Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Books
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Plasticus Maritimus: An Invasive Species
by Ana Pego (Author), Isabel Minhós Martins (Author), and Bernado P. Carvalho (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Inspired by biologist Ana Pêgo’s life’s work, this book for ages 10-16 looks at plastic pollution in the ocean and explains why it is such an urgent contemporary issue.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Have you seen the fabulous new picture book 13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue Heavenrich and illustrated by David Clark?
It is hilarious and a bit icky, too. It puts both the S (science) and the M (math) in STEAM. And a bunch of pretty silly A (art), too.
The story starts with a cloud of thirteen different kinds of flies.
Big flies,
small flies,
fat flies,
thinner,
Yum! These flies are someone’s dinner.
As they travel through the book, the flies meet one untimely end after another as the reader learns about all the living things that rely on flies for their survival.
13 Ways to Eat a Fly has tidbits for everyone. The youngest readers will enjoy counting down the numbers. Slightly older readers will enjoy the gross and silly aspects, such as the absolutely hilarious chart of the edible parts of a fly along with a graphic listing the nutritional facts. Budding entomologists will soak up all the science, including the common and family names of each of the flies, and interesting details about the predators. Educators will enjoy two pages of suggested books and websites in the back matter, so helpful for digging deeper.
Not sure you really want to read about icky flies? Don’t worry, by the time you’re done, you will be rooting for them!
Be sure to visit Growing with Science blog for an interview with author Sue Heavenrich and an activity suggestion.
Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
This week at Growing with Science blog we feature the picture book biography The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang and illustrated by Jana Christy.
The Leaf Detective is as multilayered as a rainforest tree.
The trunk of the book is the biography of Margaret Lowman, an incredibly brave and determined biologist who developed new methods for studying the tops of trees, the canopy and emergent layers. Using ropes and a harness of her own design, she climbed up into the great unknown.
The branches of the story are Meg Lowman’s findings. For example, she discovered that most of the herbivores in the rainforest she studied were nocturnal, eating leaves at night and hiding during the day. To learn more, she climbed up into the trees at night.
The roots of the story comes after Meg realized that for all people didn’t know about trees, they were still destroying them at an alarming rate. She started to come up with innovative ways for people to use intact forests as a source of income and thus making it economically viable to save them.
Let’s not forget the leaves. Sprinkled throughout are leaf-shaped sidebars filled with interesting facts and additional details. So cool!
The illustrations are as green and lush and complex as a rainforest, too. The reader could get lost and spend hours in them.
The bottom line? The Leaf Detective is perfect for young readers who are budding scientists, adventurers, conservationists, interested in women’s history, the list goes on and on. Pretty much everyone will find something to explore in it. Pick up a copy and see how it resonates with you.
If you have a minute, hop over to the blog for more information and activity suggestion.
Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
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Explore Mars
by Jackie Golusky (Author)
Booktalk: After Earth, Mars is the most explored planet in our solar system. Rovers travel across its surface to find out answers to scientists’ questions. What is Mars like? Did it ever have life? Learn all about this strange world next door! Access a downloadable 3D printer model from NASA via Page Plus QR codes.
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See NASA’s Mars Rover Perseverance land on February 18, 2021.
For touchdown, fast forward to 1:39
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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Amazing Islands: 100+ Places that Will Boggle Your Mind
by Sabrina Weiss (Author) and Kerry Hyndman (Illustrator)
Booktalk: From islands that have been taken over by animals to disappearing islands, islands made of shells, artificial islands, and even islands that were once prison colonies, this book for ages 7-11 takes you on an exciting tour of some of the smallest land masses in the world. The book also includes a world map, which plots all the islands found in the book, plus fold out flaps with engaging lists of island facts, including the top 10 biggest and 10 smallest inhabited islands in the world.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
At Growing with Science blog, we’re highlighting the new board book Brilliant Baby Does Math by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Jean Claude, part of a new series.
Using a compelling rhyme, Laura Gehl introduces young children to math concepts and vocabulary found in everyday activities.
Math is comparing what’s hotter or colder, longer or shorter…younger or older
The illustrations are cute and contain much to explore. For example, ask young readers to find shapes in each scene. Some of the shapes are subtle, such as hidden in the pattern of a rug. Others are called out in the text.
Overall, Brilliant Baby Does Math isn’t about how to do math, but instead is an age-appropriate introduction to what math does. Investigate a copy today!
And pop over to Growing with Science for more information and related activity suggestions.
Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
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High-Tech LEGO Projects: 16 Rule-Breaking Inventions
by Grady Koch (Author)
Booktalk: A collection of 16 scientific and technical projects to build with parts from the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 robotics set and other components. You’ll find a motion-activated animal cam, a Morse code transmitter, a laser security fence, a motion-sensing radar detector, an automated insect trapper, a heat-seeking infrared cannon and more! Every project brings together science, mechanics, electronics, optics, and software to create complex instruments for studying and measuring the world around you with step-by-step directions.
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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.