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STEM Friday #Kidlit Odd Beasts Board Book

December 17, 2021 / / 1 Comment

For STEM Friday we have a board book for the youngest biologists,  Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Gareth Lucas

The book introduces babies and toddlers to eight weirdly-fascinating animals:  the pangolin (mammal with scales!), ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, Eastern snake-necked turtle, bush baby, and giant jumping stick. Great selections!

Each two-page spread features a brightly-colored illustration of the animal, plus one short sentence that names it and points out a notable identifying characteristic.  For example, one of the animals “wears armor.” Can you guess which one?

The back matter includes photographs of each animal with a concise, but more-detailed description.

Odd Beasts is fun, sweet, and educational all rolled up into one. Perfect to prepare for a trip to a zoo or aquarium, then remember the adventure afterwards.

Related Activities:

    1. Visit Laura Gehl’s website for three coloring sheets (based on illustrations from the book) to download.
    2. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a page devoted to the ocean sunfish which includes a video
    3. Look for odd insects in the Insects Unlocked Flickr photostream (like this one)

Check out this tree pangolin at the Brookfield Zoo.


 

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 – 4 years
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abrams Appleseed (November 2, 2021)
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419742221
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419742224

Disclosure: This book was provided by Blue Slip Media. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

STEM Friday #Kidlit Stretch to the Sun

November 26, 2021 / / 3 Comments

Let’s celebrate nature with the picture book Stretch to the Sun: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth by Carrie A. Pearson and illustrated by  Susan Swan.

How do you start a story about the tallest tree in the world? If you’re Carrie Pearson, you start it with a bang!

Creak! Crack! Kaboom!
A giant tree falls, broken,
and the forest floor trembles.

And with that dramatic event comes the opening needed for another tree to be born, one that will live over 1200 years and grow to about 380 feet tall. That’s about as tall as a 35 story building. Amazing!

Susan Swan’s illustrations are equally amazing. She used Adobe Photoshop to create collages of found objects and hand painted papers that are enthralling. The trees are the central characters, of course, but she also features many animals of the Redwood National Park, giving young readers hidden treasures to search for on every page.

Other highlights include a surprise single gate-fold spread that helps emphasize the height of this magnificent tree.

The back matter shines as well. Besides an Author’s Note that explains how the book came about, there are many remarkable facts about coast redwoods, a bibliography, as well as information about where you can learn more and what you can do to help preserve redwoods.

Stretch to the Sun is a one-of-a-kind book about a one-of-a-kind tree. It will thrill young nature lovers. Get lost in a copy today!

Activity Suggestions:

1. Visit Carrie Pearson’s website for resources including an activity and discussion guide, NGSS standards, and a fun trailer for the book.

2.  Learn how to measure the height of a tree in the second activity from this previous post (scroll down.)

3. Visit our tree category here at the blog for many more posts.

4. Want to read more? Try our growing list of children’s books about trees at Science Books for Kids.

 

 

 

 

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 – 8 years
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Charlesbridge; Illustrated edition (October 9, 2018)
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1580897711
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1580897716

 

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

STEM Friday #Kidlit Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals

October 29, 2021 / / 2 Comments

Want to put some cutting-edge technology in your STEM? Check out this new one-of-a-kind picture book, Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals by Linda Zajac.

With side-by-side photographs of robots and their real life inspirations, the author reveals twelve robots that are designed to look and/or move like animals, from bats to kangaroos. And the robots aren’t just for fun. Using simple language, she points out how each one is designed to perform specific tasks that would be difficult for humans to carry out.

For an example — that isn’t in the book — engineers have designed a drone that looks like and flies like a hawk or falcon. Why? To take a pass over runways at airports before an airplane takes off. The drone scares away any birds hanging around that might be hit, a hazard to the plane and to themselves. Cool project and there are many more like this in the book.

The back matter includes a brief discussion of biomimicry, a glossary, and a list for further reading.

The best part is the book ends with a gentle call to action challenging young readers to dream up and design their own animal robots.

Robo-Motion will excite budding robot engineers and animal lovers alike. Investigate a copy today!

Related Activity Suggestions:

  1. Check out the teacher resources on Linda Zajac’s blog. You will need a Google Drive account to download.
  2. Robot activities for ages 3-7 at Inventors of Tomorrow website. (has numerous ads)
  3. Animal robot lesson at NSTA (requires purchased robots)

You can see many examples of animal robots in this video. It does have ads, so check for suitability before sharing with children.

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 4 – 9 years
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Millbrook Press ™ (September 7, 2021)
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1541581261
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1541581265

Disclosure: This book was an e-ARC by the publisher. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books. Note: this is a new link as of 10/2018.

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