A review by missyp
Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking by Elin Kelsey

4.0

Who knew? I have something in common with pigeons; we both procrastinate! Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking highlights the problem-solving skills of various animals, with the idea that we can learn from nature (and sometimes nature learns from us!). Walking the line between nonfiction and picture book, Wild Ideas offers rich language for read-aloud. "All around you creatures seek solutions/Pigeons procrastinate/Bees calculate/Elephants innovate/Bears keep count." Illustrator Seoyon Kim offers colorful multimedia collages that combine whimsy and realism. This book would be a great start to an interesting journey of learning. For example, after reading that "a dozen humpback whales blow a fine net of bubbles to trap tasty fish./Pop!/Pop!/Pop!/Gulp!," readers could watch a PBS video demonstrating this cooperative feeding technique. Each two page spread offers opportunity for careful looking, conversation, and additional exploration.