The prairie dogs built
Their homes in the ground.
And the grasses waved
All around, all around,
And the grasses waved all around.
For thousands of years, green and gold grasses covered North America from Canada to northern Mexico. The prairie and desert grasslands were home to a variety of animals, from small prairie dogs to huge bison. But in the 19th century, ranching and farming took hold in the grasslands. Over time, many of the animals and plants vanished.
Then, in the late 1980s, scientists discovered a region in Mexico where green and gold grasses still waved and prairie dogs still barked. The scientists understood the importance of this grassland ecosystem and the prairie dogs' key role in it. Could they now preserve the area and bring back its lost animals and plants?
As they have done in their Sibert Award-winning Parrots Over Puerto Rico and The Mangrove Tree, Cindy Trumbore and Susan L. Roth tell two compelling stories. A cumulative song plus factual text combine to celebrate North America's beautiful grasslands, their iconic prairie dogs, and the dedicated scientists who work to make the grasslands healthy again. The book includes reproducible sheet music for "The Prairie Dog Song," arranged by Cindy's daughter, the composer Dale Trumbore. A recording of the song featuring the All Children's Chorus of Annapolis and a music-only version will appear as free downloads on the Lee & Low website.
"Each double-page spread includes a collage, a verse from a cumulative song based on 'And the Green Grass Grew All Around,' and text detailing the evolving history and ecological significance of prairie dogs in North America. The clever layout makes this a book that can grow with its readers. For little ones, the large-print words of the song can be used along with the amazing artwork; older readers can move on to the highly informative, engaging narrative. . . . The entire book is a worthy work of science-and-arts integration. An inspiration."
--Kirkus, Starred Review
"The prairie, its life, its history, and its possible future are all discussed in this
beautifully rendered little book."-- Betsy Bird, School Library Journal
Winner, 2017 Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, Santa Monica Public Library
A selection of the Junior Library Guild
Starred reviews, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016
2016 Nonfiction Picture Books, School Library Journal
2016 Science and Nature Books for Kids, School Library Journal
2018–19 Grades 3-5 Master List, William Allen White Children's Book Award
Featured title, Booklist's Classroom Connections: Unearthing Science Standards
To inquire about speaking engagements for Ms. Trumbore and Ms. Roth, please contact Jennifer Khawam at Lee and Low (jkhawam@leeandlow.com, 212-779-4400 x32).
Prairie Dog Song by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore
Pub Date: April 2016
40-page hardcover, $18.95
Lee and Low Books
96 Madison Ave., Suite 1205
New York, NY 10016
ph 212-779-4400
ISBN-13 978-1-62014-245-5
text copyright (c) 2016 by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore
illustrations copyright (c) 2016 by Susan L. Roth
Illustrations posted courtesy of Lee & Low Books
All rights reserved
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