November 2018 – STEM Friday

November 30, 2018

A Middle Grade Title: The Hyena Scientist

Although we commonly highlight picture books, today we have a middle grade title, The Hyena Scientist by by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop.

I have to admit that I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book about hyenas. After all, they have a bad reputation, as the authors say, “widely considered to be dirty, ugly, and mean.” The fact the book was one of the Scientists in the Field series, however, convinced me to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

It turns out that I knew very little about hyenas. Given their appearance, most people assume they are related to dogs. On the first page we learn that in fact they are more closely related to cats than dogs, and most closely related to mongooses. Mongooses?!

How many other common perceptions of them are wrong? A lot.

They are scavengers that slink around stealing prey from lions, right? Turns out that although hyenas do scavenge a bit, they are smart and formidable hunters. With careful observations, the featured scientist Kay Holekamp discovered that in fact lions steal prey from hyenas more often than the other way around.

Rather than give away all the surprises in the book, let’s just say your impression of hyenas will likely change after you read it. In fact, you just might want to go study them yourself.

And if you decide to do that, this book will show you what it might be like. As with the other books in the series, the scientists are at the center.

If you’d like to find out more, click through to Growing with Science blog where you’ll find the rest of the review and related information. Hope to see you there.

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018

Also an Animal

Also an Animal
by Lynn Parrish Sutton (Author) and Melissa Babcock Saylor (Illustrator)

Booktalk: An ode to the love between a parent and child as different members of the animal kingdom with thick cardstock pages for young readers.

Snippet:

BONUS! Download the Also an Animal Coloring Pages

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

November 30, 2018November 11, 2018

Octopus Escapes!

Octopus Escapes! by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer; illus. by Frank W. Dormer

32 pages; ages 2-5. Charlesbridge 2018

Octopus waits. Guard closes gates.

What happens at the aquarium after everyone leaves for the day? In this story, octopus escapes. He slips and slides down hallways, turns and hides from the security guard.

What I like about this book: I am a big fan of “night at the museum” stories… and of octopuses. They are clever mollusks, able to open jar lids and squeeze through tight spaces. This midnight romp through the aquarium features fun-to-read-aloud rhyming couplets. The back matter (you knew I was gonna mention back matter!) is all about the amazing behavior of octopuses. They are brilliant problem-solvers and, YES, there are documented cases of octopuses escaping their tanks and cruising through aquaria since the 1870s. Though I don’t think any of them went bowling… The simple, cartoonish illustrations add to the charm.

Check out Beyond the Book activities and another review of animals at Archimedes Notebook today.

STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

November 23, 2018

Rodent Rascals: From Tiny to Tremendous

Someone must have squirreled away Rodent Rascals: From Tiny to Tremendous — 21 Clever Creatures at Their Actual Size by Roxie Munro because it took a long time to get it at the library. The good news is it was worth the wait.

What are rodents? Munro lets the reader know right in the Introduction. Named for the Latin verb rodere = to gnaw, members of the order Rodentia are furry mammals that are defined by having a single pair of long incisors on their upper and lower jaws that continue to grow throughout their lifetimes.

The rest of the book goes on to explore rodent diversity. The author/illustrator features examples ranging from the tiny pygmy jerboa to the large dog-sized capybara, all of which are drawn with India inks and colored acrylic inks at life size. Accompanying each illustration is a detailed discussion of the history and biology of each kind of rodent. Although this looks like a picture book, the text is written at a high level and Rodent Rascals has been placed in the middle grade category for the Cybils contest.

Rodent Rascals is likely to enthrall children who already appreciate rodents and possibly entice a few more skeptical readers to join their ranks. Scurry on out and get a copy today!

For more details and added activity suggestions, see Growing with Science blog.

November 23, 2018November 22, 2018

Seafloor Scavengers

Seafloor Scavengers
by Melissa Gish (Author)

Booktalk: Explore the bottoms of the world’s oceans and learn about the life forms that dwell there. First-person accounts from scientists answer important questions about scavenging and parasitic creatures and how they survive.

Snippet:

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

November 23, 2018November 10, 2018

Renaissance series connects STEM with Art

Nomad Press has a fun new series out called Renaissance for Kids. The books in this series invite readers to dive into the Renaissance period and learn about inventors, thinkers, explorers, and artists. The series includes plenty of hands-on STEAM activities… Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Titles include: The Renaissance Artists, The Renaissance Explorers, The Renaissance Inventors, The Renaissance Thinkers. Written for young people ages 10-15.

