STEM Friday

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018

All Eyes on Alexandra

We are excited to be participating in a blog tour for the picture book All Eyes on Alexandra by Anna Levine and illustrated by Chiara Pasqualotto this week at Wrapped in Foil blog.

Millions and millions of birds migrate through Israel on their way to Europe, Asia, and Africa. All Eyes on Alexandra is the fictional story of one young stork who has trouble following the rest of the flock as they prepare for the big trip. Readers will soon learn, however, that those who have trouble following might have other talents instead.

All Eyes on Alexandra is a perfect example to show that STEM books don’t have to be nonfiction. It introduces children both to an amazing natural phenomena, a massive bird migration, and also to a personal story that they might be able to relate to their own lives or families. Those who love fiction are introduced to facts and those who love nonfiction are introduced to stories. It is win-win.

It is a lovely and versatile picture book. Let All Eyes on Alexandra take you on a journey today!

And, we have activity suggestions to accompany the book from author Anna Levine today at Growing with Science blog. Hope you can join us.

December 7, 2018December 7, 2018

Earth Verse

Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up
by Sally M. Walker (Author) and William Grill (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Explore Earth’s many marvels — fossilized skeletons of plants and animals, terrific volcanic eruptions, the never-ending hydrologic cycle — with three-line haikus. Additional detailed explanations for the science behind each concept can be found in the back matter.

Snippet:

A 2018 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

December 7, 2018December 2, 2018

Finding a Dove for Gramps

by Lisa J. Amstutz; illus. by Maria Luisa Di Gravio

32 pages; ages 5-7. Albert Whitman & Company, 2018

Mom and I slip silently out the door. Today we’re going to count birds.

It’s just Jay and his mom this year, because Gramps has “flown south” for the winter. They’ve got everything they need: woolly caps, bird guides, binoculars, and a clipboard.

What I like about this book: Lisa Amstutz plunks us right into a bird count. You can almost hear the snow crunching underfoot, the calls of chickadees and jays, the rat-tat-tat of woodpeckers drumming on a tree. You can almost see that flash of yellow (kinglet) and a tufted titmouse “all dressed up in his suit and top hat.” You can feel your toes freeze and, at the end, the warmth of a mug of hot cocoa.

I like how she sneaks in one brief sentence connecting Jay and mom’s activities with how scientists will use the data. Most of that info is at the back where there is plenty of Back Matter! There is more information about the Christmas Bird Count, and how to join plus a bird count check list you can copy and take outside when you do your own bird walks.

And there is the search for the dove.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some Beyond-the-Book activities and another book about Counting Birds.

STEM Friday

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

November 30, 2018

A Middle Grade Title: The Hyena Scientist

Although we commonly highlight picture books, today we have a middle grade title, The Hyena Scientist by by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop.

I have to admit that I wasn’t sure I wanted to read a book about hyenas. After all, they have a bad reputation, as the authors say, “widely considered to be dirty, ugly, and mean.” The fact the book was one of the Scientists in the Field series, however, convinced me to give it a try. I’m glad I did.

It turns out that I knew very little about hyenas. Given their appearance, most people assume they are related to dogs. On the first page we learn that in fact they are more closely related to cats than dogs, and most closely related to mongooses. Mongooses?!

How many other common perceptions of them are wrong? A lot.

They are scavengers that slink around stealing prey from lions, right? Turns out that although hyenas do scavenge a bit, they are smart and formidable hunters. With careful observations, the featured scientist Kay Holekamp discovered that in fact lions steal prey from hyenas more often than the other way around.

Rather than give away all the surprises in the book, let’s just say your impression of hyenas will likely change after you read it. In fact, you just might want to go study them yourself.

And if you decide to do that, this book will show you what it might be like. As with the other books in the series, the scientists are at the center.

If you’d like to find out more, click through to Growing with Science blog where you’ll find the rest of the review and related information. Hope to see you there.

November 30, 2018November 29, 2018

Also an Animal

Also an Animal
by Lynn Parrish Sutton (Author) and Melissa Babcock Saylor (Illustrator)

Booktalk: An ode to the love between a parent and child as different members of the animal kingdom with thick cardstock pages for young readers.

Snippet:

BONUS! Download the Also an Animal Coloring Pages

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

November 30, 2018November 11, 2018

Octopus Escapes!

Octopus Escapes! by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer; illus. by Frank W. Dormer

32 pages; ages 2-5. Charlesbridge 2018

Octopus waits. Guard closes gates.

What happens at the aquarium after everyone leaves for the day? In this story, octopus escapes. He slips and slides down hallways, turns and hides from the security guard.

What I like about this book: I am a big fan of “night at the museum” stories… and of octopuses. They are clever mollusks, able to open jar lids and squeeze through tight spaces. This midnight romp through the aquarium features fun-to-read-aloud rhyming couplets. The back matter (you knew I was gonna mention back matter!) is all about the amazing behavior of octopuses. They are brilliant problem-solvers and, YES, there are documented cases of octopuses escaping their tanks and cruising through aquaria since the 1870s. Though I don’t think any of them went bowling… The simple, cartoonish illustrations add to the charm.

Check out Beyond the Book activities and another review of animals at Archimedes Notebook today.

STEM Friday

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

November 23, 2018

Rodent Rascals: From Tiny to Tremendous

Someone must have squirreled away Rodent Rascals: From Tiny to Tremendous — 21 Clever Creatures at Their Actual Size by Roxie Munro because it took a long time to get it at the library. The good news is it was worth the wait.

