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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
When the Stars Come Out
by Nicola Edwards (Author) and Lucy Cartwright (Illustrator)
Booktalk: As we delve into the magical realm that is our universe at night, we discover what makes it so extraordinary . . . from moonbows to shooting stars and from the polar night to the northern lights. Experience how different habitats, from the city to the ocean, come alive when the sun sets. Meet animals that make their own elaborate beds and others that sleep while swimming or flying. Explore the history of human sleep across the globe and dive into a world of dreams.
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Sleep and Dreams
All living creatures need sleep to survive. Meat-eating animals tend to get more time asleep than plant-eating animals, as the plant-eaters usually spend lot of time watching out for meat-eaters who may want to snack on them! A good comparison is the giraffe, who sleeps for around half an hour on average, and the lion, who snoozes for more than 15 hours a day!
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife
by Sarah Grace Tuttle; illus. by Amy Schimler-Safford
48 pages; ages 4-8
Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2018
In the night
under the table
a mother mouse
scurries back and forth…
From the mouse in the house to weeds in sidewalk cracks, Sarah Tuttle offers a close look at the wildlife sharing our cities. There are birds – lots of birds, snails, and insects galore. Bats, cats, and sign of skunk. All shown through the lens of poetry.
What I like about this book: I like that Sarah uses poetry to give us a way into observing the lives of our wild urban neighbors. There’s a fun poem about the courtship dance of pigeons – I can almost see them strut, turn, and dip as they try to gain the attention of the ladies. I like that the poems take us through the seasons of city living. And I really like that Sarah has included back matter – more facts about the wildlife that she’s introduced in the poems. I also like the artwork: collage landscapes and garden scenes.
Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some more books about our wild neighbors and a handful of Beyond-the-Books activities.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.
My new Focus on STEM column: Thinkers and Tinkers is in the May Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.
Booktalk: Thinkers who like to tinker will enjoy these inspiring pairings of project books and biographies.
Snippet: Some thinkers are also tinkerers. As they think, they play, working with their hands, trying this and that until it’s just right. Thinkers and tinkerers build and plant, paint and code. They make things that others can see, hear, and use. These new biographies and DIY project books will help inspire the thinking, tinkering makers at your school or library.
It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Copyright © 2019 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
