Since it’s the end of Earth Week (Earth Day was Wednesday), I thought I’d feature a new series of nonfiction for emergent readers. The new series focuses on pollination, and is a “First Step Nonfiction” series published by Lerner just this year. The author is Jennifer Boothroyd, and titles in the series include: Insect Pollinators, Animal Pollinators, Cross-Pollination, Self- Pollination, and Parts of a Flower.
opening (from Insect Pollinators): “This bee is busy. It is gathering food.”
The books in this series show the connections between plants and animals as they depend on each other for survival. Insects and animals need the pollen and nectar from plants, and the plants depend on the animals to move pollen from one plant to another.
What I like: The photography is awesome. The text is just right for kids beginning to read, and text boxes include simple explanations. For example: on one page the main text says that an insect crawls on a flower and pollen sticks to the insect. The photo shows a monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower, but we can’t see the pollen. So in a text box we read this: “Pollen often sticks to an insect’s back, legs, or head.”
Lest you think bees and butterflies are the only insects pollinating flowers, there are pages showing beetles, moths, and even a fly. Animal pollinators show bats, birds, and even lizards moving pollen.
These books are short – 24 pages – and small enough to tuck inside a folder or pocket of a kid’s backpack. The close-up photos are bright and colorful, sure to engage a kid’s attention and imagination. And there’s even one section that shows humans pollinating plants – something an adventurous kid might try. (hint: it’s not as hard as you might think)
Head over to Sally’s Bookshelf for Beyond-the-Book activities.
STEM Friday 