Category: Book Review (Page 16 of 63)

#Nonfiction Monday #kidlit: This Raindrop

April 20, 2020 / Roberta / 2 Comments

Just in time to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2020 we have a new picture book This Raindrop: Has a Billion Stories to Tell by Linda Ragsdale and illustrated by Srimalie Bassani.

This picture book…
Starts with a single raindrop that “has billions of stories to tell” then follows it through time and space at it cycles again and again. Readers will be thrilled as the words flow like water.

“Its magical molecules morph into thin air
then shape-shift into something new,
like a single drop of dew in the morning. “

This picture book…
Has incredibly imaginative illustrations that play with perspective, zooming in and out, then up and down from spread to spread.

This picture book…
Has a little something extra. It features a lovely arlin paper cover with foil text enhancements, illustrated end papers, plus back matter including an explanation of the water cycle, the importance of water conservation, and resources for further reading.

This picture book…
Could help save the planet. As the sticker on the cover says, “Every Book [purchased] Plants a Tree.”

What could be better than that?

Related Resources and Activities:

1. The author suggests learning more about water conservation and celebrating World Oceans Day, June 8, 2020.

2. Check out our previous posts with activities for Exploring the Water Cycle and Water Can Be… Very Important.

3. Visit our growing list of children’s books about water and the water cycle.

4. Check Parade magazine’s list of 50 Activities for Earth Day for water conservation organizations and events like the #WednesdaysForWater Twitter hashtag.

Age Range: 5 – 8 years
Publisher: Flowerpot Press (April 7, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1486718175
ISBN-13: 978-1486718177

Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. 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.

Looking for more childrenâ€™s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.

STEM Friday #Kidlit Amazing Amphibians by @LJAmstutz

February 28, 2020 / Roberta / 0 Comments

For STEM Friday we are highlighting a fantastic book for upper elementary-aged children, Amazing Amphibians: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, and More by Lisa J. Amstutz (her website).

If you’ve never experienced one of the Young Naturalists series books from Chicago Review Press, you are in for a real treat. These books are designed not only for children who are independent researchers interested in a topic — in this case amphibians — but also for educators who need information and age-appropriate activity ideas for science lessons.

Lisa Amstutz’s text covers everything readers will want to know:

What an amphibian is
What animals belong to the different families
Amphibian anatomy
What amphibians eat
Their life cycles
Some of the threats to amphibians
And much more!

It is also filled with amazing facts. Did you know that the North American wood frog can survive being frozen solid? How about that some amphibians can absorb water from moist soil by sitting on it because they have specially absorptive skin on their bellies? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to drink that way?

The activities (30 of them!) will keep young scientists engaged for hours. They range from making fake frog eggs from water beads to making your yard more toad friendly.

Some readers may initially think less of the book when they learn the illustrations are color stock photographs, with many coming from Wikimedia Commons. The quality of stock photographs, however, is determined by the person curating them and in this case the photographs are the highest standard, well-matched to the text and to each other.

The back matter is a treasure trove filled with goodies such as a table of the different amphibian orders, lists of resources, and a teacher’s guide with even more ideas for activities.

Personal Note:Â I absolutely love these Chicago Review Press books and I use them all the time. The activities encourage the type of hands-on learning that develops fine motor skills so useful later in life. They also reinforce learning. Let’s face it, touching a fake frog egg made out of a water bead engages more senses than simply reading about eggs on the page.

The bottom line is Amazing Amphibians is an exceptionally well organized and well written introduction to a fascinating group of animals. It is perfect for young naturalists and scientists. It is also a must-have resource for educators. Investigate a copy today!

Related Activities:

Not that a book loaded with oodles of hands-on activities needs any more, but let’s celebrate Amazing AmphibiansÂ by making a tiny book about frogs, toads, and salamanders to share with younger children.

1. Download the Tiny Amphibian Book Template (PDF) – (click on image that pops up to load).

2. Print out on white paper.

3. Fold using the instructions in the video below. Make the cut along the line shown in the photo.

4. Talk about the illustrations in the tiny book and research any questions that arise. Decorate and add information to your book to make it your own.

Please let me know if you have any problems folding it.

Older children can make a handmade scientific notebook as suggested on page 3 of Amazing Amphibians.

For more frog and toad science activity suggestions, see our previous posts:

Summer Sounds: Frogs and Toads
Frog and Toad Science Activities, includes toad anatomy and building a toad house
A Frog’s Life book and activities, includes link to a citizen’s science project.

Age Range: 7 – 9 years
Publisher: Chicago Review Press; First edition (January 7, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1641600721
ISBN-13: 978-1641600729

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

#kidlit Picture Books: Moon! and Space

February 10, 2020 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Have you looked into nonfiction picture books about the solar system for preschoolers lately? There’s a trend to use less-than-serious illustrations to capture the reader’s attention, for example images of the earth, moon, sun, and other planets with expressive faces, mixed with text that contains serious science vocabulary, facts, and concepts.

At a recent STEM story time for preschoolers, I read Nerdy Babies: Space by Emmy Kastner.

Follow the “Nerdy Baby” astronauts as they travel into space (floating), orbit around the sun, go back to the moon, then discover each of the planets in the solar system, with one significant fact noted about each.

The format is question and answer. For example:

Do you love the moon?
Earth sure does!
They travel around space together.

The pacing, vocabulary, and information presented all work perfectly for preschoolers in the 4-5 year old range.

The only thing that was off-putting was that the author included the Nerdy Baby branding in the text, which starts with:

“Hello, Nerdy Babies!”

Preschoolers might not like to be called babies (or nerdy), so decide how you want to deal with that part.

Overall, Nerdy Babies: Space is a sweet, well-paced introduction to our solar system.

Related Activity:

Find the coloring sheet at the author’s website. Color the planets, then cut them out. Use the planets to make puppets (tape to craft stick), a solar system mobile (tape string to back and hang), or create a solar system poster to mount on the wall.

Series: Nerdy Babies
Board book: 32 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (May 7, 2019)
ISBN-10: 1250312051
ISBN-13: 978-1250312051

Our second book is Moon! Earth’s Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by Stevie Lewis.

On the surface this picture book looks similar to the one above. There’s a moon with a sweet face on the cover. Open it up and begin to read, however, and you’ve entered an entirely different world, one more appropriate for older children.

First of all, Moon! is narrated by the Moon (in first person). Next you will find some big numbers.

Average distance between Earth and me:Â 238,855 miles.

There’s also a summary or the most recent ideas about how the moon formed when a planet-like rock the size of Mars crashed into the Earth.

On the other hand, there’s a lighthearted discussion of why cows can’t really jump over the moon.

Overall, Moon! is for serious young readers who enjoy learning science facts. However, it might also be a good choice for older reluctant readers who will be sucked in by the more creative aspects.

If you enjoy this book, check out the others in the series, Sun! One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by Stevie Lewis, and Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by by Stacy McAnulty and illustrated by David Litchfield.

Also, check out our STEM Story Time space activities,

and be sure to visit our growing list of children’s books about the moon and lunar landings

plus our list of children’s books about planets and the solar system at Science Books for Kids.