Author: Anastasia Suen

From her studio in Northern California, developmental editor Anastasia Suen reads, writes, and edits books for creators of all ages.
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Do You Know?: Polar Animals and Other Cold-Climate Creatures

Do You Know?: Polar Animals and Other Cold-Climate Creatures
by Pascale Hédelin (Author), Didier Balicevic (Illustrator), Maëlle Cheval (Illustrator), Yating Hung (Illustrator), and Yi-Hsuan Wu (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: What type of animals live in the cold regions? How do they survive in extreme temperatures? Find out in this 96-page read-aloud book for age 5 and up. The snippet below is about caribou — a.k.a. reindeer — a popular topic at this time of year!

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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Up Periscope!

Up Periscope!: How Engineer Raye Montague Revolutionized Shipbuilding
by Jennifer Swanson (Author) and Veronica Miller Jamison (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Girls like Raye Montague weren’t supposed to like math or science, or go to engineering school. But tenacious Raye had a plan, one that eventually took her all the way to the US Navy. There, she was assigned an impossible task: to come up with a single computer program that could design every part of a ship. It had never been done before—but Raye’s groundbreaking program revolutionized the way ships and submarines were built, and set her on a path to become a pioneering figure in naval engineering and the navy’s first female program manager of ships.

Snippet:

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

The author, Jennifer Swanson, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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The Science of Seeds

The Science of Seeds: Why We Eat Maize, Wheat, Rice, and Potatoes with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids
by Carla Mooney (Author) and Micah Rauch (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: You probably have some form of maize, wheat, rice, potatoes. From London to Lagos to Los Angeles, these staple foods dominate our breakfast bowls, lunch boxes, and dinner tables. In today’s world, more than half of the calories that we consume come from maize, wheat, and rice alone. How did this happen?

In a journey that spans continents and time periods, readers aged 9 to 12 will see these crops as the building blocks of our world and dive deep into the science of botany. The hands-on STEM activities include recipes and QR codes that link to primary sources, videos, and other relevant websites.

Snippet:

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

The author, Carla Mooney, is one of my former students.
Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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Bounce!: A Scientific History of Rubber

Bounce!: A Scientific History of Rubber
by Sarah Albee (Author) and Eileen Ryan Ewen (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Elementary school readers will discover that early balls didn’t bounce; that people in the rainforest made waterproof gear from rubber thousands of years before Europeans got into the act; and that sneakers, bicycles, and cars created demand for more and more rubber! Back matter includes a time line and the complicated implications of harvesting rubber today.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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Habitats: A Journey in Nature

Habitats: A Journey in Nature
by Hannah Pang (Author) and Isobel Lundie (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Watch six habitats from around the world transform in this unique book with split pages that grow wider with each page turn as they show new animals and facts.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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Indigenous Environmentalism

Indigenous Environmentalism: Honoring Our Relationships and Responsibilities with Nature
by Katrina M. Phillips (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: For thousands of years, Native American peoples have had a deep connection to the land they live on. From cultural burning–setting small controlled fires to improve a habitat–to only taking what was needed, Indigenous peoples protected and respected the land. When Europeans began colonizing the land that would become the United States, Native nations were forced from their homes. Later, the US government and non-Native companies built dams that flooded sacred lands and oil pipelines that threatened waters. Yet Indigenous peoples continued to stand up for nature. They are speaking out to reclaim their lands and care for them once again.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)

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Curious about Aircraft Carriers

Curious about Aircraft Carriers
by Rachel Grack (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Early elementary readers learn how aircraft carriers work in this inquiry-based nonfiction chapter book about their size, speed, and battle strength.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved. (*bookstore affiliate)