United States
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Everyone knows about animals that hibernate in the winter. But it's time to discover animals that sleep all summer long.
All science classrooms discuss animals that hibernate during winter months, but few know about animals that estivate – a prolonged sleep during hot or dry periods. Dual layers of text awaken readers to the reasons estivating animals become dormant – whether it's because warm weather threatens food supply or to avoid increased body temperatures. From the ladybug to the salamander, from the lungfish to the desert hedgehog, twelve estivating animals and their habits – both when sleeping and awake – are explained through clear text and elegant watercolour illustrations that create a scrapbook feel.
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than one hundred fifty science books for children. She holds degrees in biology and science journalism. Recent books include Seashells: More Than a Home, Feathers: Not Just for Flying; No Monkeys, No Chocolate; and Can an Aardvark Bark?
Sarah S. Brannen is the author and illustrator of Bear Needs Help, Madame Martine, and the illustrator of Feathers: Not Just for Flying; Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik; and At Home in Her Tomb: Lady Dai and the Ancient Chinese Treasures of Mawangdui.
"Hibernating in the summer is a thing for some animals, and Stewart, a science writer, hooks kids on the concept of estivation from page 1. Fun facts about the sleeping habits of a dozen animals like spotted turtles and desert hedgehogs help kids realize that nature is so cool. Brannen's watercolors depicting the species while active and at rest add to the wow factor."
– Parents Magazine
"Employing her splendid talent for making science cool, Melissa Stewart (Can an Aardvark Bark?) introduces young readers to creatures that go dormant not through the winter, but during the summer. [...] The illustrations are not only incredibly enjoyable, they're also accurate and informative. Summertime Sleepers is a gem that should spark children's interest in science, in the world around them and in the joy of learning. And what better bedtime reading than a book that features everyone sleeping?"
– Jen Forbus, freelancer
"Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen team up again in this dazzling picture book about the wonders of animals that sleep not through the winter, but through the summer."
– Shelf Awareness Reader, starred review
"[...] An attractive science book on an uncommon but interesting topic.
– Booklist
"[...] A well-crafted and attractive text for animal fans, and a suitable introduction to the scientific concept of estivation."
– School Library Journal
