December 2011

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Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication

December 23, 2011 in Animals, Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Nonfiction, STEM Friday, Science by Roberta | 3 comments

Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication by Ann Downer is a comprehensive look at elephant social behavior, including a detailed overview of exciting recent findings about how elephants communicate. This book has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

In the first chapter Downer explores many aspects of elephant biology, laying a firm foundation for the chapters on elephant communication that follow. She discusses the three species of elephant found in the world today, the African, Asian and forest elephants, as well as their distribution.

Once the groundwork is laid, she reveals many amazing new scientific findings. Did you know that elephants regularly make sounds that humans can’t hear? Did you know that elephants can “talk” to one another via their feet? How about that some “chirp” and other “shake hands”? It turns out that elephants are incredibly intelligent social creatures.

In one example not found in the book, a scientist tested elephants tendency to cooperate by creating a rigging that gives a reward of a banana snack only if two elephants work together to pull on ropes. An article in Wired Science discusses how one elephant not only learned to cooperate to get a snack, but it also learned a shortcut by standing on the rope instead of tugging it. Wow!

In the final chapter of her book, Downer examines some of the complex relationships between humans and elephants throughout the world. Although some of the facts are grim, there are reasons for hope that elephants will be able to survive to be a source of wonder for future generations.

Simply Science has another great review and several related links and activities.

This has been a good year for elephant books. We also reviewed The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson, and Beco’s Big Year:  A Baby Elephant Turns One by Linda Stanek with related activities at Growing With Science.

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Library Binding: 112 pages
Publisher: Twenty First Century Books (January 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761357661
ISBN-13: 978-0761357667

Stem Friday is at Booktalking. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to Booktalking blog for more information.

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The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon

December 19, 2011 in Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 2 comments

The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty is much more than a biography of George Washington, it is about literally rebuilding a person from historical information. It has been nominated for a 2011 Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

Sometimes it pays to reread a book. The first time I “read” this one I admit I was distracted. I skimmed some pages. I set it aside. Hey, who doesn’t know about George Washington? Then my son picked it up an read it cover to cover. From then on, all I heard about was George Washington this, and George Washington that, and George Washington’s teeth… So, I picked it up again. This time I really appreciated what The Many Faces of George Washington is about.

First, once you realize that by training Carla Killough McClafferty is a radiologic technologist who is interested in history, you know this isn’t going to be the standard biography. At the heart of this book is the story of making three life-sized figures of George Washington at ages nineteen, forty-five and fifty-seven for the Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.

How do you make realistic life-sized models without access to the person’s skull or photographs? You assemble a team of forensic anthropologists, textile artists, taxidermists, dentists and historians, and let the experts piece together the most complete portrait of the man possible, right down to the age spots on his hands.

The experts went after every detail they could. Washington’s horse was recreated using taxidermy techniques. They used Washington’s surviving dentures to recreate his jaw shape. Someone who was near Washington’s size wore the new breeches while horseback riding to give them an authentic look. Amazing!

The backmatter of the book includes plenty of ways to delve into Washington’s life further, such as a timeline, source notes, a bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and an index.

The Many Faces of George Washington is an unusual combination, sure to enthuse budding historians and forensic anthropologists alike.

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
School & Library Binding: 120 pages
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (April 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0761356088
ISBN-13: 978-0761356080

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.

This week’s post is at Practically Paradise.

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The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species

December 16, 2011 in Animals, Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Nonfiction, STEM Friday, Science by Roberta | 1 comment

The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species by Peter Lourie, part of the respected Scientists in the Field series, follows scientists from around the world trying to learn more about manatees in a race protect them from extinction.

Manatees are fascinating. Distantly related to elephants, these large, lumbering herbivores live exclusively in warm waters. They are found in Florida, the Caribbean, the Amazon, and West Africa.

As the title suggests, the book follows leading manatee scientists in their studies. Peter Lourie documents the techniques the scientists use and the problems they encounter. In the Amazon River basin, the author accompanies Fernando Rosas on a boat trip to follow radio-tagged manatees that have been released from captivity.  He flies with John Reynolds, who does an aerial count of manatees in warm Florida waters, and shows researcher Lucy Keith rescuing West African manatees trapped behind a dam in Senegal. Sadly, one of the problems the scientists encounter in trying to preserve the wild populations is that the people who live along the rivers in both South America and Africa rely on manatees for food.

Peter Lourie is a photographer as well as author, and took many of the numerous color photographs. His narration adds a real sense of adventure to what the scientists are doing.

Cybils notes: It would have been nice to see a bit more about what the scientists were finding out. By that I mean I wondered what their results were, not just their methods. For example, it would be nice to learn if manatees really are useful to keep down vegetation in lakes that serve hydroelectric plants. Also, it would probably have been appropriate to mention the Steller’s sea cow, a relative of the manatees that really did go extinct.

The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. It will be a big hit with nature lovers and budding scientists. For informal science, use the book to accompany a trip to an aquarium that houses manatees, or even better, a trip to Florida to see manatees in the wild.

Video of Florida manatees in action:

Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (April 11, 2011)
ISBN-10: 054715254X
ISBN-13: 978-0547152547

Stem Friday is at Celebrate Science today. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to Booktalking blog for more information.

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Explorers Who Made It…Or Died Trying

December 12, 2011 in BookTalk, Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction by Roberta | 4 comments

Explorers Who Made It… Or Died Trying by Frieda Wishinsky and illustrated by Bill Dickson is a fun book about twelve famous explorers who got A’s in daring and persistence (according to Wishinkey’s report cards), but did not always get along well with others. This book has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

This book is a fun, fast read. It is broken into ten chapters with plenty of subheadings, so it is easy to find just the information you are looking for. The black and white illustrations include plenty of maps for geography lessons, plus less-than-serious cartoons.

It is perfect for children who are doing research on historical figures, and who are interested in adventurers.

The explorers included are:

  • Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson
    •    Marco Polo
    •    Henry Hudson
    •    Christopher Columbus
    •    James Cook
    •    Hernán Cortés
    •    Samuel de Champlain
    •    Lewis and Clark
    •    John Franklin
    •    Roald Amundsen

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Canada (Oct 1 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1443100102
ISBN-13: 978-1443100106

This book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Be sure to look for more information about children’s books at today’s Book Talk Tuesday.

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Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air

December 11, 2011 in Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | No comments

Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross and illustrated by Stephen Biesty is an ode to adventure and discovery that is full of unfolding cutaways and cross-section illustrations, sure to thrill visual and kinesthetic learners. It was a 2011 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winner and has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category. 

Stewart Ross say he loves history, and his passion shows. From the first Greek to sail to the Arctic circle, to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s trip to the moon, Ross follows fourteen great explorers in chronological order as they course into the unknown.

What really makes the book, however, are the absolutely fabulously detailed cutaway illustrations by Stephen Biesty. For a child or young adult interested in transportation, particularly ship building, the illustrations are gold mines of technical information. Also included are maps, including the dust jacket which unfolds into a world map showing where each of the explorers traveled. Very cool!

Students of history, science and engineering will find Into the Unknown a book to come back to again and again. Be sure to pair  it with a hands-on challenge to see how long a paper boat can float, or other related activities for kinesthetic learners.

Other reviews may be found at:

NC Teacher Stuff

The Book Chook

Great Kid Books

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Candlewick; Rei/Map edition (April 12, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0763649481
ISBN-13: 978-0763649487

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.

This week’s post is at Geo Librarian.

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