Small Game (Outdoor Hunting Guide)

Gr 2-4-"Hunting is pursuing animals in nature. People hunt animals for food or sport." Like templates for Common Core instruction, these volumes survey their subjects with glances at history, techniques, and gear of their respective activities, along with profiles of the most common types of animals hunted and their habitats. They back up the informational content with color photos, discussions of responsible hunting or fishing, research suggestions for crafting a written report, brief mentions of relevant careers, and even generic but challenging recipes for turning game into roasts or other dishes. Supplementary audio, video, and other materials for each title are available on a dedicated website. The level of specific detail is thin, but the great diversity of the approaches used in this set certainly enhances its pedagogical potential. α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Skunks, woodchucks, squirrels, grouse, muskrat, beavers, mink—if you’re shooting at them, chances are you’re a small-game hunter. In this volume in the Outdoor Hunting Guide series, Gurtler sets up hunting as a peaceful tradition often passed down in families. Later, she dips into history with a look at Egyptians (among the first to consider hunting a sport) and American Indians, with whom the term game originated. Mostly, though, this tackles the nuts and bolts, including where to find animals, how to track them (nicely accompanied with paw-print photos), a horizontal spread of gear (including a beagle!), and five different categories of safety tips. Photos include both men and women, and subjects vary in age range all the way down to a small child holding a rifle with the help of his father. Not especially deep but a great place to start. Grades 5-8. --Daniel Kraus