Home Sweet Amazing Home (Little Acorns)

Hanging in a tree in a scorching-hot desert is a large, messy, grassy structure that looks like. . . . a haystack! This unusual nest may look rather untidy, but it has been carefully built by generations of weaver birds. These sparrow-sized birds live in large colonies, working together to create their giant nest from twigs and dry grass. A single nest may be home to 100 families! • Discover how the communal nest is made up of tiny tunnels that lead to each family's nest chamber. • See how the birds protect the entrances to their homes with sharp spikes of straw that keep out predators, such as snakes. • And learn how a weaver bird chick may grow up in the nest and then move into its own nesting chamber as a neighbor of its parents, once it is ready to raise its own family. Readers will enjoy learning about the unusual behavior of these sociable birds, and will love the close-up photos that show the birds' everyday lives and how they build their amazing home.

Crack! Smack! Whack! On a sandy beach, two hermit crabs are fighting over a large, empty snail shell. Why? Both crabs have outgrown their shells and their "homes" are starting to feel rather tight. In this book, readers will be astounded to learn that a hermit crab's shell is not actually attached to its body. Instead, these crabs have a hard exoskeleton on their front halves, but must find secondhand shells to cover their soft, unprotected abdomens. Learn all about the bodies of these fascinating crustaceans. • Watch as a crab explores its seashore habitat looking for a new, bigger home. • Discover what happens on "moving day" as a crab discards its old shell and moves into its latest find. • And be amazed to see a group of differently sized hermit crabs form a line to swap shells-each moving into the shell of its bigger neighbor! Readers will enjoy learning about the unusual behavior of these animals, and will love the close-up photos that show hermit crabs in search of their next home.

Splash! Dragging a young tree a beaver enters the water with some new building material for his dam. Using his powerful teeth, he cut down the slender tree trunk. Now he knows exactly where it will be placed in the ever-growing structure he is building with his mate. In this book, young readers will be introduced to this keystone species. Beavers build dams across rivers to make ponds where they can safely raise their young. As they do this, they create important wetland habitats where other animals and water plants can thrive. • Learn how a beaver's strong building instincts help it to create a dam. • See into the beaver family's lodge home with its secret, underwater entrance. • Meet the beaver couple's tiny kits and find out how the babies learn to swim and find food. Readers will be astounded by these clever animal builders and the amazing effect that their home sweet home can have on a wild habitat.

For a colony of green weaver ants, building nests is a family affair. Even the baby ants, or larvae, have work to do! These ants do not live underground. They make their home sweet amazing home in a tree. Working as a team, the colony stitches together leaves. But what do they use as thread? The silk that's produced by the colony's larvae. • Meet a green weaver ant colony, its queen, and the 500,000 busy workers. • Learn how the ants move from place to place foraging for food and build new homes wherever they settle. • And marvel at their leafy nests that look just like a patchwork quilt! Readers will be astounded by these clever animal builders and will love the beautiful, close-up photos that show these tiny insects at work.