STEM Friday

November 9, 2018

The Big Book of the Blue

Let’s take a look at one of the picture books nominated for a Cybils award, The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer.

Reviewing this book was a joy. First thing you notice is the beautiful blue color and the oversized dimensions, perfect for a book about the huge, expansive ocean. Then you pop it open and you see the playful, lively illustrations. You can imagine the fish swimming and the jellyfish bobbing. Delightful!

That isn’t all there is to discover. In the front matter is a challenge to find a sardine tucked into the illustrations throughout the book (the answers are in the back). Delving deeper, you find general discussions of different creatures found in the ocean before discovering two page spreads about specific ones from sea turtles to dolphins. Each one makes full use of the extra space and some are oriented landscape versus portrait. They are gorgeous! And packed with great information!

The back matter includes “Did you find?” the answers to the sardine challenge, “Fishy Phrases” about scientific vocabulary, and a whale-sized index. But don’t expect to arrive at the back matter quickly. Once you start swimming into the book, you will want to immerse yourself.

The Big Book of the Blue is the type of book that begs to be shared. Grab a copy, find a quiet corner, and spend time with it. Children will love it.

Today our review is at Wrapped in Foil blog.

November 9, 2018November 8, 2018

Making Models

My new Focus on STEM column: Making Models is in the November Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.

Snippet:
Fall is here, and with the colder weather comes the yearly science fair. It’s time for students of all ages to think of a new way to solve an old problem and then test their ideas. To plan their experiments and to share their results, these young scientists will need to develop models.

Click here to read Making Models with eight #kidlit science books that support the Next Generation Science Standard for Developing and Using Models in the classroom and library.

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

November 9, 2018October 16, 2018

Bugs Don’t Hug, Six-legged parents and their kids

Bugs Don’t Hug, Six-legged parents and their kids, by Heather L. Montgomery; illus. by Stephen Stone

32 pages; ages 3-7; Charlesbridge, 2018

Mommy and daddy bugs don’t give good-morning kisses. They don’t tie shoes or untangle hair. And bugs don’t hug.

Open the pages and you find that there are things parent bugs simply “don’t do”. They don’t serve eggs and toast. They don’t play peekaboo. But when you turn the page you discover …

Yes! Bug parents are just like human parents. I like the way author Heather Montgomery uses compare-and-contrast to show the similarities and differences in parents. Maybe bugs don’t bake birthday cakes, but they do make a cake for their babies. It’s fun and best of all – surprising! The illustrations are cartoony and fun. And I LOVE the back matter (of course) – more about each of the insects featured in the book plus a note on scientific language. And a list of books to read for the naturally curious kids.

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

STEM Friday

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

November 2, 2018

Dog Science Unleashed

Today at Growing With Science blog we have highlighted Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities To Do With Your Canine Companion by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen and with photographs by Matthew Rakola.

Jodi Wheeler-Toppen has come up with over 20 fun and appropriate hands-on science activities for kids to discover more about dog biology and behavior. For example, they can learn more about what colors dogs see by hiding different colored balls in a grassy lawn and watching how easy it is for the dog to find them.

Safety is first with all these activities. The author remind kids to watch for signs the dog is upset or uncomfortable, and to quit the activity if the dog is unhappy. Also, make sure the dog has access to water and plan lots of breaks even if the dog is enjoying himself.

As to be expected from National Geographic, the photographs are fantastic. The photographer followed kids and their super-photogenic dogs as they tried out the activities. The results are inspiring.

The bottom line is that Dog Science Unleashed is a great choice for dog lovers, as well as budding zoologists and veterinarians.

Visit the blog for more information.

November 2, 2018November 1, 2018

Over on a Desert

Over on a Desert: Somewhere in the World
by Marianne Berkes (Author) and Jill Dubin (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Deserts are full of surprises! Count to ten as you see an amazing array of animals that call this driest place on Earth their home. Additional animal information, a world map, and sheet music in the back of the book.

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BONUS! Download the free activities!

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

November 2, 2018October 18, 2018

Animal Zombies

Animal Zombies, by Chana Steifel

96 pages; ages 8-12. National Geographic Children’s Books, 2018

I love a scary book that opens with a warning. And this one does: “Beware! You are about to enter the darkest, creepiest corners of our world. You’ll collide with creatures that invade brains, drink blood, and even devour their own moms!”

If you’re brave enough to turn the page you enter the Zombie Zone… you’ll meet harmless ladybugs turned into monsters by parasitic wasps, zombie cockroaches and crickets and ants. Chana Steifel brings readers up close and personal to leeches and lampreys, aliens, body invaders, and the kraken!

But wait! There’s more! We get to meet “mad scientists” who study bloodsuckers and body snatchers. Steifel includes profiles of a nature photographer who has clicked photos of zombie spiders and infected insects. We also meed “bat man”, a shark scientist, wolf man, and a bug scientist who loves book lice (and other really creepy crawlies).

