Anastasia Suen

April 5, 2024April 4, 2024

Be a Nature Explorer!

Be a Nature Explorer!: Outdoor Activities and Adventures
by Peter Wohlleben (Author), Belle Wuthrich (Illustrator), Jane Billinghurst (Translator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: This paperback book for kids ages 6 to 10 has 52 short, hands-on activities to help kids explore and discover the outdoors–one for each week of the year.

Snippet:

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

March 22, 2024March 21, 2024

Climate Emergency

Climate Emergency: How You Can Make a Difference
by Cynthia O’Brien (Author)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Our planet is in trouble. Climate change is resulting in rising sea levels, habitat loss, extreme weather, and many other issues. Fighting this climate change has become an urgent priority. All around the world, young people are leading the fight against climate change, challenging governments, spreading awareness, and taking action to help. Could you be one of them? Read this book to find out how to be a climate activist.

Snippet: Millions of young people around the world are already making a difference in the fight against climate change. Youth-led organizations, such as Earth Uprising, Fridays for the Future, and This is Zero Hour, empower young people to challenge leaders, spread awareness, and be involved in decision making.

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

March 15, 2024March 14, 2024

Pretty Tricky

Pretty Tricky: The Sneaky Ways Plants Survive
by Etta Kaner (Author) and Ashley Barron (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Discover the tricky techniques some plants use to defend themselves, reproduce, or acquire food. From the copycat Boquila vine that changes shape to match its host plant, to the pungent carrion flower that lures pollinating flies with the scent of rotten meat, plants across the globe have adapted to survive all kinds of threatening fauna.

Snippet:

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

March 8, 2024March 7, 2024

Arts and Crafts

My new Focus on STEM column, Arts and Crafts, is in the free March Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter from Booklist.

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

March 1, 2024February 29, 2024

Fiona the Fruit Bat

Fiona the Fruit Bat
by Dan Riskin (Author) and Rachel Qiuqi (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: It’s time for Fiona the fruit bat to take her very first flight, but she’s scared. How will she fly when she can’t see in the dark? Mama just says, “listen.” But how will listening help her to see? Then she hears a mysterious sound from deep in her cave. To find out what’s making that noise–and to finally fly–Fiona will have to unlock a secret hidden inside herself.

Snippet:

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

February 23, 2024February 22, 2024

A Coalition of Cheetahs

A Coalition of Cheetahs (Safari Animal Families)
by Kelley Barth (Author)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: This picture book introduces readers to cheetahs and their family groups. Find out where they live and how they work together, and learn why they are called a coalition. Are you faster than a cheetah? Try the activity in the back of the book and find out!

Snippet:

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

February 16, 2024February 15, 2024

Dogs Do Science: Light

Dogs Do Science: Light
by Anna Claybourne (Author) and Luke Séguin-Magee (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Join Professor Pooch, Dopey Doberman and a pack of curious dogs as they uncover the workings of science through comic adventures!

Snippet:

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

February 9, 2024February 8, 2024

Casting Shadows

Casting Shadows: Solar and Lunar Eclipses with The Planetary Society ®
by Bruce Betts (Author)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: The year 2024 is set to have multiple solar and lunar eclipses. Learn about the different kinds of eclipses. Then discover when they happen, how to watch them, and the cool things that can happen during an eclipse.

Snippet:

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

February 2, 2024February 1, 2024

Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers

Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers
by Cara Giaimo (Author), Christina Couch (Author), Daniel Duncan (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Meet incredible animals with all kinds of highly developed senses and learn about the jobs they do in this book full of facts and activities.

Snippet:
DO CATFISH HAVE WHISKERS?
Sort of. Catfish look like they have whiskers, but each of those long “hairs” on a catfish’s face is actually an organ called a barbel.

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

January 26, 2024

How the Sea Came to Be

How the Sea Came to Be: (And All the Creatures In It)
by Jennifer Berne (Author) and Amanda Hall (Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Long, long ago, when the Earth was young and new, the world was a fiery place. Volcanoes exploded from deep down below, and steamy, hot clouds rose up high. Rain poured down for thousands of years, filling the world’s very first oceans. There the teeniest stirrings of life began. Earth’s creatures grew bigger and bigger, evolving into exciting forms like jellyfish, coral, and worms. Millions of years passed. Down in the depths and up on the surface, ocean life grew and spread. Now the sea teems with all kinds of animals–squid, turtles, dolphins, barracudas, even glowing fish, all living in the waters where long, long ago, life itself came to be.

Snippet:
Earth sizzled and simmered for millions of years.
It bubbled and burbled and hissed.
It raged and it rumbled, it thundered and boiled,
spewing lava and steamy hot mist.

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