Comparing Two New Titles about the Animal Kingdom

Today at Wrapped in Foil, we compare and contrast between two new middle grade titles about the animal kingdom,

TIME For Kids Book of Why: Awesome Animal Kingdom by Editors of TIME For Kids Magazine, and…

Animalium (Welcome to the Museum) by Jenny Broom and illustrated by Katie Scott.

Overall, with its question-and-answer format and smaller size, Awesome Animal Kingdom has many characteristics kids will find attractive. The boxes and sidebars allow the reader to cherry pick  sections to read. It contains a great deal of information about humans  and thus facts the children can relate to more easily. The format is also highly appealing to reluctant readers. With this book, it is likely you will find children taking turns quizzing each other on fun facts like “why do birds sing” and “how do eyelashes work.”

Animalium as a book is physically much larger and denser, and also covers the topic of the animal kingdom in much richer detail. What catches the reader’s eye are the illustrations, which have a classic scientific pen-and-ink look. Each is labelled with the scientific name of the species, its size and a fact or two about each one. The end of each section shows a common habitat where the members of the group can be found, such as “coastal waters” or “arctic tundra.”

Our conclusion is that although the two books couldn’t be more different, both are likely to thrill their audiences and teach them more about the wonders of the animal kingdom.

 

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

Copyright © 2015 Roberta Gibson at Growing with Science All Rights Reserved.

The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own Town!

The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own Town!
by Brian Lyles (Author) and Jason Lyles (Author)

Booktalk: Snap together a few houses, shops, and apartment buildings to create your own neighborhood! (Complete, step-by-step instructions for four multistory buildings and dozens of inspiring ideas to use in your own models!)

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Sniffer Dogs (and their noses) save the world!

Sniffer Dogs: How Dogs (and their noses) Save the World
by Nancy Castaldo
160 pages; ages 5-8
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

After a hard day at work, someone might say “it’s a dog’s life”, or complain that they’re “dog tired”. That’s because many years ago, before dogs became pets, they were working animals. The cool thing: some dogs still are working animals. Besides livestock-herding there are all kinds of work for the modern dog.

Take Eli, a bomb-sniffing dog in Afghanistan, or Raider, a search-and-rescue dog. They work paw-in-hand with their human partners in dangerous jobs. Some rescue dogs worked at the World Trade Center, and some work in earthquake and hurricane zones. There are CSI dogs who search for evidence, and therapy dogs who help their humans avoid accidents. There are conservation dogs helping scientists, and library dogs who help reluctant readers just by being a good listener.

Nancy Castaldo has filled the pages of this book with the stories and photos of real “sniffer dogs” on the job from all over this country. Whether you live with dogs or just love ’em from a distance, you will find a lot to like in the stories. The cool thing: Nancy lives with a goldendoodle named Gatsby and once thought that she might become a veterinarian. It turns out she’d rather spend time hanging around healthy animals. You can read an interview with Nancy at Archimedes Notebook.

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

Copyright © 2015 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

Rain Forest Colors

Rain Forest Colors
by Janet Lawler (Author) and Tim Laman (Photographer)

Booktalk: Yellow spiders! Blue butterflies! Green lizards! See creatures of the rain forest in 10 basic colors.

Snippet: Did you know? A tree kangaroo can safely jump down from more than fifty feet (15m) up in a tree?

Brown tree kangaroo photograph by Tim Laman

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

Copyright © 2015 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Bilby Secrets

Bilby: Secrets of an Australian Marsupial
by Edel Wignell; illus. by Mark Jackson
32 pages; ages 5-9
Candlewick Press, 2014

In the moonlight, Bilby canters – tail aloft like a banner – across the spiny grass and enters a steeply sloping, spiral tunnel.

This book, originally published in Australia a few years ago, introduces a shy, nocturnal animal. The bilby lives in remote arid and semi-arid areas in the northern part of Western Australia. It looks something like a rabbit, something like a possum, and something like a fluffy-tailed cat, but with strong back legs that can kick a predator and dig a burrow.

The book opens: In the moonlight, Bilby canters – tail aloft like a banner – across the spiny grass and enters a steeply sloping, spiral tunnel.

Bilbies are secretive creatures, living in burrows, hunting at night.They munch on termites, seeds, and fruit. When threatened, they can disappear from sight within three minutes. Unfortunately, they’re threatened with habitat loss that could lead to permanent disappearance.

This book tells the story of a young bilby out on his own for the first time. He meets friends and foe, forages for himself, and figures out how to live in his desert world. The illustrations are rendered in warm colors – especially nice to look at when surrounded by ice and snow! The author provides a forward, telling about the status of bilbies, and an index.

