Conrad Storad’s Latest: The Bat Book

Last Friday I had the honor of attending a workshop by children’s author Conrad Storad. Interesting fact:  In a short time he will surpass his goal of reading his books to over 1,000,000 children. Yes, that’s 1 million children. Amazing!

In his newest picture book, The Bat Book illustrated by Nate Jensen and Tristan Jensen,  Storad uses a story within a story format to engage young readers. In the book Little Boy Bat, the main character who lives under the famous Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, decides to write a book to help humans learn bats are not frightening. The result is both enlightening and fun.

 

 

Children will probably be interested to know that Tristan Jensen was 8 years old when he did some of the illustrations for the book. His contributions are on pages 13-22, with some more detailed insets created by his dad.

Storad also throws lots of scientific information about bats into the mix and the backmatter is stuffed. There’s two pages of “Facts to drive you batty,” information on “Researching Bats,” “How to Help Bats,” all about Little Boy Bat (what kind of bat he is, etc.), notes from the author and illustrator about how they created the book, and “How to Draw a Bat” activity.

The Bat Book is full of passion about bats and that enthusiasm is sure to spill over to the reader. Don’t be “scared” to pick a copy up today.

Fly on over to Growing With Science Blog for more information and links to related activities.

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

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

 

Build, Beaver, Build

Build, Beaver, Build! Life at the Longest Beaver Dam

by Sandra Markle; illus by Deborah Hocking

Millbrook Press, 2016

The moon is so bright on this June night that the pond water gleams. A beaver kit floats near his family’s lodge.

This is the story of a beaver kit’s first year of life, and there are lots of lessons to learn. Watch out for owls at night! Cattails are yummy. Play with your sisters. And help build the dam.

What I like about this book:  I like the way Sandra Markle tells a story of a young beaver’s life – all the things a kit has to learn before setting off into the world on his own. And I like that the story is structured around a dam – not just any dam, but the longest dam in the world. It’s so BIG you can see it from space.

I love the artwork. Deborah Hocking captures the essence of beaver family life as well as the details of the Canadian forest in which this beaver family lives. The combination of detail (tree bark, leaves) and color (so many watery blues and greens) keep me coming back to this book again and again.

I also love that there is back matter about the dam and beaver home life – and lots of resources for finding out more.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some beyond the book activities and an interview with illustrator Deborah Hocking.

 

Chaos Theory and Fractals for Young Adults

Looking for a way to keep teenagers engaged in STEM?  Chaos Theory Uncovered: How Chaos and Fractals Shape Our World by E L Strauss might be just the ticket. It reveals how math can be used to help us understand and make predictions about large, complex events in a beautiful way.

When you first open the book the computer-generated illustrations might just give you chills, particularly the swirling brightly-colored lines against a black background that are visual representations of chaos. The images of fractals are stunning as well, particularly the Mandelbrot set. Magic happens when art meets math.

Strauss helps the reader tiptoe into the topic by starting out with the history of how chaos theory came into being. In this case it started when a meteorologist noticed a problem when he ran simulations on a computer and delved into why the anomaly happened. He eventually proposed a model to explain it that would lead to the so-called “butterfly effect” and the foundations of chaos theory.

The concepts that follow build on each other each other in a logical progression that increases the reader’s understanding while keeping him or her engaged. The clear organization makes the text easy to follow even though the vocabulary is challenging.

The best part about the book is it is not watered down for kids. To get the most out of it, the reader should probably have a working understanding of at least algebra, and an inkling of beginning calculus would be helpful.

Chaos Theory Uncovered: How Chaos and Fractals Shape Our World is sure to help young adults and adults to understand complex math. It might also help some to discover an astonishing new passion. Create your own butterfly effect by picking up a copy today.

Stop by Growing with Science blog to see related activities and information.

 

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

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

 

Wetland Food Chains

Wetland Food Chains
by Rebecca Pettiford (Author)

Booktalk: The BIG Picture

For Earth Day today, explore the wetland biome and the food chains it supports in this beginning reader with short chapters.

#kidlit Writing Lesson: the small details

In chapter one, wetlands are introduced:

Some wetlands are big. They can cover millions of acres. Others are small. And wetlands are not always wet. Some wetlands can be dry in the summer.

First the size is explained:

Some wetlands are big. They can cover millions of acres. Others are small.

Then an unusual fact is introduced:

And wetlands are not always wet. Some wetlands can be dry in the summer.

The facts about this biome appear to be opposites, so they are explained together in short simple sentences for beginning readers.

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

Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Our Universe Revealed for Young Adults

It is often difficult to find good nonfiction science books for young adults. By the time readers reach their teen years, if they are interested in science they are often forced to resort to reading books written for adults. That is why at Growing With Science blog we were excited to find Our Universe Revealed: A Cosmic Exploration by E. L. Strauss, which targets this under-served age group.

 

Our understanding of the universe is changing rapidly. Strauss guides the reader through a thorough introduction by relating unfamiliar and complex topics to more familiar ones. For example, how do scientists study the history of space? Strauss explains that the processes of uncovering clues are similar to those used here on Earth in the field of archeology, and then gives specific examples.

Do you know what a magnetar is? What about degenerate matter or population III stars? If these terms are unfamiliar, this book will introduce you to them. Strauss, however, doesn’t just string together vocabulary words. The author also explains how the concepts fit in the bigger picture. As a case in point, Strauss shows how our ability to create better technology to explore the universe has greatly increased our body of knowledge.

