• ...Amid the moral meandering of most kid lit, this respectful and daring piece of work takes on an uphill battle so controversial in its genre that it transcends traditional review. First off, there’s the guts: it takes a lot of them to challenge the moral point-of-view that most parents have ingrained into their kids for the sake of convenience and comfort (there is a just world, it’s wrong to kill). And then there’s the delivery. Mason and Moore are so perfectly matched in their approach. . . . This is one of the most wholly satisfying and emotionally nutritious children’s books I’ve ever read...—Chris DeVito, CD Syndicated (Canadian Radio)
• "This is one of the best books I have seen on predators and prey." —Portals
  
• "Yes! Here's a story that takes us beyond wolves and bears and presents the  important and influential role of many predators, including humans."
   —Tom Skeele, The Predator Project
  
• "...the difficult but important tale of predation in a format children will understand  and accept." —Paws in Print

Many children—indeed, many adults—believe that there are "good" animals and "bad" animals. The Big Bad Wolf myth lives on. This new story puts predators in an entirely new light as a sensitive young girl, shocked and confused by the death of her cat, learns the roles that predator and prey play in the balance of nature. Gently and gradually, she comes to understand why some animals kill and eat other animals in order to live. It is one of nature's most exciting and important lessons. Children and all who read to them will come away with a new respect for all wildlife. In keeping with our commitment to diversity education, this story also shows an extended family rich in racial and cultural diversity.

EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S LUNCH TEACHER'S GUIDE
The Role of Predator and Prey in Nature

Cherie Mason and Judy Kellogg Markowsky
Illustrated by Rosemary Giebfried

The important roles that predator and prey play in the balance of nature are gently explained to children in Everybody's Somebody's Lunch. This Teacher's Guide provides educators with information, activities, and play that can easily be incorporated into wildlife and nature study programs. Included are the history of the persecution of predators due to human ignorance and fear; profiles of predatory mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and marine life; humans as predators; and hopeful evidence of change in today's attitudes. These critical environmental lessons are structured so that they are interesting, instructive, and fun.

Teachers Take Note:
Science educators will appreciate this unique book for way it tackles the difficult and important subject of predation. Wildlife and nature study programs as well as traditional classroom teachers will be pleased with the resources in the comprehensive teachers guide.

Everybody's Somebody’s Lunch crosses traditional curriculum lines. The book tells the story of a girl who discovers that her pet cat has been killed by a wild animal. This is one of life's most difficult lessons, and Cherie Mason meets the challenge by providing a story with just the right balance between emotion and scientific fact.

Everybody's Somebody's Lunch will help inspire classroom conversations about:
• The food chain and role of predators
• Predator behavior
• Endangered and extinct animals
• Death in nature
• Humans as predators

Resources:

• Teaching Resources:
The American Museum of Natural History, NY. Information about the Biodiversity Center's website: http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity
Hawk Mt. Sanctuary, PA: Teacher’s guide to raptors and the central Applalachian Forest. www.hawkmountain.org
National Association for Humane and Environmental Education: www.nahee.org

• Conservation groups; for adults and children who want to learn more:
National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org
Nature Conservancy: http://www.nature.org
Predator Project: www.predatorconservation.org

Activity: Great Blue Heron Fish Toss

Objective: To learn that a great blue heron is a predator, and that it frequently misses its prey.

Concept:
A fish-eater is a predator. The great blue heron, a well-know bird, catches and eats fish with its long bill, waiting patiently for a fish to come close rather than chasing it. Then it strikes, grabbing the fish in its bill rather than spearing it. Like any predator, the heron misses a large percentage of the time.

You Will Need:
• Large, safe (not sharp) tongs shaped somewhat like a bird's bill*
• A simulated fish (rubber fish are often sold in toy stores; look for ones that will sink, not float, in water)
• A pail of water

What To Do:
Ask children if they have seen a great blue heron-a large, visually prominent and well-known bird. Ask a child to demonstrate how the heron catches a fish.

*Note: You need to stress good behavior and safety; children do get excited in this entertaining demonstration. The tongs must not have sharp edges or corners.

The fish can start out on the floor. If children can easily pick up the fish from the floor with the tongs, add to the challenge by putting the rubber fish in the pail of water, making it more slippery.

Then you could add a little mud to the water, making it harder to see the fish, or you could put simulated water plants (paper strips or grass would do) in the pail, making it easier for the fish to hide.

Another challenge is to ask the children to toss the fish gently up in the air with the tongs and catch it again, as herons occasionally do with a large fish to ensure they swallow it headfirst. Children will enjoy this game a lot, and learn that it's not easy to be a predator.