STEM Friday

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)

January 11, 2019January 11, 2019

Chef Academy

Chef Academy
by Steve Martin (Author) and Hannah Bone (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Enroll at Chef Academy to learn a number of skills needed to become a world-class chef; discover how to make food look and taste delicious, what it takes to be a successful leader, and much more. You’ll also find a poster, a game, stickers, and even instructions for creating a chef’s hat of your own!

Snippet:

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

January 11, 2019January 2, 2019

Beavers (Superpower Field Guide)

96 pages; ages 7 – 10. HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018

I’m a sucker for field guides. The more, the merrier. This one is a bit different than the others, though. For one thing, this field guide focuses on only one animal – and a mammal, at that. Plus, it highlights superpowers.

Who knew beavers have superpowers? Obviously Rachel Poloquin – and she gets right to them early in the book For example, beavers have chainsaw teeth! They have the incredible scuba head. They have paws of power. These powers – and more – make beavers true Wetlands Warriors!

But first: an announcement from our sponsor, the rodent family. Beavers, it turns out, have lots of relatives – from mice to porcupines. One thing they all have in common: ever-growing teeth. Beaver’s teeth are three inches long!. That’s what makes them super. And powerful.

For each superpower, Rachel gives us the low-down. For example, the super unstoppable fur. It might not stop a speeding bullet, but it can stop rain, snow, sleet… if it stopped dark of night, beavers would make perfect mail-deliverers. If you count the number of hairs in a square inch (and apparently scientists have done this), beavers have 100,000 hairs. You have only 1,000 hairs per square inch on your head.

Beavers are amazing architects, building dams and lodges that withstand the test of time. If you want to learn how to build a dam, Rachel offers step-by-step directions. Also instructions for how to build your own underwater lodge. All you need are teeth like chainsaws, paws of power, and a place to build.

There are tons of fun sidebars, facts and maps, and the occasional quiz (with answers, of course). Plus a final section highlighting how beavers help create wetlands. In fact, scientists are thinking of putting beavers to work as a watershed management tool, restoring wetlands in dry areas.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some cool links to how beavers are used in watershed management, and also another animal book review.

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

January 4, 2019

Delving into the Ocean Depths with Two Picture Books

Better late than never, at Wrapped in Foil today we have two children’s picture books about deep sea exploration.

In Flying Deep by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Nicole Wong, the reader is taken on a day-long ride in the submersible Alvin to the bottom of the ocean. Find out what you might see, how you might feel, even what you might eat and drink while cramped inside a three-person exploration craft. It is so real, you will want to stand up and stretch when you are done.

The digital illustrations stay in the cool color plate and are appropriately dark in the deepest depths. The underwater creatures are beautifully drawn and detailed. Some of the spreads fill the pages lengthwise, giving even more sense of traveling down beneath the water.

Flying Deep is a wonderful adventure in book form. Climb in and explore the ocean depths today!

Years before the Alvin submersible, two men decided they wanted to be the first to explore the deepest ocean. In Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Katherine Roy, readers learn that Otis Barton and Will Beebe designed a round metal ball they called a bathysphere to carry them far beneath the water. Because they were the first, they bravely faced the many dangers to successfully explore areas that no one had seen before and see sights no one could have imagined.

Katherine Roy’s watercolors are playful and full of action. The climax of the book, when the two reach the lowest point, is a surprising two-gatefold spread.

Otis and Will Discover the Deep is a suspenseful tribute to two brave men. It will appeal to budding marine biologists and engineers alike. Dive into a copy today.