Included in the volume on “thinkers” are Nicolaus Copernicus and Francis Bacon. “Being a scientist during the Renaissance could be a lonely business,” writes author Diane Taylor. “There were no graduate students to hang out with, no research institutes to work at, and no conferences to attend.”

Copernicus watched the night sky. He was an astronomer and noticed that not everything circled the earth once a day. Planets, for example, seemed to wander back and forth. He also suggested that the earth orbited the sun – a break with what people thought, that the sun went around the earth.

Francis Bacon is often called the “father of science”. Born in 1561, he was a gifted and prolific writer. He was passionate about science, and thought deeply about how scientists can know when they have discovered the truth of something. He developed a scientific method:

make an observation
ask a question
form a hypothesis
conduct an experiment
analyze the results

Sounds familiar to anyone who’s taken a science class. But in the 1600s scientists didn’t follow any sort of rigor that would lead to reliable results. So Bacon’s ideas were novel.

STEAM projects in this book include drawing with linear perspective, building a supportive arch, and creating your own Utopia.

The “inventors” include Johannes Gutenberg (printing press), Leonardo da Vinci (artist and engineer), Gerardus Mercator (mapping the world), and Galileo Galilei (astronomy and math). These inventors opened up the world for exploration and sharing information.

Prior to a printing press, books were transcribed by hand, and few people had access to them. Once people could mass produce words there were bibles, flyers, news broadsides, and eventually pamphlets in which scientists could share their findings.

da Vinci’s sketchbook contains designs for helicopters and submarines, airplanes and cars. Pretty cool, considering he died in 1519!

STEAM projects in this book include building a parachute, making a pendulum, making a map, printing, and playing around with mirror writing.

“Renaissance artists” introduces readers to Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and more, and invites kids to make their own paint using eggs.

“Renaissance explorers” include Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and others. Kids can make a working compass, build a beacon, create and hourglass, and invent a travel board game.

What I like about these books: They include timelines for each person, provide great biographical details, and mention other scientists, inventors, artists, and explorers living at the same time. Sidebars present quick facts, additional information about the culture, and raise questions for curious readers.

STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

November 16, 2018

Animal Families

‘Tis the season for family gatherings, so what better time to sit down with a child and read a book or two about animal families.

In the first book, Fur, Feather, Fin―All of Us Are Kin by Diane Lang and illustrated by Stephanie Laberis, animal “families” are what are mostly defined as “classes” in the traditional scientific way: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. Arthropods are also included, which are a phylum. It is a basic introduction to animal classification.

The rhyming text is likely to engage the younger readers in the targeted age range.

“All animals on Earth are kin,
while not the same outside or in.
Some we stroke with loving hand;
some we don’t yet understand.”

A few scientific vocabulary words (metamorphosis, oxygen, detritivore) are included.

The illustrations by Stephanie Laberis are just the right amount of vibrant and fun. They are filled with color, action, and excitement, as you can see from the swirling animals on the cover.

The back matter explains further, plus gives concrete ways the readers can help animals.

Fur, Feather, Fin―All of Us Are Kin will delight budding scientists and animal lovers. It might also make a good “entrance book” to entice less-interested readers to want to find out more. Try out a copy today!

Our second book, Meet My Family!: Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, was previously reviewed at the older Stem Friday site by both Sue Heavenrich and Anastasia Suen.

In some animal families, both the mother and the father take care of the youngsters. In others, like sea turtles, the babies never meet their parents. Some offspring look like miniature versions of their parents, and some don’t resemble each other at all. Discover all the unique ways families are made up.

Throughout the text, Laura Purdie Salas injects words for mother and father in different languages, so it sounds as if the animals are speaking. If you are going to read this book aloud, I strongly recommend heading to the back matter and practicing the pronunciations in the glossary. While you are in the back matter, check out the awesome section on where these animals live.

Meet My Family!: Animal Babies and Their Families is not only a discussion of diversity in families that is likely to sooth youngsters who might be feeling their family is too “different,” but also a great introduction to a variety of cool animals.

