A Tour of Your Body Books

June 7, 2013 in Nonfiction, Picture book- nonfiction, STEM Friday by Roberta | No comments

Ready for two examples of books that use the graphic novel-style to its best advantage?  A Tour of Your Circulatory System (First Graphics) by Karen Ballen and illustrated by Chris B. Jones, and A Tour of Your Digestive System (First Graphics) by Molly Kolpin and also illustrated by Chris B. Jones, use Peter Pea and Ruby the red blood cell to go where no human can go on their own.

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Children are definitely curious about how their body works. These books have a gently humorous approach to explaining how food moves through the digestive system and blood moves through the circulatory system. The reader learns new vocabulary words like “platelet” and “bile.” It isn’t difficult to figure out, however, because the illustrations help make abstract concepts concrete. If they need even more help, there’s a glossary in the back.

Readers unfamiliar with the graphic novel format or finding it confusing? The books in this series have instructions on how to read them right on the back of the book. Now that is a good idea!

Educators will definitely want to have  A Tour of Your Circulatory System and  A Tour of Your Digestive System on “hand” for those units on the human body.  Both these books could work for reluctant readers at higher grades, because of the interesting visual format. And besides, who doesn’t enjoy cartoons?

A Tour of Your Circulatory System

Reading Level: 1-2
Publisher: Capstone Press (2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1429693223
ISBN-13: 978-1429693226

A Tour of Your Digestive System

Reading Level: 1-2
Publisher: Capstone Press (2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 142969324X
ISBN-13: 978-1429693240

 

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

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Get Inspired By Everybody Moves

June 3, 2013 in Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review, Picture book- nonfiction by Roberta | 1 comment

Summer vacations are starting across the country. Looking for things to do? Capstone has a perfect little book, Everybody Moves (Wonder Readers) by Layne deMarin to get kids jumping, running, kicking and best of all, reading! Everybody-moves

The premise is simple. A photograph shows an animal moving in some way and then the accompanying page shows a child doing similar activities. Climbing and flying? There are no couch potatoes in this book.

The book is just the right size to slip in a bag and take on a trip to the park. Find a quiet place to read it and then try out some of the moves. Another idea might be to take it to the zoo and talk about how some of the animals you see there get around. Which ones run and which ones jump? What other moves do they do?

Brainstorm other ways that animals move that children could copy, such as

  • crawl like a worm
  • slither like a snake
  • waddle like a duck
  • paddle like a dog
  • lunge like an alligator
  • balance like a flamingo
  • leap like a gazelle

Now try them out.

Everybody Moves is a fun little book that packs a lot of inspiration to get up and move!

 

Reading Level: PreK-2
Publisher: Capstone Press (2013)
ISBN-10: 1429696117
ISBN-13: 978-1429696111
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 6 x 0.3 inches

Disclosure:  A copy of the book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

 

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by Booktalking to see who is hosting each week.

Today’s round up is at Jean Little Library.

 

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In Search of Goliathus Hercules

June 1, 2013 in Middle-grade fiction by Roberta | No comments

Today we are taking part in a blog tour (see detail below).

In Search of Goliathus Hercules by Jennifer Angus is a middle grade novel that takes the reader in an exotic journey around the world on the hunt for a giant beetle and a young boy’s father.   goliathus-book-cover

This unique tale, set in 1890, captures the time of the late-Victorian naturalists when collecting natural objects was king. Henri, a boy who has been sent to live with his eccentric great aunt, makes the surprising discovery that he can talk to insects. When a circus comes to town – complete with a flea circus – he finds his calling and runs away with them. After traveling a bit, he and his new friends decide to go on a quest for an elusive giant beetle, Goliathus hercules, and at the same time search for Henri’s missing father. Will they succeed or will they be thwarted by a villainous mystery woman in black? What they discover will astonish you.

The story how this book came to be is just as fantastic as the book itself. The author, Jennifer Angus, is known for her graphic designs featuring actual, albeit dead, insects. She was approached by a children’s book publisher to do a picture book, but the project “metamorphosed” into a middle grade novel with one-of-a-kind illustrations based on her art exhibits. Helping with the exotic feel, she did most of her writing while traveling. Anastasia at Booktalking has the full scoop.

As a trained entomologist, I was interested to look at a book for older children that featured insects. What I found was a tale that stretches the imagination and leaves you thinking about the relationship of humans and insects. “Roald Dahl meets Franz Kafka” is how one reviewer at Publisher’s Weekly summarized it.

Are you intrigued? We are hosting a book giveaway for a signed copy of In Search of Goliathus Hercules by Jennifer Angus at our sister blog, Growing with Science.

Age Range: 8 and up
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (March 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0807529907
ISBN-13: 978-0807529904

Ebooks are available from Open Road Media.

Physical copies are available at Albert Whitman & Company.

 

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 Blog tours are a super way to find new book blogs and read multiple takes on the same book. Hop on over and see what everyone else is saying.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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A Funny Little Bird Appears

May 23, 2013 in Books for Exploring World Languages, French, Picture book- fiction by Roberta | No comments

Have you seen the new fiction picture book A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes yet? It is ironic the story funny-little-bird-1is about a bird who disappears into the background because the buzz is about how much its fresh, lovely illustrations stand out.

The story is a seemingly straightforward fable that makes a few delightfully humorous twists. The main character is a little bird who at first is either ignored or jeered at. After trying on borrowed finery doesn’t work out as he planned, he learns how to make the most of his own “looks.”

What captures everyone’s attention is the author’s playful use of negative space to create the little bird. Children will delight in finding where the bird is and where he isn’t. It is a refreshing to find a book that stimulates visual thinking this way.

A Funny Little Bird is an art teacher’s delight. The creative illustrations are sure to inspire any number of art projects using negative space, color, simple shapes, found objects and/or birds. It might even inspire some concrete or shape poems. You’ll want discover the little bird and what it has to offer for yourself.

If you are so inclined, this book was originally published in French.

Age Range: 4 – 8 years
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402280130
ISBN-13: 978-1402280139

 

Electronic copy supplied by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for review purposes.

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Time for Gardening with Rainbow Stew

May 17, 2013 in Picture book- fiction by Roberta | 4 comments

Although it may be still chilly in some regions, the bright and cheerful new picture book Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell will make you want to get out and garden with your children right now! rainbow-stew

Grandpa turns a rainy day into a rainbow with a trip to the garden. He entices his three grandchildren to come outside and pick brightly colored vegetables in the rain. They splish and splash and get mud on their knees. When they go inside, he and the children cook up a vibrant vegetable stew (the recipe is included). Full of active, rhyming text, this book just begs to be read aloud. The bright, textured illustrations add just the right amount of visual interest.

As shown in the book, gardening is a wonderful activity to share with children. It is beneficial in so many ways, from a fun way to exercise, to learning where our food comes from, to encouraging children to eat more vegetables. Rainbow Stew also helps youngsters learning their colors.

What does gardening have to do with STEM Friday? It turns out that growing plants in a garden opens up a whole world of opportunities to learn about science, technology, engineering and math. For example, use math to figure out the area of the garden, how many packets of seeds will be needed per row, how much the garden tools cost, etc. For older children, the Exploratorium has a cool website about the science of gardening.

For activities related to the book, check the Rainbow Stew Book website for a Rainbow Stew seed packet idea and other resources and activities.

I’m definitely adding Rainbow Stew to my list of gardening books for children. Pick up a copy and you just might get inspired to garden with children as well.

 

Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (June 15, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600608477
ISBN-13: 978-1600608476

Book was provided by publisher via NetGalley.

 

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

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