Fur and Feathers

by Janet Halfmann, Laurie Klein

Overview

When Sophia dreams that howling winds whisk the fur and feathers right off her animal friends, she shares some of her clothes with them. But her clothing doesn’t work well for the animals. Seeing their disappointment, she offers to sew each one the “right” coat. Animals line up to explain what they need and why. Polar Bear needs white fur to stay warm and hide in the snow. Fish needs scales, but with slime. Snake needs scales too, but dry ones. And how will Sophia make a prickly coat for Porcupine? The award-winning team of Halfmann and Klein (Little Skink’s Tail) reunite to bring animal coverings (and classification) to life in an imaginative way.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045518703
Publisher:	Arbordale Publishing
Publication date:	08/10/2010
Series:	Fur and Feathers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 9 Years

About the Author

Janet Halfmann (pronounced Howlf-mun) is the award-winning author of more than thirty fiction and nonfiction children’s books, including Home in the Cave, Fur and Feathers, and Little Skink’s Tail for Sylvan Dell. Other recent titles include Eggs: 1, 2, 3; Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish; Good Night, Little Sea Otter; Garter Snake at Willow Creek Lane; and Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story. Janet is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Before becoming a children’s author, Janet was a daily newspaper reporter, children’s magazine editor, and a creator of coloring and activity books for Golden Books. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of four. When Janet isn’t writing, she enjoys gardening, exploring nature, visiting living-history museums, and spending time with her family. She grew up on a farm in Michigan and now lives in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Laurie Allen Klein has been a freelance artist for nearly 25 years. Over the lastseveral years, she has worked as the on-staff artist for a marine park, where she does everything from painting life-size sea animal murals, to illustrating children's activity books. As evident by the extras included in the art, she has combined her love and fascination with outer space (and science fiction) with children’s illustration in both Solar System Forecast and Meet the Planets. Laurie also illustrated Fur and Feathers, Where Should Turtle Be?, Little Skink's Tail, and If a Dolphin Were a Fish for Sylvan Dell. Laurie lives in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

"Fur and Feathers is a creative picture book with a hands-on educational approach to the scientific classification of animals. - Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 1—Sophia dreams that a howling wind comes in and whisks away all the fur and feathers on the animals in the book she was reading. She tries to help them by sharing her clothes, but none of them suit the animals' needs. Then she decides to make new coats for them: scales for Snake, gray feathers for Duck, pins and needles for Porcupine, etc. The major problem with this book is that it hammers children over the head with its message of various animal coverings, and youngsters who are learning about the topic may be bored by this simplistic story. The book is wordy and tedious, and the illustrations and text do not flow together. The art is pleasant enough and does a good job of capturing the animals realistically, but there is nothing truly outstanding here. This volume doesn't seem to know if it's fiction or nonfiction, and it does not succeed as either one. Additional facts appear at the end, including information on scientific classification of animals.—Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL

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