Salamander Sky

Every spring in the eastern region of the United States, warmer nights with steady rain bring the migration of thousands of spotted salamanders to ponds and pools, often across busy roads. These crossings are magical, and secretive—most people don't even know they happen. Salamander Sky features a mother and daughter who go out on a rainy night to help the salamanders cross the road safely. This dramatic, full-color, picture book introduces readers to the elusive spotted salamanders and the perilous nighttime journeythey take each spring. Amphibians worldwide desperately need protection. This book is a valuable tool for getting children engaged in conservation.

For Educators/Parents/Guardians/Librarians/Booksellers

Salamander Sky:

• targets many of the Next Generation Science Standards for elementary school students, including life cycles, wetland habitats, diversity, adaptations and human impact
• communicates a strong conservation message
• geared toward preschool through elementary school aged students
• models firsthand exploration and investigation in nature
• addresses human impact on the environment and encourages active participation in solutions
• provides a resource for science teachers, environmental educators and parents
• to introduce inquiry to students
• inspires engagement and curiosity
• focuses on a vulnerable and often unnoticed species of amphibians that inhabits much of the Eastern United States
• embraces diversity and promotes women in science

Katy Farber is a professional development coordinator, author, and blogger from Vermont. She writes about education, parenting, the environment and sustainability for various websites and publications. Her middle grade novel, The Order of the Trees (Green Writers Press 2015), was an Honor Book in the Nature Generation’s Green Earth Book Awards. Meg Sodano studied Biology and Animal Science at the University of Vermont and received her training in natural science illustration at Rhode Island School of Design. Some of her other illustrations are part of interpretive exhibits at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve in New York State, the Franklin Park Children’s Zoo in Boston, and Queens Botanical Garden in New York.