@roberta3

March 15, 2019March 14, 2019

Butterflies in Room 6

This week we’re highlighting the newly-emerged picture book, Butterflies in Room 6: See How They Grow by Caroline Arnold.

Follow along with the children in Mrs. Best’s kindergarten class as they hatch painted lady caterpillars from eggs, feed the caterpillars a special diet, and wait patiently for the butterflies to emerge from their chrysalids. As you can see from the book cover, nothing is as mesmerizing as a freshly-eclosed live butterfly!

Caroline Arnold is both the author and photographer for the book and she has captured some fun and incredible images of both the insects and the children. Her 2017 book with a similar format, Hatching Chicks in Room 6, was a winner of the Cybils Award for Elementary Nonfiction.

Back matter includes answers to questions about butterflies, a vocabulary list, links to butterfly information online and suggestions for further reading about butterflies.

Butterflies in Room 6 is a must have to accompany a unit on insect life cycles or project raising painted lady butterflies. Fly out and get a copy today!

Visit Growing with Science blog for more information and activity suggestions.

March 1, 2019

Animal Noses by Mary Holland Stands Out

Today at Wrapped in Foil we are highlighting the new STEM picture book Animal Noses by Mary Holland, whose previous title, Animal Mouths, received a NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Science Award.

Unless they are stuffed up due to a cold or allergies, we generally take our noses for granted. However, they serve two critical functions: they allow us to breathe and to provide our sense of smell. In this book, readers explore how many different animals use their noses in special ways, including for finding food, finding mates, communicating with one another, and being alert to danger.

The book is illustrated with photographs of animals ranging from bald eagles to shrews, which allows the reader to see the range of different noses. There’s even a luna moth, which although it doesn’t have a nose, has structures that serve the same purposes.

Arbordale books always have wonderful pages to explore in the backmatter. In this case the “For Creative Minds” section has a detailed explanation of the sense of smell and “Fun Facts” (like the fact an albatross can smell it’s food 12 miles away!), as well as activities. You can see the pages here.

Overall, Animal Noses is a fun and educational look at a particular animal sense that will appeal to educators, and also thrill young naturalists and scientists. Sniff out a copy today!

February 15, 2019

Do Doodlebugs Doodle?

I was in the mood for something fun and light this morning, so I’ve highlighted the picture book Do Doodlebugs Doodle? Amazing Insect Facts by Corinne Demas, Artemis Roehrig, and illustrated by Ellen Shi at Wrapped in Foil blog.

Overall, Do Doodlebugs Doodle? has a lot of positives going for it. First, there’s the engaging premise, which is to ask silly questions relating insect common names and then astonish the reader with an actual fact about that group. For example, the authors ask, “Do horseflies gallop?” The accompanying illustration shows a jockey riding a horsefly. Turning the page, the reader learns that although horseflies don’t gallop, they can fly faster than a horse can gallop. Cool!

Ellen Shi’s illustrations are just the right mix of silly fun and realistically-portrayed insects.

It also has some pedigree. Corinne Demas is an award-winning children’s author and Artemis Roehrig is a biologist who works with invasive insects. Persnickety Press is the sister imprint of the Cornell Lab Publishing Group, which is doing Jane Yolen’s wonderful bird series.

Despite all the positives, I have to admit I was a tiny bit disappointed with one aspect of this book. If you’re curious, visit the blog for more details.

The authors dedicate their book to budding entomologists. Check out a copy and find out if doodlebugs do indeed doodle.

February 8, 2019

Birds of Every Color

I don’t usually mention a book before it is published, but this week we are featuring Sneed B. Collard III’s new book Birds of Every Color, which is due out next month.

Right up front I should mention that this isn’t a concept book about colors. Instead, it delves deeply into the whys and hows of the fascinating array of bird feather hues.

For example, one page explains how birds get certain pigments from the food they eat and another explains about melanins, brown and black pigments that birds and other animals manufacture internally. Ever hear of psittacofulvins? You’ll find out about those, too.

Look closely and you will see bird colors may be different from place to place, season to season, and even between individual birds. Did you know that the extensiveness of the black bib of house sparrows. and the black and white patches on the heads of chickadees reflect their status in the flock?

As for the illustrations, on the last page we learn that either Sneed or his son, Braden took all the photographs for the book. Cool!

Birds of Every Color will enthrall budding ornithologists and nature lovers in general. Look for it in March.

If you love birds and want to participate in citizen science, check out the accompanying information and links for the Great Backyard Bird Count next weekend.

February 1, 2019February 1, 2019

One Iguana, Two Iguanas

Over at Wrapped in Foil Blog today we’re highlighting Sneed B. Collard III’s middle grade book: One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution. It is a Junior Library Guild selection and earned a starred Kirkus Review.

You may have heard about the Darwin’s finches that live on the Galápagos islands, but did you know that there are two related, but very different species of iguana found there? One of the species lives on land and eats the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. The other species is the only iguana in the world that can swim in the ocean. It is the marine iguana.

Genetic testing have shown that the two species are related. Collard introduces the reader to a puzzle how the two such divergent lifestyles may have come about and how they ended up on an island chain 900 miles from their nearest relatives. He also discusses the geology and history of the islands, and how that impacts the iguanas and the other creatures that live there.

Although this is a middle grade book by text level and content, it is illustrated with many large color photographs. Many of the photographs were taken by the author, who is also a photographer. Others were taken by his friend Jack Grove.

