Mike Bulldozer Flood

Read4Nature – Picture Books about Farms

You can print a copy of the table below from the pdf version Mike’s Bulldozer flood

Book name Mike’s Bulldozer and the Big Flood
Author/ Illustrator Nan Bodsworth
Thumbs up! Lovely drawings with lots of real details.One of our favourite books! A story about surviving a flood.
Main theme Living with sudden changes in nature – flood coming.
Living things in this story People on a mixed farm (cattle, peach trees) prepare for a flood as do the native animals (fish, ducks).
things to talk about in the illustrations
  • {     Characteristics of living things
    • {   Different shapes of trees to show native  trees by river and introduced trees on farm
    • {   Fish not biting when the river is rising (flood coming)
    • {   Flower heads of grasses by the dam
    • {   Colour and shape of ducks walking and flying
  • {     links into the environment
    • {   wattle blooming in the countryside – spring
    • {   the big old gum forest by the river with its fallen logs
    • {   swans on the river
    • {   ducks using and flying over the orchard
  • {     other aspects in the environment
    • {   why we need construction projects and how they change the natural environment
    • {   people enjoying picnicking in the country
    • {   mixed farming with cattle in orchards
    • {   jobs needed to fight a flood
things to notice in the text
  • {     construction projects
    • {     highways and tracks
    • {     farm dams
    • {     levee banks
  • {     producing food
    • {   apple packing shed
    • {   pruning fruit trees
    • {   feeding out hay to cattle
  • {     preparing for floods
    • {   rain upstream in the hills
    • {   how quickly river levels change
    • {   warnings on TV
    • {   shifting animals to higher ground
    • {   people working together on a range of jobs to build levees
    • {   lifting furniture up
Now to observe
  • {     experience a picnic in some bush
  • {     Visit a construction site (eg house, road) or a newly finished highway and consider
    • {   what was there before hand
    • {   why it is needed
    • {   what is done to put the ‘nature’ back by looking at other houses and major roads
And record
  • {     Work out the type of wattle, swans and ducks shown in the illustrations and how to recognise them
  • {     Draw a picture to show some good things that comes from floods
    • {  River Red  Gum trees get watered and their seeds can germinate
    • {  Lakes/swamps formed where water birds live and breed
    • { Fish breeding grounds renewed
    • { Soils and ground water renewed
    • {Farm dams refilled
    • { Stagnant water flushed out
More about this book:
Science notes
Publisher Puffin Books, Penguin Books, Ringwood.
Year 1994
ISBN 0 14 054536-0
Publisher’s suggested age

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Page updated 15 Jan 2013
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