Under in the Mud | Story Edventures

Welcome to Story Edventures!  

Under in the Mud by Laureanna Raymond-Duvernell takes you into the wintering world of ten Wisconsin animals. Learn about how animals hibernate, migrate, and adapt to winter conditions in this beautifully illustrated and creatively rhyming book. After you read, bundle up and head outdoors to find evidence of animals in your own territory preparing for the winter ahead.

Watch the recording of the author reading the story. Then read on about ways that you can connect, explore, and engage in nature.

Connect

Bundle up and head outdoors to find out how animals are preparing for the winter. Look high and low, over and Under in the Mud! Look for evidence of critters hibernating, migrating, or adapting to the cold weather.   Then, come indoors and enjoy some hot cocoa...since that is how we adapt!

Explore

Winter is a great time to explore outdoors! (If you don’t care for the cold weather you may be asking...Why?) I challenge you to get outside and discover ways to keep warm pretending to be a critter from the story. For example, you might shiver like a bee, huddle like the mice, or nibble on a snack that you cooked over a campfire. You might even build a fort or den to block the cold winter winds. Explore ways in which animals hibernate, migrate, and adapt to survive the winter weather conditions.

Engage

Cold winter temperatures, deep snowfall, and lack of food can be very challenging despite the best adaptations. There are a few things you can do to help animals overwinter without overstepping. Work with an adult or local organizations to manage natural spaces for all types of wildlife.

Learn more about the animals from the story:

• Spring Peeper
• Gray Squirrel
• Painted Turtle
• Beaver
• Canada Goose
• Bats of Wisconsin

Learn more about other winter animals and activities:

• Track animals in wintertime
• Learn more about hibernation
• Get outside for some winter stargazing
• Learn about the migrating sandhill crane
• Spot winter birds
• Stay safe while ice fishing
• More book ideas for a winter day
• Winter experiments

About the author

Laureanna loves learning. She taught third grade for many years and now teaches kids of all ages about exploring and learning in our outdoor environment. She got the idea for her book when she was on a field trip with her daughter to Retzer Nature Center. This helped her realize that book ideas are all around us - we sometimes just need to explore our world, notice what is around us, and find answers to the questions in our heads.
 
Laureanna loves to hike, mountain bike, read, laugh and spend time with her family and friends. She does not love doing dishes, but she loves eating good food! She lives near Milwaukee with her husband, Peter, and her two daughters, Sierra and Marina. They will survive the winter by downhill skiing, playing games together and watching The Mandalorian!