Author: Sue Heavenrich

Insect Superpowers, by Kate Messner; illus. by Jillian Nickell

80 pages; ages 8 – 12. Chronicle Books, 2019

The book’s subtitle describes what’s between the covers: 18 Real Bugs that Smash, Zap, Hypnotize, Sting, and Devour! So I could not wait to get my hands on a copy (it was released just a few weeks ago).

In six chapters, Messner presents a diversity of insect superpowers that rival any comic book hero: speed, mimicry, strength, defensive engineering, and the “Jaws of Doom”.  She devotes an entire chapter to the “Masters of Chemical Weaponry” ~ featuring termites, the bombardier beetle and lubber grasshoppers. Good thing these insects are small, because their superpowers make them mighty.

“Imagine a human-size termite with a goo gun for a face,” writes Messner, “or a beetle the size of a bear that shoots a hot toxic chemical mist from its bottom!” The African bombardier beetle sprays a hot chemical mist from its rear end when threatened. It actually sprays a series of superfast pulses – about 500 per second – so it’s like a chemical machine gun, Messner points out. That’s enough to make birds back off.

What I like about this book: I like graphic-novel style. It’s filled with action: swoops! sluuurps! Chomp! Smack! Slash! Crunch! Pfffr-ffft!

I like the way Messner begins each chapter with an introduction of the insect: common name, scientific name, identification features, size, and superpower. Throughout the short chapter, she presents information in text boxes. She also includes an icon illustrating an arch-enemy for each insect. Total fun!

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for a book about animal farts and some related activities.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

Growing Up Gorilla, by Clare Hodgson Meeker. 48 pages; ages 8-12. Millbrook Press, 2019

The subtitle says it all; this is a book about “how a zoo baby brought her family together.”  As the book opens, we meet Nadiri, a 19-year old gorilla preparing to give birth. She’s gathered a thick nest of hay around her, but when her baby is born she has no idea of how to respond and care for a tiny baby.

The keepers and staff at the Woodland Park Zoo were committed to having Nadiri raise her baby. But they were also ready for the possibility that she might not embrace motherhood immediately, because Nadiri had been rejected by her own mother and was hand-raised. So while they began caring for the new baby gorilla, they were determined to help Nadiri bond with baby Yola in a safe, non-threatening environment.

What I like about this book: Reading this book gives you a front row seat into what goes on behind the scenes in a zoo. Author, Clare Meeker takes us into the gorilla dens, introduces us to the other gorillas that become family, and shows us the love and dedication of the zoo staff. There’s also plenty of back matter so kids can see how humans compare with gorillas (we share 97.7% of the same genes), and some of the ways people are working to protect gorillas and their habitat.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for an interview with the author.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

by Susan Edwards Richmond; illus. by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

32 pages; ages 4-8 | Peachtree Publishing, 2019

I shake Mom in the dark. “Wake up, sleepy head! It’s Bird Count Day!”

Ava is excited because this year she gets to keep tally of the birds “her” crew finds during the annual Christmas Bird Count. She’s dressed for the weather, and has the tools she needs: a notebook, a pencil, and most importantly, her eyes and her ears.

What I like about this book: We get to go along on the bird-finding field trip without leaving the warmth of our cozy home. Bird-by-bird we meet (and count) owls, chickadees, catbirds and geese. It’s a great way to become familiar with how the bird count works, in case we want to join a local census circle. Back matter tells more about each species featured in the book as well as additional information about the Christmas Bird Count.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for another Bird Book and some hands-on Bird activities.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

by Eric Ode; illus by Ruth Harper
32 pages; all ages
Kane Miller Books / EDC Publishing, 2019

Will I find you here
where cedar wears her mossy shawl 

With an otter as our guide, we meet the amphibians, mollusks, birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, and plants that inhabit a wetland.

What I like about this book: I love that the otter shows up in most of the spreads – as though they’re our tour guide. It reminds me of the time my youngest insisted there “might be otters” in our little stream and so we hiked the length of it – finding crayfish, insects, mammal tracks, birds … but no otter! And there’s a wonderful poem about the heron that “measures the morning in slow, perfect strides” – which perfectly captures the heron that stalks the river’s edge nearby.

I love Ruth Harper’s artwork. Can’t think of a medium more perfect for capturing the feel of wetlands than watercolors!

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for another book about our connections with nature, and some hands-on Beyond the Book activities.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

One North Star: A Counting Book
by Phyllis Root; illus by Beckie Prange and Betsy Bowen
36 pages; ages 8-12
Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2016

Who lives here under one north star?

One by one, we meet the plants and animals that share the land beneath the star. Phyllis Root takes readers on a field trip through bog and marsh, along river and around lake, across prairie and into the woods, counting flora and fauna as we go. The woodcut and water illustrations by Beckie Prange and Betsy Bowen provide additional opportunities to explore diverse habitats and plants and animals living there.

What I like about this book: Each spread introduces different species. For example, One moose… but on the next page it’s two bats and one hawk. By the end of the book we’ve met 55 different plants, birds, fish, insects, mammals, and herps. I also like that Root includes the reader in her book. “You live here, too,” she writes. “We all live together under one north star.” Nine pages of back matter provide further opportunity for curious young naturalists to explore each habitat and the wild things living there. And (very important) – how to locate the north star in the sky above you. I give this book a constellation’s worth of stars, and One Big North Star.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for more sky books and some hands-on activities (including how to make a telescope).

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

by Laura Purdie Salas; illus by Claudine Gévry
32 pages; ages 5-9
Millbrook Press, 2019

Soak up the sun, breathe in the breeze, munch crunchy apples that fall from the trees.

