How Do I
BLAST Elementary Thematic Program
Safari & Big Cats
(October and November 2010)
Wild Safari
Recommended for grades K-2
Grab your binoculars, fill up your canteen and join BLAST on a wild safari! We will explore the amazing animals of Africa through stories and informational books. Prepare to come face-to-face with some of the world's largest, fastest and most ferocious creatures. We'll even learn a little Swahili before returning to Pittsburgh!
Fiction and Informational Books:
Krebs, Laurie
We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey through Tanzania
Masai children and adults take a trek across Tanzania and count the animals and trees they find. Contains a full-color map of Tanzania and facts about the Masai people.
Richards, Jean
How the Elephant Got Its Trunk
Because of his curiosity about what the crocodile has for dinner, a little elephant and all elephants thereafter have long trunks. A retelling of the Rudyard Kipling Tale.
Gannij, Joan
Hidden Hippo
Enjoy a tour of the plains and rivers of Africa as you seek out the hippo.
Arnold, Caroline
A Zebra's World
Follow the black and white stripes of a baby zebra and discover what happens in a zebra's world.
Tourville, Amanda Doering
A Giraffe Grows Up
Examines a giraffe from infancy to adulthood.
Suen, Anastasia
A Hippopotamus Grows Up
Explains the life cycle of the hippopotamus.
Suen, Anastasia
A Lion Grows Up
Explains the life cycle of the lion.
Return to the topFerocious Felines
Recommended for grades 3-5
Informational books with vivid pictures will transport us to a world of paws and claws as we discover ferocious felines from around the world! These big cats are as different as the regions and climates they live in. Of course, cats will be cats and we may catch a few laying around for an afternoon nap. But just wait until you see what they can do when they're awake!
Fiction and Informational Books:
Joubert, Beverly & Dereck
Face to Face with Leopards
Have you ever been face to face with a leopard? Beverly and Dereck Joubert have. They've known one leopard since she was eight days old. And even though these clever cats are masters of camouflage, Beverly and Dereck always know where to find her.
Johns, Chris
Face to Face with Cheetahs
Have you ever been face to face with a cheetah? Chris Johns has. He has tracked a family of cheetahs for months across the blazing hot savanna. And then he sat in awe as one of the cubs actually came up and licked his hand - with a tongue as rough as sandpaper. Chris's close-up photographs let you see these cats as you've never seen them before. And he tells you what you can do to save cheetahs - the most endangered cats on Earth.
Joubert, Beverly & Dereck
Face to Face with Lions
Beverly and Dereck Joubert have faced down a lion who charged at them, watched in awe as hungry lionesses attacked a hulking buffalo, and laughed as a frisky lion cub learned to hunt by leaping on it's mother's head or ambushing her ear. Beverly's graphic and moving photographs and Dereck's exciting stories convey their love of these magnificent animals and this haunting landscape, and they will make you love them as well.
Barrett, Jalma
Lynx
Describes the lynx and its natural habitat, including physical traits, social life, survival instincts, birth and development, and interaction with humans.
Spilsbury, Richard
Animals Under Threat: Bengal Tiger
Discusses the plight of Bengal tigers and why they are near extinction, as well as some of the ways humans can help.
Stone, Lynn M.
Cougars
Describes the life cycle, habits, and endangered status of the animal known as the cougar, mountain lion, puma, or panther.
