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Family Trees

My new Focus on STEM column: Family Trees is in the December Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries newsletter.

Snippet:
Talking about inherited family traits is a given whenever families gather. Traits are analyzed and compared across the generations with photos and family stories. Prepare students for text-to-self connection of their own inherited family traits during the winter break with these new animal books.

Click here to read Family Trees with eight #kidlit science books that support the Next Generation Science Standard for Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits in the classroom, the library, and at home!

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

Copyright © 2018 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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In the Past

In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More Than 500 Million Years
by David Elliott (Author) and Matthew Trueman (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Return to the prehistoric era in this poetry collection that’s organized chronologically by epoch and discover a host of creatures both novel and familiar, from the mysterious trilobite to the famed T. rex.

Snippet:

A 2018 Cybils Poetry nominee

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

Copyright © 2018 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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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.

Copyright © 2018 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

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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)

Copyright © 2018 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

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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)

Copyright © 2018 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

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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.

Copyright © 2018 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.

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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)

Copyright © 2018 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

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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.

Copyright © 2018 Roberta Gibson All Rights Reserved.