Out on the Prairie    by Donna Bateman & Susan Swan Order:  USA  Can Charlesbridge, 2012 (2012) Hardcover, Softcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch Featuring the beautiful illustrations of Susan Swan, this picture book for youngsters five and older offers a tour of the Badlands National Park which is located in South Dakota. The first part of the book encourages the reader to practice his or her counting skills. The rhymed text introduces a number of baby creatures found in the park. There are a little bison calf and his mother, two pronghorn fawns and their parent running through the wheatgrass, and three meadowlarks calling back and forth to one another. The second section of the book features some of the flora and fauna of the park with short descriptions of each one. For example, you'll discover that western wheatgrass is the state grass of South and North Dakota as well as Wyoming. An excellent introduction to some of the mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and plants found in the semiarid prairie environment of the U.S., this is a book that children will enjoy during read aloud sessions at home or in the classroom. It also is an excellent basic counting book and offers an introduction to the natural prairie environment. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews