Octopuses

by Anna Claybourne

Overview

In Octopuses, readers will discover the special abilities that these amazing animals have adapted to help them survive in their wild environment, what humans have trained them to do using their special skills and intelligence, and where their abilities are vastly superior to our own. Did you know that an octopus can squeeze through a hole almost as small as its own eyeball, or that they are amazing camouflage and escape artists? The book also looks at how we have used technology to recreate octopuses' abilities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781410952479
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Series:	Animal Abilities
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.69(w) x 10.38(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	NC990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Anna Claybourne enjoys writing nonfiction for children. It's a good thing she does, because she's the author of well-over 100 books on a range of topics.

Table of Contents

Contents Meet the octopus 4 Being an octopus 6 Octopus bodies 8 Octopus brains and senses 10 In disguise 12 Learning 14 Solving problems 16 Sneaky tricks 18 Having fun 20 Humans and octopuses 22 Octopus science 24 Copying the octopus 26 The amazing octopus 28 Glossary 30 Find out more 31 Index 32

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2013
Gr 3–5—The animals featured in this series don't just have abilities: they have superpowers. For example, orcas use their tails to zoom at speeds of more than 30 miles per hour. Rats use their tails to balance along rooftops. And octopuses have nifty color-changing skills. Readers are invited to imagine how they would use these abilities. The texts move along at a fast clip, dispensing all sorts of interesting facts, such as that elephants and orcas form matriarchal societies, and scientists think some dogs can count from one to five. The facts are backed up with explanations of how scientists find out their information. For example, researchers used magnets to discover that magnetite in bats' bodies works with the Earth's magnetic field to guide them. A few words will be a challenge for the intended audience ("barbastelle bats," "pheromones," "echolocation," etc.). Captioned photos, diagrams, text boxes, and charts help to keep the texts engaging. Solid choices for beginning researchers.

School Library Journal

The pages are filled with numerous colored photographs giving readers a close-up look at the animals. Text boxes are filled with facts throughout, breaking up the writing into digestible segments. Younger readers will need assistance, but will find much to enjoy in the series; older readers will find good information for reports.

Library Media Connection