STEM Friday

February 8, 2019February 7, 2019

Math Magic

My new Focus on STEM column: Math Magic is in the February Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.

Booktalk: Make math fun and approachable with these pattern- and comparison-based projects.

Snippet: With only 28 days, February is the shortest month of the year–and halfway through it comes Valentine’s Day. After you teach the littlest ones to fold that red paper in half (using symmetry and scissors) to make a valentine, add a few more mathematics tricks to your repertoire. With these new books, activities, and tricks, mathematics can also be math-magic!?

Click here to see the six #kidlit math books and ten mathematics tricks in Math Magic.

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

February 8, 2019January 25, 2019

The Dinosaur Expert

The Dinosaur Expert
by Margaret McNamara; illus. by G. Brian Karas
40 pages; ages 4-8
Schwartz & Wade, 2018

Kimmy collected things so she could study them. She collected rocks
and shells
and leaves and pebbles and feathers.

I love books that inspire kids to follow their passions – even when their passion seems so out of the ordinary. And I especially love books that encourage girls to explore science.

This book opens with an illustration of Kimmy examining an ammonite from her fossil collection. Yes, she collects them, too. So on the day that Kimmy’s class is visiting the natural history museum, she is very excited. She knows a lot about dinosaurs and can’t wait to share. But when she mentions that she wants to be a scientist, one of the kids says, “Girls aren’t scientists.” And Kimmy stops talking.

What I ~~like~~ love about this book: I love the illustrations of the various dinosaurs. And I love the expressiveness of Kimmy’s face – readers will understand how she feels about the possibility that there is no place for her in paleontology. What I really love, though, is that the teacher nudges her towards an exhibit of Gasparinisaura, a dinosaur discovered by a woman.

And there is Back Matter (and you know how much I love that!). Titled “My Favorite Paleontologists by Kimmy”, we discover seven women who dug and sorted and identified dino bones. Six of them are alive and working in their field right now.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some Beyond-the-Book activities

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

February 1, 2019February 1, 2019

One Iguana, Two Iguanas

Over at Wrapped in Foil Blog today we’re highlighting Sneed B. Collard III’s middle grade book: One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution. It is a Junior Library Guild selection and earned a starred Kirkus Review.

You may have heard about the Darwin’s finches that live on the Galápagos islands, but did you know that there are two related, but very different species of iguana found there? One of the species lives on land and eats the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. The other species is the only iguana in the world that can swim in the ocean. It is the marine iguana.

Genetic testing have shown that the two species are related. Collard introduces the reader to a puzzle how the two such divergent lifestyles may have come about and how they ended up on an island chain 900 miles from their nearest relatives. He also discusses the geology and history of the islands, and how that impacts the iguanas and the other creatures that live there.

Although this is a middle grade book by text level and content, it is illustrated with many large color photographs. Many of the photographs were taken by the author, who is also a photographer. Others were taken by his friend Jack Grove.

As the author states in the back matter, “considering how important evolution is to the history of the earth, it’s surprising how few books for young people have been written about it.” One Iguana, Two Iguanas: A Story of Accident, Natural Selection, and Evolution steps in to fill the gap. This book is a must have for budding scientists and anyone interested in nature. Scoop up a copy today!

And, check Wrapped in Foil for more information and activity suggestions.

February 1, 2019January 31, 2019

The Lost Words

The Lost Words
by Robert Macfarlane (Author) and Jackie Morris (Illustrator)

Booktalk: In 2007, when a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary — widely used in schools around the world — was published, a sharp-eyed reader soon noticed that around forty common words concerning nature had been dropped. Apparently they were no longer being used enough by children to merit their place in the dictionary. The list of these “lost words” included acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, fern, heron, kingfisher, newt, otter, and willow. Among the words taking their place were attachment, blog, broadband, bullet-point, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. The news of these substitutions — the outdoor and natural being displaced by the indoor and virtual — became seen by many as a powerful sign of the growing gulf between childhood and the natural world.

Ten years later, Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris set out to make a “spell book” that will conjure back twenty of these lost words, and the beings they name, from acorn to wren. By the magic of word and paint, they sought to summon these words again into the voices, stories, and dreams of children and adults alike, and to celebrate the wonder and importance of everyday nature.

Snippet:
fern

Fern’s first form is furled,
Each frond fast as a fiddle-head.
Reach, roll, and unfold follows.
Fern flares.
Now fern is fully fanned.

BONUS! Download the Explorer’s Guide

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

February 1, 2019January 24, 2019

The Boo-Boos the Changes the World

I love stories of accidental invention. This one is particularly fun to read.

The Boo-Boos that Changed the World
by Barry Wittenstein; illus. by Chris Hsu
32 pages; ages 4-8
Charlesbridge, 2018

Once upon a time, in 1917 actually, a cotton buyer named Earle Dickson married his beloved, Josephine, and they lived happily ever after. The End.

Uh, no – that’s actually the beginning. Otherwise it would be a very short story, right? It turns out that Josephine was accident prone. She cut herself on kitchen knives, grated her knuckles – whatever could happen would happen!