As the author states in the back matter, “considering how important evolution is to the history of the earth, it’s surprising how few books for young people have been written about it.” One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution steps in to fill the gap. This book is a must have for budding scientists and anyone interested in nature. Scoop up a copy today!

And, check Wrapped in Foil for more information and activity suggestions.

January 18, 2019February 1, 2019

The Ultimate Guide to Sharks

At Wrapped in Foil blog today we have one of the middle grade finalists for the 2018 Cybils, The Ultimate Book of Sharks: Your Guide to These Fierce and Fantastic Fish (National Geographic Kids) by Brian Skerry.

You really need to pick up a copy of The Ultimate Book of Sharks to feel the true impact of it.

Starting out with the cover of this large-sized book, you notice the huge shark at the top with gaping jaws that almost jumps out of the page. Whoa! Underneath, the words Ultimate and Sharks in the title are in silver reflective letters that grab your eye.

Inside, chapter one hooks your further with some cool information. Did you know some sharks have organs that glow in the dark? Freaky!

The rest of the chapters mix the amazing photographs we’ve come to expect from National Geographic with sidebars and other bite-sized chunks of stories containing facts about sharks from around the world.

The Ultimate Book of Sharks will thrill both young readers and educators alike. It will entice the most reluctant of readers, but it also has the factual underpinnings to serve as a go-to reference book. Capture a copy today!

January 4, 2019

Delving into the Ocean Depths with Two Picture Books

Better late than never, at Wrapped in Foil today we have two children’s picture books about deep sea exploration.

In Flying Deep by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Nicole Wong, the reader is taken on a day-long ride in the submersible Alvin to the bottom of the ocean. Find out what you might see, how you might feel, even what you might eat and drink while cramped inside a three-person exploration craft. It is so real, you will want to stand up and stretch when you are done.

The digital illustrations stay in the cool color plate and are appropriately dark in the deepest depths. The underwater creatures are beautifully drawn and detailed. Some of the spreads fill the pages lengthwise, giving even more sense of traveling down beneath the water.

Flying Deep is a wonderful adventure in book form. Climb in and explore the ocean depths today!

Years before the Alvin submersible, two men decided they wanted to be the first to explore the deepest ocean. In Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Katherine Roy, readers learn that Otis Barton and Will Beebe designed a round metal ball they called a bathysphere to carry them far beneath the water. Because they were the first, they bravely faced the many dangers to successfully explore areas that no one had seen before and see sights no one could have imagined.

Katherine Roy’s watercolors are playful and full of action. The climax of the book, when the two reach the lowest point, is a surprising two-gatefold spread.

Otis and Will Discover the Deep is a suspenseful tribute to two brave men. It will appeal to budding marine biologists and engineers alike. Dive into a copy today.

December 21, 2018December 21, 2018

The Truth About Series by Maxwell Eaton III

Some authors have all the luck. Maxwell Eaton III had not only one, but three books nominated for a 2018 Cybils award. Maybe it helps that they are a series.

In The Truth About Dolphins, readers learn how dolphins are different from fish and discover some of the different kinds of dolphins, like the spinner dolphin and the Atlantic white-sided dolphin. Did you know there are more than 40 species?

The back matter wraps up some more facts, like the differences between porpoises and dolphins and how long a dolphin can stay underwater. There are also lists of tucuxi-sized books and orca-sized books (isn’t that cute?)

Don’t know what a tucuxi or ocra are? Then you should read The Truth About Dolphins!

This book features three bears, but not the ones from Goldlilocks. Instead they are the brown bear, black bear, and polar bear.

Learn about where the bears live and what they eat (there’s a cute running joke about the fact they eat rodents). Other topics include hibernation and threats to bears.

I thought the bear safety page that explains how you should behave if you encounter a bear was a good idea. You shouldn’t run seems sensible, but I didn’t know that you shouldn’t try to climb a tree either.

Don’t know what you should do if you encounter a bear? Check out The Truth About Bears.

If I had to pick a favorite of the three, it would be this one. The text compares and contrasts the two species of hippo, common and pygmy. Because there are only two kinds, the author was able to pack in more information about them.

Do you know whether hippos can swim? Don’t guess, because the answer will surprise you. Find out by reading The Truth About Hippos.

Today the fun is over at Wrapped in Foil blog.

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018

All Eyes on Alexandra

We are excited to be participating in a blog tour for the picture book All Eyes on Alexandra by Anna Levine and illustrated by Chiara Pasqualotto this week at Wrapped in Foil blog.

Millions and millions of birds migrate through Israel on their way to Europe, Asia, and Africa. All Eyes on Alexandra is the fictional story of one young stork who has trouble following the rest of the flock as they prepare for the big trip. Readers will soon learn, however, that those who have trouble following might have other talents instead.

All Eyes on Alexandra is a perfect example to show that STEM books don’t have to be nonfiction. It introduces children both to an amazing natural phenomena, a massive bird migration, and also to a personal story that they might be able to relate to their own lives or families. Those who love fiction are introduced to facts and those who love nonfiction are introduced to stories. It is win-win.

It is a lovely and versatile picture book. Let All Eyes on Alexandra take you on a journey today!

And, we have activity suggestions to accompany the book from author Anna Levine today at Growing with Science blog. Hope you can join us.

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.