This fantastic book proves that by combining nature, science and art you can provide an exciting teaching opportunity for everyone, even adults! The book I am featuring today is by the author and artist Margaret Waring Buck. The book is titled Animals Through the Year, published by Rand McNally, 1941.
Margaret Waring Buck was born in New York in 1905, she lived most of her life in Mystic, Connecticut, until her death in 1997. She was an illustrator and naturalist who produced several self-illustrated books about animals life in the wild. Her books included both black and white drawings and stunning colored images depicting animals amongst their native settings.
Her art shows a somewhat "humanized" version of animals interacting with each other. I happen to adore this type of art and love how she portrays the fox mother above. Do I see a bit of a smile on her face? The baby fox (kits) are patiently and cutely waiting for their dinner. Buck was careful about the details in her art and depicted the plants, insects and animals in their appropriate settings.
She supplied informative but uncomplicated text just right for a young naturalist beginning to learn about the subject. The background information for this particular book was gleaned from the Chicago Academy of Sciences and from exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
"Animals know about the Seasons---
The seasons of the year are just as important to animals as they are to us. Animals know that winter will be followed by spring. They know that in summer there is plenty of food. When autumn comes, they know that winter is on the way and they know what they must do to get ready for it. Animals Through The Year will tell you how twenty of the most common animals of North America live during the four seasons......"
Margaret Waring Buck
This wonderful book is available at CraveCute on Etsy.