Summary: This book demonstrates the diverse habitats that exist all over the world. It is drawn in the style of a patchwork quilt, hence the name.

Personal reaction: I enjoyed this book, because I know that just about any book relating to animals is usually a bit hit with children.

Classroom extensions: I think it would be fun to make a "habitat of your room." We could show two rooms....one COMPLETELY messy and one neater and better put together. Both with the same things, toys, bed, but one organized and one not. Ask the kids, "Which habitat would YOU prefer?"

Make a real habitat for a rabbit. Grass, carrots, sticks. Put it in a sturdy box.

A beautifully illustrated introduction to habitats, ecosystems, the food web, and biodiversity. ( )

Do you know what a habitat is? Can you guess how a habitat is like a patchwork quilt? A habitat is an area where plants and animals live together. A patchwork quilt has many pieces that fit together, and nature has many different habitats all pieced together. With a brief, simple text, author Mary Miche discusses different kinds of habitats, such as forests, deserts, prairies, oceans, seashores, lakes and ponds, Arctic and high mountain regions, rainforests, towns and cities, and ranches and farms. As she does so, she also explains various ecology-related words like interdependence, niche, food chain, adaptations, food web, survival mechanisms, biodiversity, domestication, and extinction. What is your favorite habitat?

Illustrator Consie Powell uses folk-art style pictures of animals and plants, drawn in the fashion of patchwork quilts, to convey the beauty and diversity that are found in these habitats all over the world. The two do an excellent job of introducing environmental concepts to children in an easy-to-understand and age-appropriate way. The book has a couple of pages in the back with “Tips from the Author” on how to use it in an educational way with fun suggestions that pertain not only to science, but also to art, math, and history. In addition, at the publisher’s website there are free downloadable resources and activities for parents, teachers, and librarians. Pages 26 and 27 picture 21 famous environmentalists from the Earth Heroes book series by Dawn Publications, and students might do further research to learn more about some of them. Nature’s Patchwork Quilt would be very useful in nature studies. ( )

Review to follow - having a mini read-a-thon of children's books trying to get Mt TBR down and clear out my iPad kindle box ( )