What are rodents? Munro lets the reader know right in the Introduction. Named for the Latin verb rodere = to gnaw, members of the order Rodentia are furry mammals that are defined by having a single pair of long incisors on their upper and lower jaws that continue to grow throughout their lifetimes.

The rest of the book goes on to explore rodent diversity. The author/illustrator features examples ranging from the tiny pygmy jerboa to the large dog-sized capybara, all of which are drawn with India inks and colored acrylic inks at life size. Accompanying each illustration is a detailed discussion of the history and biology of each kind of rodent. Although this looks like a picture book, the text is written at a high level and Rodent Rascals has been placed in the middle grade category for the Cybils contest.

Rodent Rascals is likely to enthrall children who already appreciate rodents and possibly entice a few more skeptical readers to join their ranks. Scurry on out and get a copy today!

For more details and added activity suggestions, see Growing with Science blog.

November 23, 2018November 22, 2018

Seafloor Scavengers

Seafloor Scavengers
by Melissa Gish (Author)

Booktalk: Explore the bottoms of the world’s oceans and learn about the life forms that dwell there. First-person accounts from scientists answer important questions about scavenging and parasitic creatures and how they survive.

Snippet:

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

November 23, 2018November 10, 2018

Renaissance series connects STEM with Art

Nomad Press has a fun new series out called Renaissance for Kids. The books in this series invite readers to dive into the Renaissance period and learn about inventors, thinkers, explorers, and artists. The series includes plenty of hands-on STEAM activities… Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Titles include: The Renaissance Artists, The Renaissance Explorers, The Renaissance Inventors, The Renaissance Thinkers. Written for young people ages 10-15.

Included in the volume on “thinkers” are Nicolaus Copernicus and Francis Bacon. “Being a scientist during the Renaissance could be a lonely business,” writes author Diane Taylor. “There were no graduate students to hang out with, no research institutes to work at, and no conferences to attend.”

Copernicus watched the night sky. He was an astronomer and noticed that not everything circled the earth once a day. Planets, for example, seemed to wander back and forth. He also suggested that the earth orbited the sun – a break with what people thought, that the sun went around the earth.

Francis Bacon is often called the “father of science”. Born in 1561, he was a gifted and prolific writer. He was passionate about science, and thought deeply about how scientists can know when they have discovered the truth of something. He developed a scientific method:

make an observation
ask a question
form a hypothesis
conduct an experiment
analyze the results

Sounds familiar to anyone who’s taken a science class. But in the 1600s scientists didn’t follow any sort of rigor that would lead to reliable results. So Bacon’s ideas were novel.

STEAM projects in this book include drawing with linear perspective, building a supportive arch, and creating your own Utopia.

The “inventors” include Johannes Gutenberg (printing press), Leonardo da Vinci (artist and engineer), Gerardus Mercator (mapping the world), and Galileo Galilei (astronomy and math). These inventors opened up the world for exploration and sharing information.

Prior to a printing press, books were transcribed by hand, and few people had access to them. Once people could mass produce words there were bibles, flyers, news broadsides, and eventually pamphlets in which scientists could share their findings.

da Vinci’s sketchbook contains designs for helicopters and submarines, airplanes and cars. Pretty cool, considering he died in 1519!

STEAM projects in this book include building a parachute, making a pendulum, making a map, printing, and playing around with mirror writing.

“Renaissance artists” introduces readers to Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and more, and invites kids to make their own paint using eggs.

“Renaissance explorers” include Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and others. Kids can make a working compass, build a beacon, create and hourglass, and invent a travel board game.

What I like about these books: They include timelines for each person, provide great biographical details, and mention other scientists, inventors, artists, and explorers living at the same time. Sidebars present quick facts, additional information about the culture, and raise questions for curious readers.

STEM Friday

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

November 16, 2018

Animal Families

‘Tis the season for family gatherings, so what better time to sit down with a child and read a book or two about animal families.

In the first book, Fur, Feather, Fin―All of Us Are Kin by Diane Lang and illustrated by Stephanie Laberis, animal “families” are what are mostly defined as “classes” in the traditional scientific way: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. Arthropods are also included, which are a phylum. It is a basic introduction to animal classification.

The rhyming text is likely to engage the younger readers in the targeted age range.

“All animals on Earth are kin,
while not the same outside or in.
Some we stroke with loving hand;
some we don’t yet understand.”

A few scientific vocabulary words (metamorphosis, oxygen, detritivore) are included.

The illustrations by Stephanie Laberis are just the right amount of vibrant and fun. They are filled with color, action, and excitement, as you can see from the swirling animals on the cover.

The back matter explains further, plus gives concrete ways the readers can help animals.

Fur, Feather, Fin―All of Us Are Kin will delight budding scientists and animal lovers. It might also make a good “entrance book” to entice less-interested readers to want to find out more. Try out a copy today!

Our second book, Meet My Family!: Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, was previously reviewed at the older Stem Friday site by both Sue Heavenrich and Anastasia Suen.

In some animal families, both the mother and the father take care of the youngsters. In others, like sea turtles, the babies never meet their parents. Some offspring look like miniature versions of their parents, and some don’t resemble each other at all. Discover all the unique ways families are made up.

Throughout the text, Laura Purdie Salas injects words for mother and father in different languages, so it sounds as if the animals are speaking. If you are going to read this book aloud, I strongly recommend heading to the back matter and practicing the pronunciations in the glossary. While you are in the back matter, check out the awesome section on where these animals live.

Meet My Family!: Animal Babies and Their Families is not only a discussion of diversity in families that is likely to sooth youngsters who might be feeling their family is too “different,” but also a great introduction to a variety of cool animals.

For a bit more detail and an activity suggestion, see Wrapped in Foil blog.