Because nights are growing longer, days are getting colder, and soon snow and ice will cover the landscape. Laura Purdie Salas shows how different animals prepare to survive the winter. Some, such as hummingbirds and butterflies, migrate. Others store up nuts and seeds, or build layers of fat, and spend the winter napping. And others grow extra layers of hair so they can keep warm.

What I like about this book: Rhyming text reveals survival secrets of twelve different animals, from worms to mammals. And yes, humans are counted amongst those mammals. A line of smaller text, offset by squiggly lines, offers additional details. Claudine Gévry’s illustrations are filled with details inviting readers to explore the spreads that show animals across the two seasons of autumn and winter.

And there is back matter! Salas provides more information about the three basic winter survival strategies: migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. Following pages tell more about the migrators, hibernators, and tolerators, and end with a glossary.

Check out the “Beyond the Book” activities over at Archimedes Notebook.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth (Build It Yourself series)
by Laura Perdew; illus by Tom Casteel
128 pages; ages 9-12
Nomad Press, 2019

We share our planet with millions of other species – from bacteria to plants to fungi and animals. This tremendous variety of life on Earth is called “biodiversity”, a shortened way of saying “biological diversity.” In six chapters, author Laura Perdew introduces biodiversity, why it’s important, threats to biodiversity, and how we can protect it.

In discussing climate change, Perdew discusses human activities that contribute to a warming planet, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. The warming planet is melting polar ice, causing sea levels to rise and flood coastal habitats. The increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with ocean water to create acidic ocean water which, in turn threatens coral reefs and clams. Perdew also delves into pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and over-exploitation of resources. Fortunately, there are things people can do, from implementing conservation policies to developing new energy technologies to taking personal actions.

In addition to informative text and photos, each chapter contains a comic strip, text-boxes of “words to know”, quick facts, sidebars, and primary source links with QR codes (urls listed at the back). There are more than twenty hands-on STEM activities, from field trips to making things. Want to make bio-gas? You’ll need some help from microbes, but all you need are a plastic bottle, an uninflated balloon, and some dead leaves. There are directions for making a water filter and even instructions for making your own smartphone-microscope.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

I See Sea Food
by Jenna Grodzicki
32 pages; ages 4-9
Millbrook Press, 2019

Pineapples, pancakes, and chocolate chip cookies are tasty treats. But did you know they all live in the ocean?

Wait! Really? Chocolate chip cookies? Ok, maybe not cookies, but chocolate chip sea stars live in the ocean. So do pineapple fish, pancake batfish, and pizza crust sea slugs! Excuse me – I’ve got to grab a snack now, but I’ll be right back…

… OK, where was I? <brushing cookie crumbs off keyboard>

Oh yes, What I like love about this book:

• the mouthwatering names of sea creatures. In addition to pizza and cookies, there are fruits (sea apples and banana wrasse) and vegetables (cauliflower jellyfish and lettuce sea slugs). So it’s a well-balanced menu – er, book;
• the delicious photos of the fish and sea slugs and sea stars;
• the “fast facts” sidebars for every creature, providing species name, size, range and habitat, and what eats it;
• and the breezy, fun way Jenna Groszicki introduces each creature. For example, when discussing egg yolk jellyfish she subtitles her text “sunny-side up”. How imaginative!

Plus, dare I say it, Back Matter! In addition to a glossary and further reading, there’s a “Sea Food or Me Food?” quiz.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook to explore the Deep Dark Sea with Gail Gibbons, and some Beyond the Books exploration.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

by Ann Marie Stephens; illus. by Jia Liu
32 pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2019

Don’t call these mathematicians “bird brains” – because they are busy solving problems. Cheeping and chattering, they count rocks, flowers, and how many steps it takes to reach the park. Once there, they play – and add. With three chicks swinging high into the air, and six more at the lowest vertex of the arc, there are nine in all, swooshing through the air – while one holds up a scorecard so we can keep count.

What I like about this book: This is a great resource for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents who are looking for a fun way to introduce the idea of addition. Each spread shows a different way to add up the chicks – and back matter explains the different ways that you can use to represent addition. Most of us are familiar with basic equations and tally marks, but this book includes number bonds, counting on fingers (or feathers, depending on your species), number lines, and more.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for a review of Pigeon Math and some hands-on activities.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist: The True Story Of A World-Traveling Bug Hunter
by Christine Evans; illus. by Yasmin Imamura
40 pages; ages 5 – 10
The Innovation Press, 2019

“Back in 1881 when Evelyn Cheesman was born, most people thought girls should be quiet, clean, and covered with lace.”

They definitely weren’t supposed to kneel in the dirt and hunt for bugs – but Evelyn did. She loved insects and other animals, and wanted to be a veterinarian. But in the early 1900s, women weren’t allowed to become veterinary doctors. They weren’t even allowed to vote! So Evelyn worked as a veterinary nurse until one day she learned that the London Zoo’s insect house needed a keeper. Evelyn applied and soon found herself scooping insects from ponds and collecting caterpillars, beetles and other buggy creatures to fill the tanks of the insect house. And when that wasn’t enough, she went on collecting adventures around the world to find new arthropods for the Insect House.

What I like about this book: I am passionate about bugs – and illustrator Yasmin Imamura fills this book with them, from the end papers to illustrations. I love the story about Evelyn and can only imagine having to fight my way free from a sticky curtain of spider webs (which she has to do on one of her adventures).

I like the way author Christine Evans weaves fun images into the story: crowds swarming into the insect house, and bugs creeping, sliding, scurrying. And I really like the way she portrays Evelyn as an intrepid and curious explorer graced with an indomitable spirit.

And there is back matter: more information about Evelyn, an interview with an entomologist, and a list of books and other resources for curious readers who want to know more.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some hands-on Beyond the Book entomology activities. This review is from a copy provided by the publisher.

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

Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.