Dogs in Space
by Vix Southgate (Author) and Iris Deppe (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Meet Belka and Strelka, two stray dogs from Moscow who, in1960, became the first animals to orbit Earth and return home safely.
Snippet:
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Scampers Thinks Like a Scientist
by Mike Allegra (Author) and Elizabeth Zechel (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Scampers is no ordinary mouse. She’s curious. She asks questions. And she experiments. In short, she thinks like a scientist! Her friend Nibbles, reluctantly joins her as they set out to discover the truth about the owl in the garden.
Snippet:
BONUS! Download the Activity Guides
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
June is Orca Awareness Month and, at the end of May, Orca scientists celebrated the birth of a new calf to the J-pod off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. So the perfect time to share this book (that had found a great hibernation space at the bottom of my book basket!).
The Orca Scientists (Scientists in the Field Series)
by Kim Perez Valice; photos by Andy Comins
80 pages; ages 10 – 12
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018
In the early 1970’s Dr. Mike Bigg, a marine mammal scientist, pioneered a method of photo identification for orcas. He found that the dorsal fin “saddle patch” for each whale was unique, like fingerprint in humans. And that allowed him to follow individual whales and their pods.
Today, Ken Balcomb and other whale researchers use those techniques as they continue the research on resident and transient orcas off the coast of Washington state and southern Canada. Ken is the founder and principal investigator for the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor. From May through October, he and other scientists keep track of who’s swimming with whom.
Despite their name of “killer whales”, over his 40 years of observing Ken’s never seen any of his whales kill anything other than the fish they eat. And they eat a lot – about 5% of their body weight in fish each day. Unfortunately, a decreasing fish population creates problems for the whales. They have to travel greater distances to find food, and that means less time for socializing, playing, and resting.
What I like about this book: Reading this book is the next best thing to being in a boat with the whale scientists. We really get to know some of the personalities and lifestyles of the orcas. We get side ring seats to a mother whale teaching her calf how to hunt. Hint: it’s similar to how mother cats teach their kittens.
We learn about other environmental issues that put orcas (and whales in general) at risk – such as the pollution. And we get a close-up view of scientists taking blubber samples to determine levels of PCBs and DDY. Unfortunately, even banned chemicals remain in the environment for a long time.
There are great sidebars that help explain things like why orcas are black and white, and the Samish naming ceremony for the whales.
There’s a great chapter about Tucker, the detection dog who works with the whale scientists. Tucker’s job: to locate whale scat.
There are a lot of unanswered questions, but it’s not too late to make a difference. Check out the Orca Network and Whale Research Center for more information.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
Is That Your Dad?
by Carles Ballesteros (Illustrator)
Booktalk: Who is Froggy’s dad? Froggy knows who his dad is not–he’s not the roaring lion or the squawking parrot or the growling bear. And with the turn of each board book page, Froggy gets one step closer to finding him!
Snippet:
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Artwork © Thomas Gonzalez, Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon
My new Focus on STEM column: Apollo 11 is in the June Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.
Booktalk: Use the approaching fiftieth anniversary of the lunar landing to inspire school- and library-friendly activities.
Snippet: July 20 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the first successful lunar landing. Round up these new Apollo 11 books–along with the ones already in your collection–for a book display/activity table in your library.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Like a Lizard
by April Pulley Sayre; illus. by Stephanie Laberis
32 Pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2019
Can you run like a lizard? Sun like a lizard?
What about doing pushups? Or dashing across water like a lizard? If you could live like a lizard, you’d have lots of choices about how to behave. That’s because there are about 6300 kinds of lizards living on Earth, and each of them is adapted to its habitat in certain ways. April Pulley Sayre presents an inside look at how 28 lizards make their living.
What I like about this book: I love that each page asks the reader to compare their life with that of a lizard – and each page features specific lizards doing their thing. Like frill-necked lizards showing off their collars, and geckos climbing twigs. I like the bright and realistic illustrations – I never knew about some of these lizards! And I like the back matter, where lizard secrets are revealed. Most of all, I like April’s message that lizards and people can live together in harmony.
Head over to Archimedes Notebook for a book about crocodiles and some beyond-the-books activities.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
Do flowers talk? And if they do, can we hear them? Sara Levine addresses these – and more questions – in her new book.
Flower Talk: How plants use color to communicate
by Sara Levine; illus. by Masha D’yans
32 pages; ages 7-11
Millbrook, 2019
Hey, You! PSSST! Down here! That’s right – I’m a plant, and I’m talking to you!
Plants don’t make a habit of talking to humans, but they do in this book because the plants want to clear up some crazy human ideas about what their colors mean. Red roses do not – at least according to the plants – stand for love. That is, our plant-land guide says, “a load of fertilizer!”
Plants use their flowers to talk to animals. They need bees or birds or bats to carry their pollen from one plant to another so they can make seeds. In exchange, they offer sweet rewards – nectar.
What I like about this book: I love the conversational way it’s written, with the plants speaking directly to the reader. Who knew plants could talk? I mean, with words, not color or scent.
I like that pages are color-coordinated: yellow pages for discussing yellow plants.
I like how the plant, at the end, tells the reader to go take a hike. “I’m pretty busy,” says the plant. “I’m making a new flower.”
And I like the back matter: more details about pollination, things kids can do to protect pollinators, and suggested reading.
Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some beyond-the-book activities.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
Why Should I Walk? I Can Fly!
by Ann Ingalls (Author) and Rebecca Evans (Illustrator)
Booktalk: A little bird, a big sky, and the first time out of the nest! A robin’s first flight is a gentle reminder about what we can accomplish if we just keep trying.
Snippet:
BONUS! Download the Book Activities
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
SR-71 Blackbird
by Kate Riggs (Author)
Booktalk: A fast-paced, high-interest overview of the features, purpose, history, and high-speed capabilities of the SR-71 Blackbird–the fastest manned airplane in the world.
Snippet:
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Soar High, Dragonfly
by Sheri M. Bestor; illus. by Jonny Lambert
32 pages; ages 5 – 8
Sleeping Bear Press, 2019
Spring sun warms the earth. Seeds sprout. Birds build nests. High above, tiny wings hum like wind through the leaves.
This book introduces readers to the life of a green darner dragonfly. Green darners are one of the species that migrate, flying north in spring and south in fall.
What I like about this book: There are three layers of text. Large text tells the story of a dragonfly’s life, from egg to adult. Even larger text provides sound effects, such as the “Pop. Pop. Pop” of eggs landing on the surface of the pond – or the exclamations of “Oh my, dragonfly!” Sidebars, in smaller text, add more details about the natural history of these amazing insects. The illustrations, bright and marbled and reminiscent of Eric Carle, invite you to explore the scenes spread across the pages. Even the end papers offer plenty to see. I would have liked some back matter offering more information, such as how the nymphs breathe underwater and whether climate change is affecting their migration.
Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some beyond-the-book activities and a review of The Bug Girl.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
