Anastasia Suen

May 28, 2021May 27, 2021

Be a Tree!

Be a Tree!
by Maria Gianferrari (Author) and Felicita Sala (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: We are all like trees: our spines, trunks; our skin, bark; our hearts giving us strength and support, like heartwood. We are fueled by air and sun.

And, like humans, trees are social. They “talk” to spread information; they share food and resources. They shelter and take care of one another. They are stronger together.

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

May 21, 2021May 20, 2021

101 Life Hacks: Genius Ways to Simplify Your World

101 Life Hacks: Genius Ways to Simplify Your World
by Aubre Andrus (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Upcycle, recycle, and/or repurpose your stuff and engineer your way out of all kinds of sticky situations–all while learning about science and sustainability as you do it!

Snippet: #46
Afraid you have bad breath? Lick the inside of your wrist, wait a moment, and smell it to check.

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

May 14, 2021May 13, 2021

The Book of Tiny Creatures

The Book of Tiny Creatures
by Nathalie Tordjman (Author), Emmanuelle Tchoukriel (Illustrator) and Julien Norwood (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: In the air, on the ground, and in the water, incredible tiny creatures are all around us! Learn about spiders, butterflies, worms, snails, and even the world’s heaviest insect, the Little Barrier Island giant weta with interactive quizzes, seek-and-find scenes, and hands-on activities, like how to make a snail terrarium.

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

May 7, 2021May 6, 2021

Welcome Home, Whales

Welcome Home, Whales
by Christina Booth (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: In a quiet harbor, a young child hears the call of a right whale, the rarest kind of whale. He is the only person in his town to hear the whale’s moving song, and he waits by the bay to hear more of her story and shares in her joy and sorrow. At first her story makes the young boy sad, but he is soon filled with hope as she introduces her new calf to the world.

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

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021

Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, and Shell Hunting

Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, and Shell Hunting: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide
by Jennifer Swanson (Author) and John D. Dawson (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: No experience is required–only curiosity and courage. This interactive field guide to rocks, fossils, & shells, includes:
-Digging, chiseling, hammering, and wading for rocks and minerals
-Identifying rocks & minerals by location, texture, color, shape and size
-Determining between rocks, geodes, and space rocks
-Finding fossils and setting up a dig site
-Searching and snorkeling for shells
-Storing and displaying your collection
And so much more! Did you notice the metal corners on the book cover?

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

April 23, 2021April 22, 2021

Palm Trees at the North Pole

Palm Trees at the North Pole: The Hot Truth About Climate Change
by Marc ter Horst (Author), Wendy Panders (Illustrator), and Laura Watkinson (Translator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: With facts about farting cows and cracking icebergs, tall windmills and fast electric cars, burly polar bears and cute little pikas, this guide for readers ages 8-12 covers the history of our climate–starting with exploding volcanoes and extinct mammoths–and explains humans’ role in climate change. It also shares information about environmental movements throughout history.

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

April 16, 2021April 15, 2021

How to Build an Insect

How to Build an Insect
by Roberta Gibson (Author) and Anne Lambelet (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Let’s build an insect! In the pages of this book, you’ll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Try it yourself with the activity in the back of the book!

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

April 9, 2021April 8, 2021

Nature Did It First

Nature Did It First: Engineering Through Biomimicry
by Karen Ansberry (Author) and Jennifer DiRubbio (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Explore the ways we have looked to nature for brilliant new designs and innovations to solve our own conundrums. Each example in nature is paired with a rhyming description, an example of how it has been used by us, and a question to the reader–“what other problems can be solved?”

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

April 2, 2021April 1, 2021

Cougar Crossing

Cougar Crossing: How Hollywood’s Celebrity Cougar Helped Build a Bridge for City Wildlife
by Meeg Pincus (Author) and Alexander Vidal (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: P-22, the famed “Hollywood Cougar,” was born in a national park near Los Angeles, California. When it was time for him to leave home and stake a claim to his own territory, he embarked on a perilous journey–somehow crossing twenty lanes of the world’s worst traffic–to make his home in LA’s Griffith Park, overlooking the famed Hollywood sign. But Griffith Park is a tiny territory for a mountain lion, and P-22’s life has been filled with struggles.

Residents of Los Angeles have embraced this brave cougar as their own and, along with the scientists monitoring P-22, raised money to build a wildlife bridge across Highway 101 to help cougars and other wildlife safely expand their territories and build new homes–ensuring their survival for years to come.

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

March 26, 2021March 25, 2021

Jumping Spiders: An Augmented Reality Experience

Jumping Spiders: An Augmented Reality Experience
by Sandra Markle (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: A jumping spider soars and sinks its fangs into prey. The spider injects venom, paralyzing its target. Learn about the jumping spider life cycle with augmented reality experiences and lots of creepy details.

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