Month: October 2021

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Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals

Today at Growing with Science blog we are featuring Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals by Linda Zajac.

With side-by-side photographs of robots and their real life inspirations, the author reveals twelve robots that are designed to look and/or move like animals, from bats to kangaroos. And the robots aren’t just for fun. Using simple language, she points out how each one is designed to perform specific tasks that would be difficult for humans to carry out.

For an example — that isn’t in the book — engineers have designed a drone that looks like and flies like a hawk or falcon. Why? To take a pass over runways at airports before an airplane takes off. The drone scares away any birds hanging around that might be hit, a hazard to the plane and to themselves. Cool project and there are many more like this in the book.

The best part is the book ends with a gentle call to action challenging young readers to dream up and design their own animal robots.

Robo-Motion will excite budding robot engineers and animal lovers alike. Put some technology and engineering in your STEM and investigate a copy today!

And if you have a moment, stop by Growing With Science for the full review and activity suggestions.

Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

 

 

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For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day

For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day
by June Cotner (Editor), Nancy Tupper Ling (Editor), and Helen Cann (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Arranged from waking up to falling asleep, this poetry anthology gathers classic selections, modern prayers, and new poems from multiple cultures and faiths to celebrate the day and its delights. From Emily Dickinson to Amma, from Ken Nesbitt to Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, fifty-one voices encourage children to be present and thankful at all hours.

Snippet:
DAY’S END

Night is come,
Owls are out;
Bettles hum
Round about.

Children snore
Safe in bed;
Nothing more
Need be said.

–Henry Newbolt


A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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COVID-19: The Coronavirus Disease

COVID-19: The Coronavirus Disease
by Jackie Golusky (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Scientists and health-care workers around the world are battling COVID-19. Find out how the disease attacks the human body and see how people are fighting back in this middle grade book written at first grade reading level.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature

Over at Growing with Science blog, we are featuring the new picture book Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature by Cynthia Argentine.

The premise of Night Becomes Day isn’t easy to explain, but simply amazing. It is an introduction to periodic scientific processes such as life cycles, the water cycle, and the rock cycle. However, no topic is treated separately. Argentine overlaps the concepts, comparing and contrasting, to show the general qualities of transformations.

To help clarify, let’s look at an example. the author compares the ancient process of forming a diamond crystal deep in the Earth (part of the rock cycle) to the brief, fragile formation of a snowflake (part of the water cycle). These complex processes are revealed using age-appropriate text matched with high quality stock photos. She pairs words like quick – slow, hot – cold, dull-brighten to show the contrasts.

The back matter will knock you over. Argentine’s author’s note explains how changes occur in both living and nonliving things, how connections are made, and how the science of making connections is Ecology. In the next section, “A Closer Look At The Science of Change,” is actually a zoomed out view of the text, explaining the big picture. In the diamond versus snowflake spread, for example, she explains how chemistry, geology, and physics are all involved in the process of forming crystals.

Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature helps young readers see how natural processes relate to one another. Reading it might just transform them!

If you’d like to read more, visit Growing with Science for the complete review and activity suggestions.

Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

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Let’s Explore Migration

Let’s Explore Migration
by Emma Carlson-Berne (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Each year, butterflies, whales, and many other animals travel long distances in search of better food, weather, and more. Then they return to repeat the pattern. Learn all about migration, one of nature’s amazing cycles, in this beginning reader.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Scurry! The Truth About Spiders

Right in time for Halloween, we are featuring a newly emerged informational picture book, Scurry! The Truth About Spiders by Annette Whipple and illustrated by Juanbjuan Oliver and Franco Rivolli at Growing With Science blog.

Have you ever wondered how spiders make silk, why they are so hairy, or what they eat? Scurry! has all the answers. After explaining what characteristics a spider has and introducing a few common types, Annette Whipple delves into their life cycles and behavior.

The books in Reycraft’s Truth About … series are illustrated with high-quality stock photographs. As you can see above, this title has an added feature of a cartoon sidebar on the right of each spread with additional tips and information. Fun!

In the back is a hands-on challenge to create a spider web, a longer list of different types of spiders, and a glossary.

Scurry! is a delightful introduction to the world of spiders. You will want to add a copy to your favorite young reader’s Halloween treat bag!

 

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If you have a moment, pop over the Growing with Science blog for more information and loads of activity suggestions.

 

Copyright © 2021 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

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It Takes Guts: How Your Body Turns Food Into Fuel (and Poop)

It Takes Guts: How Your Body Turns Food Into Fuel (and Poop)
by Dr. Jennifer Gardy (Author) and Belle Wuthrich (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: A science-based resource for classroom learning and home-schooling for kids age 9 to 13, with information about:

  • The surprising role that food and digestion play in your mood and immune system.
  • The amazing tools your body uses to break down food including acids, which do their thing without burning a hole in your stomach!
  • The incredible truth that not all bacteria is bad! Billions of “helpful bacteria” belong in your gut.
  • And so much more.

Snippet: Microbes can even influence our mood! We’ve already seen how our gut talks to our brain through nerves and hormones, and it turns out that these conversations can be influenced by our resident microbes. In one study, researchers gave one group of healthy volunteers milk or yogurt enriched with friendly Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus bacteria every day for 30 days. The other group was given a placebo–a pill that did nothing. At the end of the month, the group that took the bacterial pill reported fewer bad moods and stressful moments, and they were producing less cortisol–a hormone produced when you’re under stress–than they were at the start of the experiment.

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

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.