Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Books
I See the Sea
by Julia Groves (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Booktalk: What will you see in the sea? Explore the ocean in this picture book with a die-cut hole on each page. Facts about each animal and how you can help our endangered oceans can be found in the back of the book.
Snippet: I SEE a serene swimmer, alone in vast oceans.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Today at Growing with Science Blog we are featuring the new picture book Book of Dinosaurs: 10 Record-Breaking Prehistoric Animals by Gabrielle Balkan and illustrated by Sam Brewster.
In Book of Dinosaurs, explore which record-breaking dinosaurs had:
• The toughest armor
• The sharpest eyesight
• The biggest belly
• The spikiest tail
and more.
Readers are asked to guess which dinosaur wins the category based on an amazing illustration of that dinosaur’s skeleton and a set of clues about it. Turn the page for the big reveal, a colorful illustration of the animal and more details about its biology.
It is unusual because the text is written in first person point of view. It is as if the dinosaurs are telling their own stories. And the facts have been finely distilled to the most interesting and informative.
The illustrations on the reveal pages have texture overlaying in the shape of creature’s skeleton from the previous page. Basically, the reader can feel (and see) the skeleton as it would be positioned inside. Pretty cool!
There are many books on the market about dinosaurs. Book of Dinosaurs fills an important niche between the board books /simple picture books for the 4-6 year olds, and the massive encyclopedic titles for older readers. Plus it is engaging and fun to read. Get it into the hands of a dinosaur-loving reader today!
And be sure to visit Growing with Science for more information and related activity suggestions.
Copyright © 2022 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
My new Focus on STEM column, The Ocean, is in the June Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.
Snippet: Get to know about ocean zones and marine life through books and online resources for young and middle-grade learners.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
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Summer conjures up thoughts of a trip to the beach. Today we have a new picture book that is a perfect selection for accompanying a trip to the beach as well as for celebrating #WorldOceanDay on June 8 and #NationalSeashellDay on June 21, What A Shell Can Tell: Where They Live, What They Eat, How They Move and More by Helen Scales and illustrated by Sonia Pulido.
Award-winning marine biologist Helen Scales introduces children to the wonders of all molluscs (The British spelling for the phylum is used throughout. In the US, they are called mollusks.) She answers a series of questions, such as “What is a shell?” “What can a shell’s color tell you?”, “Who else uses shells?” etc.
Because Scales is an expert in the topic, the answers are spot on. They are well organized, informative, and up-to-the-minute accurate. They are also enjoyable to read. Although the recommended reading age is 6 to 9 years old, I would say that it is more like 6 years old (probably with an adult to help) plus. Adults will likely learn new things from it.
The text is well done, but it is the gorgeous illustrations that will keep you going back. They feature vibrant colors, the interesting shapes, and water that ripples off the page.
What a Shell Can Tell is great to accompany a trip to the beach, or to conjure up cool waves in your own home. It would be a must-have resource for libraries, too. Enjoy a copy today!
And stop by Growing with Science blog for more information and an ocean of activity suggestions.
Copyright © 2022 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.
How Does Solar Energy Work?
by Jennifer Swanson (Author) and Glen Mullaly (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Booktalk: Find out what solar energy is and how it is harnessed and used. Discover the history of this technology as well as need for solar power and how it could change our world.
Snippet:
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
How to Build a Human: In Seven Evolutionary Steps
by Pamela S. Turner (Author) and John Gurche (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Booktalk: The epic story of human evolution in seven big steps! Find out how, when, and why did we:
1. stand up,
2. smash rocks,
3. get swelled heads,
4. take a hike,
5. invent barbecue,
6. start talking (and never shut up), and
7. become storytellers?
Snippet:
A NOTE ON RACE
The modern concept of race is relatively recent. It is tied to efforts by early European scientists and naturalists to arrange life on a religiously inspired ladder with a Christian God at the top, followed by angels, then white people, with other races just a step above monkeys and apes. These racial concepts were closely tied to a wave of European colonialism that began in the sixteenth century.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2022 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.