Rabbits, Pikas, and Hares

by Sara Swan Miller

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0531116344
• ISBN13: 9780531116340
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Children's Press(CT)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.3" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 9 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 6

Customer Reviews

Interesting & Informative

This is a fine starter series for kids interested studying different animals. Rabbits, Pikas and Hares is our most recent read with the wonderful and interesting Animals in Order series. I have to say, my kids (and I) just can't get enough of these...they are such fun reading! What I like a great deal about this series (and it's held for more than 10 books now) is that it takes time at the beginning of the book to look at (briefly) what makes an animal (in this case a lagomorph) part of a particular species belong to a specific order, getting into what traits exactly (in this case) make an a mammal a lagomorph. The book then goes into the "order" of living things which details the kingdom, phylum and class , order, family and species (with a handy visual chart for reference, great for younger kids, so they can SEE how it works rather than just read it or have it read to them). This is one of the better features of this series and this exact text appears in each book. Next the author goes specifically into where lagomorphs fit into animal kingdom, breaking it down (in words and pictures again) to kingdom (animal), phylum (chordate), class (mammal) and order (lagomorphs). In this section we learn that there are approximately 28 different orders of mammals - and that lagomorphs make up ONE of orders (and that there are 80 species of lagomorphs...and they can be found on nearly every continent)! The book also talks a bit about where lagomorphs fit into food chain and where they can be found in habitats including; grasslands and woodlands, the far north, swamps and even in the desert. Rabbits, Pikas and Hares goes from there into an overview of fifteen species complete with full page, color photographs for each one, which really serve to bring the information to life. This section includes Family, Common Example, Genus and Species and Size for each lagomorph discussed and each animal is given one full page for written description and one full page COLOR photo...excellent for fully engaging the reader! Some of the lagomorph species included are: desert cottontail, snowshoe hare, American pika, royle's pika, mountain hare, black-tailed jack rabbit, volcano rabbit, and the collared pika. Overall, a fantastic way to introduce various types of lagomorphs to your curious young reader! What you get in Rabbits, Pikas and Hares is an excellent overview of lagomorphs. There is a short section at the end on the history of lagomorphs and people detailing briefly their history as a food source and as pets. As always with this series, I was pleased to find that at the end of the book the author/publisher also included a short recommended reading list and some really great web pages to do more research on...the kids in particular LOVED this! The books in this series would make a wonderful addition to a classroom library or as gifts for your favorite young reader who has a passion for animals; the information here is scientifically presented, accented with wonde