Don’t worry. Steifel has also included a handy list of items you’ll need in your Zombie Emergency Kit. Pack your go-bag and you’ll be ready for the zombie apocalypse – or the next hurricane, blizard, or wildfire.

And if you’re lucky, you’ll reach the last page alive and ready to head out and look for zombies in the real world.

STEM Friday

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

October 26, 2018October 25, 2018

He’s Your Daddy

He’s Your Daddy: Ducklings, Joeys, Kits, and More
by Charline Profiri (Author) and Andrea Gabriel (Illustrator)

Booktalk: “If you were an animal – wild or tame, would you know your daddy’s name?” Every page answers this question with a different animal. Meet a joey riding piggy-back whose daddy is a sugar glider, a calf whose daddy is a towering giraffe, and a tiny fry floating next to its seahorse daddy. Additional animal information, matching game, and tips in the back of the book.

Snippet:

BONUS! Download the Match Game!

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

October 26, 2018October 25, 2018

All About Bats

All About Bats

by Caryn Jenner

DK , 2017

This time of year, teachers and librarians are often frustrated by the fact that many of the good Halloween books have already been checked out of the library. If you need another book to complete your Halloween story time, All About Bats is a good addition. The photos are big, uncluttered images of real bats, and the text is simple enough for three-year-olds. Here is the text from a double-spread “chapter:”

Bat Wings

There are many kids of bats. They all have webbed wings and furry bodies.

You can have fun and do a bit of learning in Halloween story time, too!

Three interior spreads from All About Bats are available on the publisher’s website.

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See all of my reviews at Shelf-employed.

October 26, 2018October 25, 2018

#STEM Picture Book Biography: Marie Curie by Demi

Recently, Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in Physics. It turned out she was only the third woman to win the prize in 117 years. Who was the first? It was Marie Curie, who later also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Let’s find out more about this amazing woman scientist with the picture book biography Marie Curie by Demi.

Demi is both an illustrator and an author. Her multimedia and watercolor illustrations have a glowing quality that is so appropriate for the biography of the scientist who is known for having purified radium, an element which glows. The gold lettering of the title on the cover adds to the luminescent effect.

The no-nonsense text reveals many details of Curie’s life. The vocabulary level and subject matter pushes this to the older range of picture book readers (7-8 years.) The back matter includes a timeline and glossary.

Marie Curie is a wonderful resource for young people who enjoy reading about history and science. Share a copy today and see a child’s face light up.

Be sure to pair the book with some fun hands-on science. See the activity suggestions and full review at Growing with Science blog.

This title was nominated for a 2018 Cybils award in the Elementary and Middle Grade Nonfiction category.

October 26, 2018October 16, 2018

Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill

Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill, by Heather L. Montgomery; illus. by Kevin O’Malley

176 pages; ages 9-11. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2018

It’s Halloween – a perfect time to read about what scientists are learning from roadkill. Author, Heather Montgomery warns that her book is not for squeamish souls; this book is full of parasites, intestines, and bloody bodies. It’s not for reckless readers either, because it’s filled with things you shouldn’t do unless (and until) you are an “authorized, bona fide, certified expert.” And it’s definitely not for the tenderhearted because it’s full of death and tragedy.

But it is one of the most entertaining – and informative – books about roadkill that I’ve read.

Every book has a starting point. For Heather it was a squashed snake. With tire tracks. A rattlesnake. She started asking questions that led her to David Laurencio, the archivist of the DOR (Dead on Road) collection at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. Every specimen bears a toe tag with an identification number that references a file. A file filled with notes about where the animal was found, when, how it was killed, its gender, and DNA information.

Turns out, scientists can learn a lot from dead animals. By mapping where animals are killed, they get a better idea of where the animals live. Are they migrating as climate change affects their traditional range? Analysis of stomach contents reveals what the animals are eating. This is important information for conservation scientists.

Throughout her book, Heather introduces us to many scientists – a snake scientist, a scientist studying genetics of coyotes and wolves, a roadkill ecologist – as well as people who salvage roadkill for the meat. Some folks use roadkill to feed animals, others grind it up for burger and slap it on the grill.

What I like most about this book: that there are things we can do to decrease death-by-car. As Heather notes: if we can wage huge campaigns to save sea animals from plastic straws, we can take positive action to reduce animal deaths on our highways. One thing everyone can do – starting now – stop throwing food out your window. It’s like baiting the road.

Things I love about this book: Footnotes! At the bottom of most pages are extra notes that, in other books, would have been text boxes and sidebars. This is fun. Back Matter! There are lists of books, videos, other resources. There are directions for how to do your own ~~bugsplat~~ windshield bug count. There is a list of citizen science projects, like this one.

STEM Friday

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