Great Migrations at National Geographic

In case you haven’t “heard,” National Geographic Channel has a seven-part series coming in November called Great Migrations (links are no longer available). Affiliated with the television event are a number of educational opportunities you might want to investigate.

Accompanying the series is a children’s book, Great Migrations:  Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move by Elizabeth Carney.

Great Migrations contains the dramatic, stunning photographs you have come to expect from National Geographic. Each animal is given a four page spread. The first two pages are amazing scenes in vibrant color. The second two pages are facts about the migrations those animals take that includes a map of the region where the animals occur (geography lesson).

I do have one caveat. The font on these informational pages jumps around drastically in color and size, even within a paragraph. While this is eye-catching from a design point of view, on the other hand it is a real challenge for beginning and struggling readers to follow.

If you are going to watch the series and want to have a reference on hand to emphasize points or delve a bit further into details, then this book could be a useful tool. It will be sure to get children interested in learning more.

There is also an adult book, Great Migrations by K. M. Kostyal, which I haven’t seen yet.

This trailer to give you an idea what the series is like (may not be suitable for sensitive children):

Isn’t that stunning?

Note:  I’m sure there will be some scenes of predators capturing prey in the actual show, so it may not be suitable for young or highly-sensitive children.

More information:

Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (October 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426307004
ISBN-13: 978-1426307003

and

Great Migrations by K. M. Kostyal