Earle had learned a bit about bandaging wounds from his dad, a doctor. So he tried to come up with a better way to make bandages that Josephine could use herself. Something that she could wind around a cut and that would stick on. Something easy… so he created what would eventually become Band Aids. The end. Except they weren’t as easy to use as he’d hoped. So how could they be improved?

What I like about this book: I love the fun way that author Barry Wittenstein tells about the accidental invention of Band Aids. I love that he tells part of it, and it seems to be complete, The End. But no, turn the page and there’s more! I like that Earle had to solve real problems, like how to make Band Aids sticky. And how to package them. And how big to make them. And how to market them. (Hint: who uses lots of Band Aids? Boy Scouts!)

And there is Back Matter (of course!). An author’s note tells more about Earle and his invention, provides a timeline, and a list of other medical inventions.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some Beyond-the-Book activities.

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

January 25, 2019January 24, 2019

This Little Scientist

This Little Scientist: A Discovery Primer
by Joan Holub (Author) and Daniel Roode (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A rhyming board book looks at famous scientists. The facing page has a fact written in prose.

Snippet:
ISAAC NEWTON
This little scientist
said we walk on the ground
because gravity stops us
from floating around.

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

January 25, 2019January 15, 2019

Weird Animals

Weird Animals
by Mary Kay Carson
32 pages; ages 6 – 10
Sterling Children’s Books, 2019

Slime-oozing slugs, red-lipped fish, spine-covered bugs, and tube-nosed bats. Weird animals are an awesome sight.

OK, I’m going to admit right here that I read this book because of its cover. I mean, look at those fish-lips! If you’re looking for a weird animal, the red-lipped batfish has to be right up there in the top ten.

But… why are its lips so red? Do they help it find a mate? Scare off predators?

What I like about this book: Mary Kay Carson answers these and other questions about why animals have weird adaptations. For example, the Spiny Devil Katydid is covered with thorny-looking spines that make it hard for bats to swallow. The fluffy pink fairy armadillo is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Instead of a tail it’s got a kickstand to prop it up so it can fling dirt while digging.

I like the way the pages are laid out. Three color-coded words in the introductory sentence at the top correspond with color-coded text explaining why those adaptations work for each animal. Plus large photos of the critters. Plus there’s back matter: a glossary of “weird words” and an index. And did I mention the end pages? Large portraits of some of the weirdest in the crew. Totally fun and I learned a lot, too.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for another book and some beyond the book activities.

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

January 18, 2019January 17, 2019

So Many Sounds

So Many Sounds
by Tim McCanna (Author) and Andy J. Miller (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A rhyming read-aloud of everyday sounds invites readers to pay more attention to the world around them.

Snippet:

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

January 18, 2019February 1, 2019

The Ultimate Guide to Sharks

At Wrapped in Foil blog today we have one of the middle grade finalists for the 2018 Cybils, The Ultimate Book of Sharks: Your Guide to These Fierce and Fantastic Fish (National Geographic Kids) by Brian Skerry.

You really need to pick up a copy of The Ultimate Book of Sharks to feel the true impact of it.

Starting out with the cover of this large-sized book, you notice the huge shark at the top with gaping jaws that almost jumps out of the page. Whoa! Underneath, the words Ultimate and Sharks in the title are in silver reflective letters that grab your eye.

Inside, chapter one hooks your further with some cool information. Did you know some sharks have organs that glow in the dark? Freaky!

The rest of the chapters mix the amazing photographs we’ve come to expect from National Geographic with sidebars and other bite-sized chunks of stories containing facts about sharks from around the world.

The Ultimate Book of Sharks will thrill both young readers and educators alike. It will entice the most reluctant of readers, but it also has the factual underpinnings to serve as a go-to reference book. Capture a copy today!

January 18, 2019January 6, 2019

Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?

Keeping warm in winter is tough for those of us living in the colder parts of the world. I keep warm by pulling on an extra sweater, wearing fuzzy slippers, and drinking hot cocoa. So when I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to review it! Because… hot chocolate and frogs! And because the cover is so inviting!

Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?
By Etta Kaner ; illus. by John Martz
32 pages; ages 4-8
Owlkids, 2018

When it gets cold out, do animals turn up the heat?
No!

Using a question-answer format, this book explores how animals survive chilly – and downright frigid – weather. Thankfully, the hot chocolate question gets answered right away. I’ll save you the suspense: Frogs do not drink hot cocoa. They don’t even try to keep warm. In fact, some of them turn into frogsicles during winter. Brrrrr!

What I like about this book: I love the diversity of strategies that are presented for keeping warm. Penguins snuggle, butterflies sunbathe, and some animals build snow dens (snow is a great insulator!). Things animals don’t do: jump up and down, wear ear muffs, drink hot chocolate. Well, wild animals may not do those things, but I can think of one animal that does all three: humans.

Keep warm with some Beyond-the-Book activities over at Archimedes Notebook.

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