Language arts and mathematics are high priority content areas in early grades. Science is often a secondary concern, even though students appear to have minimal knowledge or interest in their local ecology. This article describes a year-long project integrating science and technology with language arts. Students researched and wrote about local plants and animals, creating a hardback, bound book. It was observed that as students learned about local animals, they suddenly began to notice these animals in their neighborhoods. Awareness of an animal's name and needs is a foundational early step towards ecological literacy. (Contains 3 online resources and 12 book resources.)