Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Books
You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks
by Evan Turk (Author / Illustrator)
Booktalk: From the rugged coast of Maine to the fiery volcanoes of Hawaii, experience 23 of our 60 national parks.
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See how the book was made.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
AstroNuts Mission One: The Plant Planet
by Jon Scieszka (Author) and Steven Weinberg (Illustrator)
Booktalk: AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we’ve ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet’s inhabitants have a more sinister plan?
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Snowy Owls (Spot Arctic Animals)
by Anastasia Suen (Author)
Booktalk: Bundle up! It’s time to discover the unique animals that live at the top of the world. This search-and-find book invites young readers to look for new vocabulary words and pictures while giving simple facts about a snowy owl’s arctic habitat, body parts, and behaviors. Find out how their bodies are adapted to the frigid climate and what they do to survive.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Extinct: An Illustrated Exploration of Animals That Have Disappeared
by Lucas Riera (Author) and Jack Tite (Illustrator)
Booktalk: This exploration of over 90 animals that we have lost over the past century, from the California grizzly to the Persian tiger, aims to create awareness and inspire children to act responsibly toward their environment. How each of these animals came to extinction is told in short snippets of text. Further scientific resources and profiles of animals that have been rediscovered or successfully reintroduced into the wild are also included in this over-sized volume.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Let’s take a look at a new picture book that does more than the usual, Book of Flight: 10 Record-Breaking Animals with Wings by Gabrielle Balkan and illustrated by Sam Brewster.
Why “more than the usual”?
At 10.5 x 12.8 inches, this book is larger than many picture books.
Inside, you will discover a challenging quiz format. The author sets up questions such as “Guess Who is the Fastest Flyer” and then gives plenty of details so the reader can figure it out. Included in the question spread is a blueprint-style illustration of the animal (like on the cover) with key features labelled. Turn the page and the answer is revealed in full color. To add a bit “more,” the animal has a textured overlay on the paper that begs to be felt. Take a minute and rub your fingers over it. Then read the first person point of view story of that animal.
Although you would think that a book about flight would be about birds, the author has included insects, bats and even a fish. The last spread talks about human flight. Again, more than you expect.
Finally, the reading level is Lexile Measure: 680L, but the first book in this series (see below) got glowing reviews from the parents of preschoolers. Obviously, with a bit of help from an adult reader, these books appeal to more than the suggested age range.
Book of Flight is a perfect choice for young readers interested in animals, those in flying things, and also those trivia buffs who like facts about records. It is guaranteed to fly off the shelf!
If you have a minute, hop over to Growing with Science blog for more about the previous title in the series, Book of Bones, 10 Record-Breaking Animals.
Copyright © 2020 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
Loony Little: The Ice Cap Is Melting
by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author) and Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with this climate-focused twist on the classic “Chicken Little” story.
Loony Little and her friends set off to tell the Polar Bear Queen that the polar ice cap is melting. Sly Foxy Loxy attempts to lead the animals to his lair to eat them, but Loony Little saves the day, tricking the fox into being devoured by the Polar Bear Queen. Includes information about climate change and the animal species in the book.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
If you are looking for a middle grade title to inspire STEM students, look no further than The Great Shark Rescue: Saving the Whale Sharks by Sandra Markle.
Whale sharks are not only the biggest fish in the world, but also the coolest sharks because they feed by vacuuming up tons of the smallest creatures in the water (see pages 18-19). Unfortunately, along with many other fascinating creatures, their numbers are plummeting and they have recently become endangered.
Markle gives numbers and explicit reasons why the populations are in decline. Sometimes the sharks are caught is nets during legal fishing while at other times they are killed by people who fish for sharks illegally. Climate change is also a factor. Scientists want to try to help the sharks, but they know little about them. It is a race to learn about whale sharks before they disappear.
The Great Shark Rescue will thrill budding marine biologists as well as those interested in conserving endangered species. Realistically, this title could work with upper elementary readers as well as middle grade. It could be a great addition to your shelf.
Visit Wrapped in Foil Blog for the rest of the review and related links.
Copyright © 2019 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
How to Win a Nobel Prize
by Barry Marshall (Author), Lorna Hendry (Author), and Bernard Caleo (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Mary has always wanted to win a Nobel Prize. She loves running her own science experiments at home. But how can she become a real scientist and win the greatest prize of all?
One day, Mary stumbles on a secret meeting of Nobel Prize winners. Dr. Barry Marshall agrees to travel with her through time to learn the secrets behind some of the most fascinating and important scientific discoveries. They talk time and space with Albert Einstein, radiation with Marie Curie, DNA with Crick, Watson and Wilkins – and much more.
Includes experiments that young scientists can do themselves at home.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Life Under Ice: Exploring Antarctic Seas (2nd edition)
by Mary M. Cerullo (Author) and Bill Curtsinger (Photographer)
Booktalk: The organisms that live year-round under the ice of the Antarctic Ocean are truly amazing. Enormous jellyfish and fish with blood like antifreeze are just a few of the creatures captured in their unique habitat by underwater photographer Bill Curtsinger. This new edition is fully updated and traces the impacts of climate change and ice-shelf melt on the abundant life in the waters beneath a frozen desert.
Snippet: By New Year’s Day, when the sun is overhead twenty-four hours a day, billions of microscopic single-celled floating plants called phytoplankton will be in full bloom, forming a thick sea soup and making underwater photography impossible.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2020 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.