STEM Friday

November 26, 2021

Stretch to the Sun: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth

Today at Growing with Science blog we have an older book that deserves a second look, Stretch to the Sun: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth by Carrie A. Pearson and illustrated by Susan Swan.

How do you start a story about the tallest tree in the world? If you’re Carrie Pearson, you start it with a bang!

Creak! Crack! Kaboom!
A giant tree falls, broken,
and the forest floor trembles.

And with that dramatic event comes the opening needed for another tree to be born, one that will live over 1200 years and grow to about 380 feet tall. That’s about as tall as a 35 story building. Amazing!

Susan Swan’s illustrations are equally amazing. The trees are the central characters, of course, but she also features many animals of the Redwood National Park, giving young readers hidden treasures to search for on every page.

The back matter shines as well. Besides an Author’s Note that explains how the book came about, there are many remarkable facts about coast redwoods, a bibliography, as well as information about where you can learn more and what you can do to help preserve redwoods.

Stretch to the Sun is a one-of-a-kind book about a one-of-a-kind tree. It will thrill young nature lovers. Get lost in a copy today!

Want to learn more? Visit Growing with Science for the full review and activity suggestions.

November 26, 2021November 24, 2021

Snow Birds

Snow Birds
by Kirsten Hall (Author) and Jenni Desmond (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Discover birds who survive winter against all odds in this picture book poetry collection.

Snippet:

A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

November 19, 2021November 18, 2021

Thankful

Thankful
by Elaine Vickers (Author) and Samantha Cotterill (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: When the first snow falls, a little girl writes down the things she’s thankful for on strips of paper and links them together. As one idea leads to another, her chain grows longer. Mindfulness meets the seasons of the year at school and at home.

Snippet:

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

November 12, 2021November 11, 2021

Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep

Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep
by Rebecca E. Hirsch (Author) and Sonia Possentini (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: As the sun sets, night creatures awaken. In their rural backyard, a parent and child camp out, watching as fireflies flicker, bats flap, and rabbits race.

Snippet:
A cool night breeze
blows softly
on your face
as night creatures wake
in quiet dens
and dusky nooks.

See the book trailer.

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

November 5, 2021November 4, 2021

The Chemistry of Food

The Chemistry of Food
by Carla Mooney (Author) and Traci Van Wagoner (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Middle school readers can learn the science behind the food they love to eat as they explore the chemistry within the meal, how nutrition works, what creates flavor, and why texture is important with hands-on science investigations (and recipes!), links to online resources and media, career connections, and text-to-world questions. What makes ice cream melt? Why does pasta go limp when you cook it in boiling water? Why does tomato sauce taste different from fresh tomatoes? Discover the answers yourself!

Snippet:

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

October 29, 2021October 29, 2021

Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals

Today at Growing with Science blog we are featuring Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals by Linda Zajac.

With side-by-side photographs of robots and their real life inspirations, the author reveals twelve robots that are designed to look and/or move like animals, from bats to kangaroos. And the robots aren’t just for fun. Using simple language, she points out how each one is designed to perform specific tasks that would be difficult for humans to carry out.

For an example — that isn’t in the book — engineers have designed a drone that looks like and flies like a hawk or falcon. Why? To take a pass over runways at airports before an airplane takes off. The drone scares away any birds hanging around that might be hit, a hazard to the plane and to themselves. Cool project and there are many more like this in the book.

The best part is the book ends with a gentle call to action challenging young readers to dream up and design their own animal robots.

Robo-Motion will excite budding robot engineers and animal lovers alike. Put some technology and engineering in your STEM and investigate a copy today!

And if you have a moment, stop by Growing With Science for the full review and activity suggestions.

October 29, 2021October 28, 2021

For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day

For Every Little Thing: Poems and Prayers to Celebrate the Day
by June Cotner (Editor), Nancy Tupper Ling (Editor), and Helen Cann (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Arranged from waking up to falling asleep, this poetry anthology gathers classic selections, modern prayers, and new poems from multiple cultures and faiths to celebrate the day and its delights. From Emily Dickinson to Amma, from Ken Nesbitt to Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, fifty-one voices encourage children to be present and thankful at all hours.

Snippet:
DAY’S END

Night is come,
Owls are out;
Bettles hum
Round about.

Children snore
Safe in bed;
Nothing more
Need be said.

–Henry Newbolt

A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

October 22, 2021October 21, 2021

COVID-19: The Coronavirus Disease

COVID-19: The Coronavirus Disease
by Jackie Golusky (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Scientists and health-care workers around the world are battling COVID-19. Find out how the disease attacks the human body and see how people are fighting back in this middle grade book written at first grade reading level.

Snippet:

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

October 15, 2021

Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature

Over at Growing with Science blog, we are featuring the new picture book Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature by Cynthia Argentine.

The premise of Night Becomes Day isn’t easy to explain, but simply amazing. It is an introduction to periodic scientific processes such as life cycles, the water cycle, and the rock cycle. However, no topic is treated separately. Argentine overlaps the concepts, comparing and contrasting, to show the general qualities of transformations.

To help clarify, let’s look at an example. the author compares the ancient process of forming a diamond crystal deep in the Earth (part of the rock cycle) to the brief, fragile formation of a snowflake (part of the water cycle). These complex processes are revealed using age-appropriate text matched with high quality stock photos. She pairs words like quick – slow, hot – cold, dull-brighten to show the contrasts.

The back matter will knock you over. Argentine’s author’s note explains how changes occur in both living and nonliving things, how connections are made, and how the science of making connections is Ecology. In the next section, “A Closer Look At The Science of Change,” is actually a zoomed out view of the text, explaining the big picture. In the diamond versus snowflake spread, for example, she explains how chemistry, geology, and physics are all involved in the process of forming crystals.

Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature helps young readers see how natural processes relate to one another. Reading it might just transform them!

If you’d like to read more, visit Growing with Science for the complete review and activity suggestions.

October 15, 2021October 15, 2021

Let’s Explore Migration

Let’s Explore Migration
by Emma Carlson-Berne (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Each year, butterflies, whales, and many other animals travel long distances in search of better food, weather, and more. Then they return to repeat the pattern. Learn all about migration, one of nature’s amazing cycles, in this beginning reader.

Snippet:

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