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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Boom! Bellow! Bleat!

Boom! Bellow! Bleat!: Animal Poems for Two or More Voices
by Georgia Heard (Author) and Aaron DeWitt (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A collection of poems–peppered with an astounding variety of animal sounds–is meant to be read aloud together. The poems cover all major classes of animals: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, even a crustacean! End notes provide more information on the animals and how and why they make the sounds they do.

Snippet:

A 2019 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Superlative Birds

Superlative Birds
by Leslie Bulion (Author) and Robert Meganck (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Explore the fascinating world of superlative birds–from the bee hummingbird, the tiniest bird in the world, to the peregrine falcon, the fastest creature on Earth. The back of the book includes a science glossary, notes on poetry forms, and resources for more information about these birds.

Snippet:
Superlative Birds:
Which bird can do what birds do, best?
Which put world records to the test?
Which birds are beaks above the rest?
Superlative birds! Come see!

A 2019 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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The Day the Universe Exploded My Head

The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again
by Allan Wolf (Author) and Anna Raff (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Ever wonder what the sun has to say about being the closest star to Earth? Or what Pluto has gotten up to since being demoted to a dwarf planet? Or where rocket ships go when they retire? Listen closely, because maybe, just maybe, your head will explode, too. With poetry that is both accurate and entertaining — this book will enthrall amateur stargazers and budding astrophysicists as it reveals many of the wonders our universe holds. Space travelers in search of more information will find notes about the poems, a glossary, and a list of resources at the end.

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Adventures on Earth

Adventures on Earth
by Simon Tyler (Author / Illustrator)

Booktalk: Follow in the footsteps of the world’s most famous explorers and travel to the extremes of our environment on Earth–learn about the highest and deepest, hottest and coldest places on Earth. Discover the world’s most wild terrain–deserts, mountains, volcanoes, rivers, jungles, oceans, the polar regions and more and learn about how they were discovered and explored by human adventurers. Find out how these regions are under threat from global warming and other issues, and learn what we can do to conserve them.

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Pluto Gets the Call

Pluto Gets the Call
by Adam Rex (Author) and Laurie Keller (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Pluto loves being a planet. That is, until the day he gets a call from some Earth scientists telling him he isn’t a planet anymore! You probably wanted to meet a real planet, huh? Join Pluto as he takes you on a journey through the solar system to introduce the other planets (who commiserate about his situation).

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FYI: “‘I am here to tell you, as the NASA administrator, I believe Pluto is a planet,’ said Bridenstine during a keynote on the final day of the International Astronautical Congress in Washington, D.C. on October 25.”

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Save the Crash-test Dummies

Save the Crash-test Dummies
by Jennifer Swanson (Author) and TeMika Grooms (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Cars take us to work. To school. To soccer practice. To the grocery store and home again. Can you imagine a world without them? It’s not easy! One of the reasons we can use cars so much in our everyday lives is because they are safe to drive. But that hasn’t always been the case. If it weren’t for the experiments conducted over decades that involved all kinds of crash test volunteers–dead, alive, animal, or automated–cars as we know them might not be around. And then how would you get to school?

Snippet:


See the book trailer.

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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Coding

My new Focus on STEM column: Coding is in the October Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.

Booktalk: Catch up on computer science with this list featuring female coders, interactive guides, and other coding activities.

Snippet: The first computer-to-computer message was sent on October 29, 1969, and the system crashed before the entire message was entered. (Sound familiar?) Only the letters “L” and “O” were delivered to the other three computers. Fifty years later, even pre-readers are learning to write computer code. As December’s annual Hour of Code approaches, look to these recent books about coding to inspire and prepare.

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

Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.