Learn more about bilbies through beyond-the-book activities over at Archimedes Notebook.

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

Copyright © 2015 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology
(21st Century Skills Innovation Library: Innovations from Nature)
by Josh Gregory (Author)

Booktalk: Have you ever noticed that is it more difficult to read an electronic display screen when you are in bright sunlight? Find out how butterfly wings inspired the invention of new digital display technology that solves this problem.

Snippet: The development of this remarkable new technology began when an engineer named Mark Miles read an article about the way butterfly wings reflect the sunlight in a special way. This reflection is what creates the wings’ bright colors as the insect flutters through the air on a sunny day. Miles realized that this process could provide important clues that might help him create a better kind of display technology. He knew he would need to not only re-create the butterfly’s wing structure using available materials but also find a way to make his invention change colors on demand.

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

Copyright © 2015 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Next Wave

Right in time for the 10th anniversary of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami, Elizabeth Rusch brings us a book about the potential for powerful waves to be useful in The Next Wave.

Part of the amazing Scientists in the Field series, this title introduces the reader to research into converting the mechanical energy of ocean waves into electrical power. After showing how powerful waves can be, Rusch reveals the pioneering experiments by two young “Mikes” who design a clever device that uses water to run a turbine.

…Rusch presents a balanced view and rightly points out that the full impact of using wave-energy harnessing devices is not fully known. It is possible the devices, depending on their design, might interfere with ocean wildlife. It is also possible the reduction of the force of waves could make changes in ocean currents and the nearby shoreline. The potential impacts of the devices are being monitored as closely as their ability to generate power.

You will definitely find The Next Wave useful for units on the ocean, energy and environmental studies, as well as to get up to speed on this surging new field.

We have a full review at Wrapped in Foil blog and suggestions for two related activities as Growing With Science.

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

Copyright © 2015 Roberta Gibson at Growing with Science All Rights Reserved.

The Secret Galaxy

The Secret Galaxy
by Fran Hodgkins; photos by Mike Taylor
32 pages; ages 6-11
Tilbury House, 2014

“You might not know I’m here…. but if you look when the night is deep you’ll see me stretched across the sky.”

Fran Hodgkins tells the story of the sky from the galaxy’s point of view, starting with the Greeks. To them, the night sky looked as though someone had spilled milk.

What they didn’t see is how our galaxy whirls in a spiral. We are on one arm. “But don’t worry,” says the galaxy in a soothing voice. “Gravity holds everything together.” So we won’t go spinning off into the void.

Hodgkins combines lyrical prose with fact-filled sidebars that, combined with Mike Taylor’s gorgeous photos, take us out of this world. We learn how stars are born and how they die. We meet a black hole and contemplate dark matter. There are a few answers and a lot of questions and in the end you’ll want to head outside and look at the sky.

Fortunately, winter is a good time for galaxy-viewing – at least here in the northeast. The crisp night air makes the stars stand out brighter, especially on moonless nights. Best of all, hot cocoa tastes twice as good after a short star hike.

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

Copyright © 2015 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days

100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days
by Bruce Goldstone (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s the 100th day of school–what can you do to celebrate?

Here are 100 different ideas for celebrating this fun and important day.

Snippet:

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

Copyright © 2014 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes

written by Nicola Davies; illustrated by Emily Sutton

2014 (Candlewick Press)

Source: Orange County Public Library

Right now there are more microbes living on your skin than there are people on Earth, and there are ten or even a hundred times as many as that in your stomach. 

Here’s why I really admire this book. The subject of microbes is not something that is easily explained to elementary-age students, yet is incredibly important in their daily lives. Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton are able to teach young readers what microbes do and why they are important. In one spread, they show how things decompose because of microbes. There is an illustration of food and a compost pile with an arrow in between. Below is a group of milk bottles and a tub of yogurt. On the opposite page is a pile of rocks on top of soil with worms wriggling beneath. The point made is that microbes break down and transform things. Another section of the book shows how microbes (germs) make you sick. Davies writes just enough text to explain how the germs can get inside you and multiply, but she doesn’t over explain. It’s what I would call a Goldilocks text: Not too much, not too little, but just the right amount. And this is a mighty fine porridge of nonfiction text and illustrations. One of the beauties of this book is that everyone can make a connection with it. We’ve all been sick and come equipped with fun stories of projectile vomit and blob like snot coming out of our noses. After reading Tiny Creatures, students will better understand perhaps the most important of all living things.

If you want to read more of Jeff’s reviews (or better yet, warn your friends away from them) check out NC Teacher Stuff.