A gentle read-aloud to help calm every young child's greatest fear.

Atop the rippling waves— the breeze ruffling his fluff— Loon Baby waits, alone, and wonders: Will his mother ever come back? With sensitivity and a spare prose, first-time author Molly Beth Griffin navigates the quiet panic that Loon Baby experiences in the absence of Mama. Anne Hunter’s soft cross-hatched and watercolor paintings shape a serene lake-scape with varied scenes that amplify and illuminate the emotion this book captures.

The nature of the common loon, from biology to behavior, from one of the world’s foremost observers of the revered waterbird Even those who know the loon’s call might not recognize it as a tremolo, yodel, or wail, and may not understand what each call means, how it’s made, and why. And those who marvel at the loon’s diving prowess might wonder why this bird has such skill, or where loons go when they must leave northern lakes in winter. For these and so many other mysteries, Loon Lessons provides evolutionary and ecological explanations that are curious and compelling. Written by one of the world’s foremost experts on the subject, the book is a compendium of knowledge about the common loon and an engaging record of scientific sleuthing, documenting more than twenty-five years of research into the great northern diver. James D. Paruk has observed and compared loons from Washington and Saskatchewan to the coasts of California and Louisiana, from high elevation deserts in Nevada to mountain lakes in Maine. Drawing on his extensive experience, a wealth of data, and well-established scientific principles, he considers every aspect of the loon, from its plumage and anatomy to its breeding, migration, and wintering strategies. Here, in the first detailed scientific account of the common loon in more than thirty years, Paruk describes its biology in an accessible and entertaining style that affords a deeper understanding of this beautiful and mysterious bird’s natural history and annual life cycle.

Mom and Dad Plus Baby Loon, written in rhyming form, introduces the reader to a loving loon family residing on a New Hampshire Lake. Bold colors and drawing style are used to illustrate Baby Loons transformation from a newly hatched chick to an independent young loon. His daily exploration of the lake with a lively mallard duck provide opportunities for interaction with other birds, animals, and people. The topics of the loon familys winter migration and the young loons pending independence are gently introduced to young readers. Though written and illustrated to appeal to young children, this book provides an enjoyable reading experience for all ages.

A new title in the acclaimed Nature Babies series from writer/photographer team Aubrey Lang and Wayne Lynch. Using simple and informative text, young readers learn about the first year in the lives of baby animals in the wild. In this new title in the series, animal lovers will discover the habitat, diet and early experiences of baby loons. Each book includes a "Did You Know" section, index and table of contents. Praise for the Nature Babies series: "...this series is uniquely useful and valuable because of its excellence and its focus on one species." --School Library Journal "...Nature Babies sparkle with clear, informative pictures...lively texts that invite repeated reading." --Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books

A mother and son enjoy a peaceful canoe trip until their dog's instinct to chase birds adds excitement to the trip. Includes information about loons and directions for making a loon mask.

A gorgeously illustrated, lyrical non-fiction picture book about loons. It’s summertime, and as darkness falls there is a haunting sound from the lake — Ooh-hoo-oo, ooh-hoo-oo. It is a loon calling to its family across the water. This lyrical story follows the life cycle of two loon chicks. We see them breaking out of their eggshells, then learning to swim, find food and avoid predators such as snapping turtles and big bass fish. After they learn to fly, they migrate to the ocean. And when their striking black-and-white feathers finally emerge, they fly inland, each to find a new lake territory and mate. Accompanying Susan Vande Griek’s poetic text are Karen Reczuch’s gorgeous illustrations, which show the loons as they grow from tiny downy chicks to majestic adult birds. An afterword provides more information on loons, including their amazing diving ability, the meanings of their calls, and the environmental threats that they face. Also illustrated are five different types of loons and other animals that can be found in their lake habitat. The illustrations were researched in the Ornithology Collections at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Ron Ridout of Bird Studies Canada consulted on the text. Key Text Features illustrations author’s note further reading labels Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).