hidden in plain sight

Hidden in Plain Sight

When I was young I often wished for clothing that resembled the woods

around my home, largely because I wanted to win at hide and seek. I so

wanted to be the last person found. Blending in with one's environment

can come in handy, particularly when someone wants to make a meal of

you. Camouflage is nature's way of hiding animals in plain sight.

While those stripes may make a tiger stand out in his/her zoo home,

they allow him/her to vanish in that stand of tall grass in the wild.

Whether it's zebra stripes, a body shaped like a stick, or fur that

changes color with the seasons, an animal's ability to camouflage

itself is an amazing adaptation. In this list you will find some books

that will help you uncover the mysteries of this art of disguise.

* Claws, Coats, and Camouflage: The Way Animals Fit Into Their World

by Susan Goodman - Using photographs and questions to get kids

thinking scientifically, this informative text looks at all the

different adaptations animals use to adapt to their surroundings,

stay safe, get food, and reproduce.

* The amazing Ruth Heller wrote a series of books that examined

camouflage across the animal kingdom. Titles in this series

include:

* How to Hide a Butterfly and Other Insects

* How to Hide a Crocodile and Other Reptiles

* How To Hide a Meadow Frog and Other Amphibians

* How to Hide an Octopus and Other Sea Creatures

* How to Hide a Polar Bear and Other Mammals

* What Color is Camouflage? by Carolyn Otto - This book in the Let's

Read-and-Find-Out Science series examines camouflage as an animal

defense. It also looks at how camouflage helps the predator.

* I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky - With watercolor paintings

that demonstrate what is described in the text, this book shows

readers how protective coloration, body shape, and seasonal

changes in fur help animals survive.

* Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed . . . and

Revealed by David Schwartz - I'm crazy about the work of David

Schwartz, so I was thrilled when this new title came across my

desk. In it, ten photographs hold artfully camouflaged creatures.

Can you find them? Lift the gatefold to find out. These amazing

images are accompanied by poems that offer clues to each animal's

identity and whereabouts.

* The Rainbow Tiger by Gayle Nordholm - When a tiger spies a peacock

and wishes to be more beautiful, she magically turns a rainbow

color. What will happen she loses her ability to disappear in the

bushes?

* Swimmy by Leo Lionni - This wonderful tale describes what happens

when a little black fish in a school of red fish figures out a

unique way to use camouflage to protect the group.

* We Hide, You Seek by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey - The animals in

this story have convinced rhino to play hide and seek. Now, he

must find them camouflaged in their natural habitats.

* Searchin' Safari: Looking for Camouflaged Creatures by Marc Nadel

- Kids will love this book as they head out on safari and journey

around the world to search for animals camouflaged in their

natural environments.

* Hidden Animals by Valerie Guidoux - This title from the Explore

Your World series introduces and explains seasonal changes in

animal color, fish and insects that look like plants, animals,

insects and fish that can quickly change color, and how animals

hide in plain sight.

* Clever Chameleon by Alison Lodge - Written in rhyme, this story

follows a group of animals as they play hide and seek. As the

story unfolds, readers will learn how animals hide and disguise

themselves in different surroundings. Children will also love

trying to find the clever chameleon hiding in each scene.

* Several books in the Animals Wise series (Picture Window Books)

discuss camouflage. Written by Patricia Stockland, appropriate

titles include:

* Pointy, Long, or Round: A Book About Animal Shapes

* Red Eyes or Blue Feathers: A Book About Animal Colors

* Stripes, Spots, or Diamonds: A Book About Animal Patterns

* Douglas Florian has produced many poetry books about animals, with

some of these poems focused on camouflage. In lizards, frogs, and

polliwogs you will find a poem called The Chameleon. In

insectlopedia you will find two poems. One is The Io Moth, the

other is The Walkingstick.

The Walkingstick

The walkingstick is thin, not thick,

and has a disappearing trick:

By looking like a twig or stalk,

It lives another day to walk.

This wraps up a lengthy series on animal adaptations. I hope you find

some useful resources here. If I've missed any of your favorites,

please let me know. I'd be happy to add them to the list.