt themselves to the river. It shows how living things depend on non-living things, such as water, light, sand and gravel. Young children will take delight in discovering that;
Black cottonwood trees thrive in damp riverbanks.
Belted kingfishers dive into rivers after fish.
Quartz in river sandstone is harder than a knife blade.
Bears beat paths to waterfalls to catch salmon.
The book also presents examples of river fossils, First Nations' uses of river life and the ways people harm and help the river.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of The Nature Detectives Series.

Join nature detectives Amy, Edward and Jill as they explore the wetlands near town. With their families, who are neighbours on Sixth Street, they make some exciting discoveries:

• Water lilies breathe through pores on the tops of their leaves.
• Duckweed is the world’s smallest flowering plant.
• Cattail colonies make good homes for many animals.
• Water striders walk across water.
• Muskrats build their houses from mud and stems.

The Sixth Street Wetland Detectives introduces readers to nature's wonderful wetlands. It shows how plants and animals interact and adapt to the wetland.  It also teaches how living things depend on non-living things, such as water, light and soil. 

The book also presents examples of wetland fossils, Indigenous peoples’ uses of wetlands and the ways people harm—and help—wetlands. By the end of the book, Amy, Edward and Jill want to help care for the wetland near their town. They find a way. 

Series & Educator Information
The Nature Detectives Series is a set of five books. Each book introduces children to one of five fascinating ecosystems designed to address the grades 2 to 4 learning standards in the BC Science curriculum.

Each book introduces children to one of five fascinating ecosystems. The books show how plants and animals interact and adapt themselves to their environment. They show how living things depend on non-living things, such as water, light, and soil. The books also present examples of fossil life, Indigenous peoples’ uses of plants and animals in each ecosystem, and the ways people harm — and help — ecosystems. By the end of each book, readers will have a new appreciation for an important ecosystem.

Each text includes a glossary, index, and information about:

• the diversity of plants and animals in an ecosystem
• how plants and animals have adapted themselves to their environment
• how plants and animals interact with each other
• the life cycles of specific plants and animals
• fossil records of plants and animals
• the causes and effects of extinction and endangerment of plants and animals
• Indigenous peoples’ uses of plants and animals

Additional Information
46 pp. softcover, full-colour illustrations

Diving, flipping, flying - bats can catch hundreds of mosquitoes an hour. There are a thousand different kinds of bats in the world, each with a strange collection of talents. They can swim, paddling with their wings. Some can even walk on their wrists! This book is an amazing look at the mammal with wings.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Bears are amazing animals. This book captures them through color photographs and intriguing information by Diane Swanson. Polar bears can ski - scooting down slopes on all four feet, Grizzlies can run faster that cars are allowed to travel in towns, Lazy black bears sometimes fish lying down - they dangle a paw in the water and when a fish swims by, they scoop it out.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

The world of beavers is world of teeth - four amazing front teeth that are constantly growing. Strong as chisels, the teeth allow beavers to eat bark, twigs, and leaves. The teeth are even strong enough to chomp through a thick trunk - no saws required!

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

A coyote's keen senses help it survive. With eyes that can spot the smallest movement, ears that can hear the faintest rustle, and legs designed for racing, it's no wonder some coyotes live to be more than 10 years old. These adaptable canines communicate by howling, and those who live in cities even respond to the sirens of fire trucks.

This book explores the lives of clever coyotes at work and at play. Did you know coyotes are often spotted at golf courses, cemeteries and parks? Sometimes even in your own backyard! Or that they aren't fussy eaters and will eat practically anything including grass, nuts, insects, skunks, fish, and birds? Did you know coyotes can reach speeds of 65 kilometres an hour?

Explore these cunning yet playful creatures in Diane Swanson's latest addition to the Welcome to the World series. Learn about coyote habits, food, and what they do for fun. With colorful photographs and inviting text, children are sure to enjoy discovering the world of coyotes.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Flying far is what eagles love to do! In fact, some fly all the way from Mexico to the Arctic. In these pages award-winning author Diane Swanson straps on her feathers to find these amazing facts:
- See-through eyelids protect eagles' eyes.
- Eagles can kill prey four times heavier than themselves.
- One bald eagle nest weighed as much as a minivan.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

What talents! Foxes can smell a rabbit hours after one has hopped by. Some can grip floating logs and "sail" to nearby islands. Gray foxes can even climb trees! If you thought a fox was just another pretty face, this book proves otherwise. From the frozen Arctic to the sweltering desert, Diane Swanson checks into these savvy animals and discovers the amazing things they do.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Some frogs leap and swim, while others hop along the ground. The warty northern cricket frog skips across the surface of a pond in a few leaps. Tree frogs can climb, thanks to their sticky toes. Frogs and toads do so many astonishing things - sing, change colors, and catch insects with their tongues. They make their homes in the tops of trees, beneath the ground and in ponds everywhere. Find out more inside this book.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Did you know there are approximately 340 different kinds of hummingbirds, some as light as a penny? These champion acrobats of the sky can beat their wings more than 40 times a second, fly backward and even hover in midair, like helicopters. Since it's much easier to hear hummingbird wings than see them, just follow the hum to find the birds.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Plunk a penny on a sea otter and you cover about 250,000 hairs - sea otters have the thickest fur in the world. In Welcome to the World of Otters, you'll find amazing facts just like this one on every page. Diane Swanson reveals how river otters dive without a splash and how snoozing sea otters anchor themselves with kelp. Did you know that river otters often play hide and seek in the snow? Under water and on land, this is an exciting look at the splashing, diving, sliding life of otters.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Owls are a hoot! Whether they're hunting in the forest or hiding in a prairie burrow, these birds are full of tricks. Did you know that burrowing owlets can imitate rattlesnakes to scare away their enemies? Or that saw-whet owls can throw their voices from tree to tree, like ventriloquists? From hoots to spooks, Diane Swanson reveals the mischievous world of owls in the wild.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Watch out! With 30,000 quills, the porcupine is one sharp animal. But prickles aren't the only interesting thing about this creature. Did you know that porcupines are born with all their quills? Or that they clatter their teeth, warning enemies to stay away? To discover more, flip through Welcome to the World of Porcupines - but look out for the quills!

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index

Rabbits and hares may seem like cute and fluffy animals in storybooks, but they are amazing creatures. Did you know: Rabbits may play dead to fool animals that are chasing them? A mother rabbit can have up to twelve babies at once? A racing snowshoe hare could jump the length of two beds end to end? All of this information and more can be found in this exciting book.

Educator & Series Information
Includes a table of contents, index, sidebars, and full of extraordinary photography throughout.

This book is part of the Welcome to the World Series that introduces children to a variety of animals in the wild through colour photographs, lively descriptions, and amazing facts.

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.00" x 8.00" | colour photos throughout, index