This week we are featuring three books from our series “What on Earth is a….” Recently when updating our Junior Non Fiction Dewey Decimal numbers 550-599, we chose to move this series to our slat wall for more student engagement with these books.  The covers are bright and the images are interesting to say the least.  They tend to make the reader really consider, “What on Earth is that?”  

Our first book is “What on Earth is a Chuckwalla?”  Written by Edward R. Ricciuti. When reading this book we learn that a chuckwalla is a miniature dinosaur look alike that has scales.  They tend to be chubby, have a large head, small in stature and have a belly that is puffy.  The skin is droopy around its neck and shoulders and the tail is long.  They tend to live in sandy, rocky habitats in North America, South America, and the surrounding islands of these continents.  They are a member of the lizard family and are referred to as an iguana.  

Chuckwallas tend to be dark in color and have spots on them that are red, yellow, or gray.  A giant Chuckwalla can be 2 feet long.  This animal is only a plant eater and is often attracted to yellow flowers, especially the prickly pear cactus. 

Book number two is “What on Earth is a Hyrax?”  Written by Edward R. Ricciuti. A Hyrax is a mammal that has hair and gives birth to its young.  There are Rock, Bush, and Tree Hyraxes.  These animals tend to get mixed up with rodents, rabbits, and even shrews.    They have teeth that are shaped like tusks and their feet act like suction cups. Their size varies from four to ten pounds. They are gray, brown, and black colored and live in family groups made up of more than a dozen of them.  

Hyraxes have a special gland that releases a stinky odor. Young Hyraxes can be found riding on their mothers backs. 

Book Three is “What on Earth is a Sea Squirt?”  written by Jenny Tesar. Sea Squirts tend to look like small grapes. They attach themselves to rocks on the bottom of the sea. They come in a various colors from bright red, orange and blue to pale gray. They are found all over the world. 

Sea Squirts filter the water around them and eat tiny particles they remove from the water. They do not have sense organs like eyes or ears. They are very sensitive to touch however.  

Come on up to the Henning Public School library and check out all the fascinating books in this series!  

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-5:30 p.m. following the school calendar.