Ghost of Donley Farm, The

Rebecca, the red-tailed hawk, is not afraid of ghosts! One night, she bravely ventures into the barn to meet the famous ghost of Donley Farm. But when she finally meets him, Rebecca is surprised to discover that this “ghost" is much more familiar than she’d expected.Â Join Rebecca as she stays up late to talk with her new friend and find out what they have in common and how they are different.

This fictional story includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 34-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. The Ghost of Donley Farm is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The interactive ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension.

Written by Jaime Gardner Johnson, Illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein
32 pg, 10 x 8.5, Ages 4-8, Grades K-3, Lexile: AD 750, F&P: N

Reviews:

A solid tale about two birds of prey that seamlessly blends in learning. - Kirkus Reviews

The book presents facts in an interesting way; the slightly larger font makes the text easier for emergent readers. Full-color illustrations give good visual support to the facts being presented. - Library Media Connection

The Ghost of Donley Farm is a storybook about a hawk's encounter with an owl, whose keen vision, skillful hunting ability, and white feathers against the moonlight have given it a reputation as a ghost! - Midwest Book Review

Author/Illustrator Info:

Award-winning illustrator Laure Allen Klein’s Dolphins: Learned Behaviors is the first book she has both written and illustrated. Laurie has been a freelance artist for over 30 years, working with a variety of education teams at zoos, marine parks and aquariums creating life-size animal murals, animal ID art, camp field guides, activity books, and posters. Laurie has illustrated The Pangolin Revelation, The Long and Short Tail of Colo and Ruff, Dear Komodo Dragon, Saving Kate's Flowers, Balloon Trees, Fur and Feathers, The Ghost of Donley Farm, If a Dolphin Were a Fish, Little Skink's Tail, Meet the Planets, Solar System Forecast, They Just Know, and Where Should Turtle Be? for Arbordale. Laurie lives in Florida. See more of her artwork at www.lauriekleinarts.com.

Jaime Gardner Johnson is a ninth grade English teacher and former director of education at Brukner Nature Center. As a life-long nature lover, she has worked with rehabilitation centers for both raptors and other wildlife. Jaime lives with her husband and son in Kamuela, Hawaii, where they enjoy hiking in the volcanic hills in search of pueo owls. The Ghost of Donley Farm is her debut picture book.