The illustrations in the book are amazing. They include a selection of photographs and artist’s renditions of that are wondrous to behold, as well as numerous detailed charts and tables. Instead of a simple illustration of the Scientific Method, Strauss gives a much more complex and realistic “Process of Investigation” flow chart. What scientist hasn’t wandered “down a few dark alleys” as Strauss explains?

Although – as the book summary states – Our Universe Revealed is “aimed at bright, gifted, curious and creative teens,” it is also likely to appeal to adults who want a clear understanding of some of the most cutting-edge concepts in astronomy today. Nothing expands your mind like exploring the cosmos and this book is a wonderful way to start.

 

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

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

 

Push and Pull: Animal Opposites

Push and Pull: Animal Opposites
by Cecilia Minden (Author)

Booktalk: The BIG Picture

This Level 1 guided reader illustrates examples of “pushing and pulling” found in the animal kingdom.

#kidlit Writing Lesson: the small details

The concept of opposites is shown in clear, simple terms in this beginning reader. On one page an animal pushes:

A cat can push through a flap in the door.

TURN THE PAGE and readers see a different animal pulling:

This dog is pulling in its leash.

The opposites are paired by types–these animals are both pets–so the book also teaches categorization.

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

Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Little One

Little One
by Jo Weaver
32 pages; ages 3 – 7
Peachtree Publishers, 2016

Big Bear stepped out of her winter den. By her side, half asleep and blinking in the spring sunshine, wobbled a tiny cub.

So begins little cub’s journey of discovery – and there is SO MUCH to learn! How to be friends. What to eat in the woods.The best swimming holes. With Big Bear’s help, the cub grows in confidence until it’s time to head home.

What I like about this book: It is grounded in nature and seasonal change. I like the black-and-white illustrations ~ the contrast of soft charcoal on textured paper. They leave room for the imagination to add color and sound. And I like the aesthetics of the 11-inch square that, once opened, provide lots of room for expansive spreads.

Explore spring with beyond-the-book activities at Archimedes Notebook.

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

Copyright © 2016 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

This is the Earth

This is the Earth
by Diane Z. Shore (Author), Jessica Alexander (Author) and Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The BIG Picture

Explore hundreds of years of changing landscapes and the positive and negative impacts humans have had on the environment. Just in time for Earth Day, this book shows young readers that even the smallest actions can help save the world.

#kidlit Writing Lesson: the small details

After showing the many negative environmental changes made by humans over hundreds of years, the book reaches a crisis moment for our Earth:

This is the Earth, polluted by greed,
as we take what we want, which is more than we need,
where bulldozing trucks clear the rainforest floor
and sands wash away from the vanishing shore,

The first two lines of this stanza state the problem in a couplet (two lines that rhyme):

This is the Earth, polluted by greed,
as we take what we want, which is more than we need,

The next couplet in the stanza shows new ways that humans are changing the environment:

where bulldozing trucks clear the rainforest floor
and sands wash away from the vanishing shore,

Thankfully, two pages later the solution to this problem shows specific actions that even a small child can do. Here is the first one:

These are the bins
where the bottles and cans
and the papers await
the recycling vans.

Happy Earth Day!

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

Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The SLOWEST Book Ever!

The SLOWEST Book EVER

by April Pulley Sayre; illus. by Kelly Murphy

176 pages; ages 8-12

Boyds Mills Press, 2016

“Warning!” says the front page, “This is a S-L-O-W book. Do not read it while surfing, water-skiing,  or running to escape giant weasels.” It’s a book so slow that the table of contents lists: two pages “on which to rest your face”… and notes the “excruciatingly slow acknowledgments” at the end. And just to make it longer – and slower – there’s a not-exactly-the-end-notes section with even more stuff to think slowly about.

So what kind of stuff goes into a SLOW book? The sorts of things you’d expect: details about metamorphosis (a slow process), turtles, slow food (yes, that’s a thing), and true “snail mail” – in which messages were transmitted by actual snails.

There are slow activities: watching paint dry, creating slow-motion stories, growing bonsai trees, tai chi.

The structure of the book contributes to the philosophy of SLOW – it’s just the sort of book you don’t read straight through. Instead, you dip into a page or two and read. Then you sit back and drink tea and think a bit. Later, when you get around to it, you read some more.

This is just a plain fun approach to interesting facts about the world around us. Read slowly, you’re bound to learn a few, like how long it takes for a saguaro cactus to grow an inch*. Or the length of time it takes to turn a grape into a raisin**. Fortunately, there’s an index for the less patient of us.

* fifteen years

** three weeks

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

Copyright © 2016 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.

Now You See Them, Now You Don’t

Now You See Them, Now You Don’t
by David L. Harrison; illus. by Giles Laroche
32 pages; ages 5-9
Charlesbridge, 2016

opening:

List of words
ghost crabs know:
danger, freeze,
blend, slow,
look, run,
stop, go.

This is not just a book about creatures that hide; it’s a book of poetry. And that makes it perfect for this month, because April is National Poetry Month.

Flip through the pages and you meet ghost crabs, mice, walking sticks, crab spiders, birds, and more. Some hide by blending in with their background, others find hiding places.

What I like about this book: the cut-paper illustrations that are intricately detailed. Suckers on the octopus’s tentacles, flower and leaf details on plants, scale texture on the snake… and the layers that can be achieved with papers. I also like the back matter: five pages of more info about the animals featured in the poems.

Head over to Archimedes Notebook for some hands-on book-related activities.

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

Copyright © 2016 Sue Heavenrich All Rights Reserved.