A Walrus' World
On an ice floe in the Arctic, a baby walrus is born. He snuggles under his mother's flipper. In a few days, he will be ready to dive into the icy ocean and ride on his mother's back. Walruses spend most of their lives at sea. Dive into this book and find out what happens in a walrus' world.
A readable and lively text provides a close-up look at these Arctic swimmers. Cut paper illustrations by the author help tell the tales of these amazing animals and the world in which they live.This picture book follows a baby walrus from birth through the first two years of its life. It shows walruses in their natural home along with other animals that share their environment. This book can be read aloud to younger children or an older child can read it alone.
Sidebars on each page spread expand information in the text. Back matter includes a map of where walruses live, fun facts, a glossary and index, and a guide to websites appropriate for the age group.
To purchase a fine art print or card of one of the illustrations from A Walrus' World, go to www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt.
For a preview of the book, click here .
Walrus Activities
SeaWorld's teacher guides include classroom activities that help children learn about the features of a walrus and demonstrate how its large size helps it stay warm. Click HERE for an activity for grades 4-8 that uses peanut butter to test whether objects lose heat faster in water or in air. Click HERE for a singing activity about walruses for grades K-3. Walrus Coloring PageHow big is a baby walrus? Click here for a printable picture of a mother and baby walrus.
You can learn about walruses and other mammals of the sea in these books by Caroline Arnold:
When springtime rolls around in the Arctic, walrus herds begin to move south toward the northern Alaskan coastline to spend the summer. There are "two main groups-Pacific and Atlantic," but this book is about the Pacific group. A walrus herd can consist of a handful of animals or can have "more than 1,000 walruses in it." Somewhere along this journey a female walrus will leave the water and climb "onto an island of floating ice" to give birth to her little baby. This baby, called a calf, is quite large in comparison to a human child and can weigh up to a whopping 160 pounds. The mother will nuzzle and nurse her calf for a few days and then it's time to enter the water. When the calf becomes tired it can easily catch a ride on its mother, who, after a few days, "will join a group of other walrus mothers and their babies."
The foods of choice for a walrus would be things such as ocean shellfish, worms and every now and then a seal. As large as they are, these creatures are not immune from becoming a tasty snack for the polar bear and must remain on the alert. "Awk! Awk!" Sometimes the herd needs to enter the water, not to find food, but to prevent being lunch. Physically the walrus is easy to identify because of their magnificent and unusual tusks, but there are many things this equally magnificent book will teach you. You will learn about their habitat, where they live, what they eat, their physical characteristics, their animal class, their scientific name, how they raise their young, how long they live and many other interesting facts. Did you know that the males of the species actually sing? They do!
This is one in a series of twelve books in the "Caroline Arnold's Animals" series, each one seemingly more impressive than the last. This book was well written and researched and the cut paper collage meshed very nicely with the text. The artwork was particularly appealing and made this massive animal actually look cuddly and quite loveable. I like the way the book wove factual material into the text, which was nicely presented in what I would call a storybook form. This book can be read as a story to children who can readily absorb a lot of information. This would make an excellent read aloud and discuss book in the classroom setting or could easily be used as a stepping stone for a report. There are numerous informative sidebars scattered throughout the book. In the back of the book is a world map that indicates where the walruses live, some "Walrus Fun Facts," an index, a glossary and additional recommended books and internet resources (Fact Hound). This is one interesting book you might want to consider adding to your homeschool or library shelves! Reviewed by Deb Fowler
Arctic mammals are especially fascinating to children. This book series explores these mammals from birth through their first year of life. The books were written with ages 5 to 7 and grades K to 2 in mind, but older and younger children will also enjoy this series.
Each book in this series focuses on one arctic mammal and follows it, in its natural habitat, from birth through the first year of life. Sidebars, fun facts, and maps are scattered throughout each book. Also included is a glossary, an index, a list of safe websites to explore at Fact Hound, and a map of where the animals live in the world. Included at the very beginning of the book is a listing of where the animal lives, its habitat, food, length and weight, animal class, and scientific name. Other plants and animals that would be in the animal's habitat are identified.
A wildlife biologist served as a consultant on this book, and the facts scattered throughout are fascinating. For instance, at birth a baby walrus weighs between 100 and 160 pounds and is 4 to 5 feet long (essentially the size of a person). When it's full grown, it may weigh 2700 pounds and be from 10 to 12 feet long if male and weigh 2000 pounds and be between 8 and 9 feet long if female. Adult walruses eat up to 100 pounds of food per day, and in its first year of life, a walrus grows 4 to 5 inches per month. Male walruses sing songs to females, and they are so loud they can be heard 10 miles away. A walrus skin can be up to 4-inches thick, and its scientific name means toothed walker.
The author uses her characteristic cut-paper illustrations, with no photos or actual pictures. While they are art, they are still accurate and appealing. I still found myself longing for a "real" picture of a walrus, but this was not enough to detract from my overall recommendation. This book is very interesting, filled with loads of information, and is highly recommended. Reviewed by Jacqueline Pfeiffer