What Can Live in a Lake?

By: Sheila Anderson
Publisher: Lerner Classroom
Publication Date: August 2010
ISBN: 978-0761356776
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 2010

A lake is a body of water that is a habitat. A habitat is “where plants and animals live.” You can see a turtle sunning himself on an old rotting log that has fallen in a lake. Animals that live in lakes “have special adaptations” in order to help them live in lakes. If you look at a fish they have fins for swimming and gills that “let them breathe underwater.” If you look at the feet of a duck you can easily see that they have webbed feet so they can “paddle through the water.” If you look at the curly shaped shell of the snail you realize that it is used for its protection.

Birds also have adaptations that help them to survive. The gulls have “sharp, curved bills to eat fish.” The unusual looking pelican has a pouch under its bill so it can carry fish. Beavers use their “sharp front teeth to cut branches” they use to build dens. In this book you will learn how herons adapt, how water striders are able to “skate on top of the water,” the unusual way an alligator snapping turtle uses its tongue, how clams use their shells for protection and camouflage, why water boatmen carry air bubbles, how the leeches’ color protects them, you’ll learn a bit about tadpoles, the webbed feet of frogs, and what beavers do with their tails when they are threatened.

This is an excellent book to learn about the lake habitat and how animals have adapted to their environment. The numerous full-color photographs are very appealing and will draw even the most reluctant reader through these pages. The large print, simple sentences, and accompanying photographs make this book perfect for the emergent reader. Difficult words such as “adaptations” are highlighted in bold throughout the text. I especially liked the variety of animals presented in their natural habitat, the lake, in these pages. In the back of the book are some “Fun Facts,” an index, and a glossary.

Quill says: If you are planning on having a unit on animal sciences and want to do one on animal adaptations, this would be a fun, first step toward nonfiction for your youngest students!