For a bit more detail and an activity suggestion, see Wrapped in Foil blog.

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018

Bat Citizens

Bat Citizens
by Rob Laidlaw (Author)

Booktalk: Learn the facts about bats! From their habits and habitats to their importance for maintaining biodiversity, bat biology is explored alongside human-bat relations. Spotlight features on “Bat Citizens” encourages readers to pursue citizen science.

Snippet: Hibernacula are winter hibernation roosts. During winter, bats need stable, cool temperatures that do not change very much, and moist air that helps reduce the loss of body fluids.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

November 16, 2018November 12, 2018

To the Moon and Back

To the Moon and Back: My Apollo 11 Adventure: A Pop-Up Book

By Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson

Illustrated by Bruce Foster

National Geographic, 2018

In this gift-worthy, sturdy, pop-up book, middle-grade space enthusiasts will find a wealth of little-known details, personal remembrances, and photos from the quest to land men on the surface of the moon. In addition, the science and engineering is explained clearly and simply.

Buzz Aldrin begins with the start of his NASA career as an astronaut in the year 1963. He then chronicles the successes and failures of the many Gemini, Soyuz, and Apollo missions that preceded the famous voyage of Apollo 11.

Tucked within the pages and pop-ups, are pull-out sections titled Space Race and Aldrin Family Reflections. The pop-ups, created by paper engineer, Bruce Foster, include (among others) the Saturn V rocket which pops out to a height of over one foot, a lunar module, and the deploying parachutes of the lunar capsule’s splash landing.

One section titled, “Saved by the Pen,” includes this recollection:

“After 21 hours on the moon, it was time to go. But the ascent engine’s arming circuit breaker was broken off! If we didn’t find something to replace the pin, the engine wouldn’t start. We’d be stuck on the moon.

Armstrong and I looked around. We found a felt-tipped pen that fit into the slot. Problem solved!”

After reading To the Moon and Back, you will have a greater appreciation of what is often described as one of humanity’s greatest feats of engineering. The beautiful photos, pop-ups and a build-your-own lunar module are just icing on the cake.

Buzz Aldrin finishes his account with a query,

“Will we celebrate Apollo 11’s 100th anniversary under the pink skies of Mars?”

He hopes so. And perhaps it will be a woman who first steps on the red planet. I hope so.

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See all of my reviews (and my personal photograph of author Buzz Aldrin) at

Shelf-employed.

November 16, 2018October 30, 2018

Path to the Stars

Path to the Stars, My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist
by Sylvia Acevedo
320 pages; ages 10 & up
Clarion Books, 2018

Rocket science is cool. It’s not all about igniting rockets in your back yard – though that is what Sylvia Acevedo did. A lot of rocket science is math. OK, most of it’s all about the math.

Her love of math is what led Sylvia to science. Her experiences as a Girl Scout provided the platform for her to build upon. Scouting taught her to create opportunities for herself. Scouting helped her plan for the future. It helped her develop entrepreneurial skills (so that’s what cookie sales were for. I thought it was all about the Thin Mints!) and nurtured her self confidence.

What I ~~like~~ love about this book: I loved the scene where Sylvia wove fabric strips and newspapers into a sit-upon. I remember how, in Brownies, we made sit-upons to take to day camp. And net bags for dunking our dishes into steaming water. And how we carried something in our pocket…

Sylvia talks about working for badges, and wanting to do science. Back then, there weren’t so many STEM badges, but she describes her experiments with plants and rockets to earn a science badge. Now girls can choose to explore plants, animals engineering, cyber-security, programming, robotics, and more. She tells a wonderful story about learning how to do regular car maintenance – things like changing oil, checking tire pressure, and replacing worn fan belts. Badges and scouting experiences taught her that she could take control of situations and be prepared for the unexpected.

The other thing she learned: aim high. Sylvia aimed toward space. She worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an engineer, testing equipment for a solar probe that launched this summer (it takes a long time to build a probe for such a mission!). She also worked on the Voyager 2 flyby of Jupiter.

In an epilogue, Sylvia writes about the heroes who inspired her: Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Helen Keller. Although Sylvia isn’t working on space projects at this time, she’s still aiming high. As CEO for Girl Scouts of the USA, she is helping girls all across the country aim for the stars.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for an interview with Sylvia.

STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)