Leigh's Wheelie Adventures series continues with Nature Study Buddies, the third book in the series.
Based on a boy's experiences in a wheelchair, this light-hearted series tells the story of how Leigh and his friends find ways around some difficult problems.
In Nature Study Buddies, Leigh struggles to keep up with his more able-bodied classmates who are searching for nocturnal animals in the trees as part of the school's nature project.
An uplifting story about friendship, fun, and self-awareness.
Leigh's Wheelie Adventures series continues with Nature Study Buddies, the third book in the series.
Based on a boy's experiences in a wheelchair, this light-hearted series tells the story of how Leigh and his friends find ways around some difficult problems.
In Nature Study Buddies, Leigh struggles to keep up with his more able-bodied classmates who are searching for nocturnal animals in the trees as part of the school's nature project.
An uplifting story about friendship, fun, and self-awareness.
Leigh's Wheelie Adventures continues with Nature Study Buddies, the third book in the series and bronze medal recipient in the Moonbeams 2022 Children's Book Awards for Best Picture Book Series. After reading the story, I can see why they received this high honor.
"Leigh, Tara, and Cosmo decide to study nocturnal animals living in trees for their school project. However, Leigh is in a wheelchair, so how will he climb a tall tree?" As readers embark on the journey, Charlene McIver (the author) introduces new science terms that some young readers might not be familiar with: biological, specimen, and nocturnal. There were non-science words that children might need explaining as well: glumly, assured, and hoisted. I only point out these words because Amazon didn't have a recommended reading audience.
Every animal discussed has lovely illustrations to help put a face to a word. Some animals discussed might be foreign to young readers/listeners: bandicoot and mag-pie. Other animals should be easily recognized: a frog and a bird. While the animal illustrations were excellent, I loved the diverse character drawings. There are a lot of children who use wheelchairs, so I was happy to see Leigh's role and his importance to the storyline. He showed that living in a chair does not mean your abilities are 100% limited. His friends made him feel included, helped him when he needed it, and they all worked together in their grand adventure to observe nocturnal animals. Well done, Claudia Gadotti, on each drawing!
As I stated earlier, I didn't have a point-of-age reference for the book, but if you want a child to read it solo, I recommend it for elementary-school children. Preschoolers should be able to follow along; you'll more than likely have to explain a few words, though.
Nature Study Buddies (Leigh's Wheelie Adventures) by Charlene McIver is suitable for home or school settings.