Category: Middle Grade Nonfiction

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Zoology for Kids

This week we have a fabulous new book from Chicago Review Press,  Zoology for Kids: Understanding and Working with Animals, with 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Josh Hestermann and Bethanie Hestermann, with a foreword by the Kratt Brothers.

Josh Hestermann is a zoologist who works as a marine-mammal trainer at the Aquarium of the Pacific. His wife, Bethanie Hestermann. is a freelance writer. This combination of animal expert and writing expert have created a unique book that includes both an introduction to the science of zoology and an overview of career options for those interested in animals. Children can learn about animal structure and behavior, as well as what it is like to be a zookeeper, veterinarian, wildlife researcher, and conservationist. Sprinkled throughout are 21 awesome hands-on activities to encourage readers to delve deeper and reinforce learning, such as inventing a new species, demonstrating a butterfly’s life cycle and using animal behavior techniques to train a human friend.

The book has some nice extras. In addition to the exciting introduction by TV stars the Kratt Brothers, it also begins with timeline that reveals some of the significant advancements in zoology. The timeline starts with an entry for Aristotle, who is credited as the Father of Zoology and goes to the astonishing discovery of the olinguito (a member of the raccoon family) in 2013. Sidebars contain in depth information, such as discussion of altruism, or quotes from zoologists. Many of the projects also contain suggestions for extensions, labelled as “extra credit.”

As with all the books in the “for Kids” series, although the book is definitely written for middle graders, it is also an invaluable resource for educators. Anyone teaching a unit on animals will want to have a copy of this book on the shelf for project ideas. Librarians will want to have it as a go-to resource for information on animals and career options for those interested in animals, as well.

Many of the projects could be easily adapted for younger children. For example, older kids can make their own bat fruit salad, but younger children would certainly enjoy eating one (dare I say while reading Stellaluna?) Zoology for Kids is one of those rare books that is really for almost all ages!

Related:

Giveaway  for this book and related activities at Growing With Science blog.

Zoology for Kids Website

Age Range: 9 and up
Grade Level: 4 and up
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (March 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1613749619
ISBN-13: 978-1613749616

Disclosures: The book was supplied 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.

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

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Two Looks at the Animal Kingdom for Kids

When you are a writer, sometimes it can be disappointing to find out there is already a book published on a topic you were thinking about exploring. This week two nonfiction books for middle grades came across my desk that show magnificently how two books on the same topic, in this case the animal kingdom, can have very different voices and each finds its own place on the shelf.

The two books are:

TIME For Kids Book of Why: Awesome Animal Kingdom by Editors of TIME For Kids Magazine

Overall, with its question-and-answer format and smaller size, Awesome Animal Kingdom has many characteristics kids will find attractive. It is a quick read and contains a great deal of information about humans to draw the reader in (facts they can relate to). The format is also highly appealing to reluctant readers. In fact, it is likely you will find children taking turns quizzing each other on fun facts like “why do birds sing” and “how do eyelashes work” when they read this book.

Animalium (Welcome to the Museum) by Jenny Broom and illustrated by Katie Scott

Animalium is larger and denser, and also covers the topic of the animal kingdom in much richer detail. For example, the two page spread about sponges is titled with the phylum name “Porifera.” Underneath is a description of sponges as a group. What catches your eye is the illustration of nine different sponges on the right side, laid out like classic scientific illustrations. Each is labelled with the scientific name of the species, its size and a fact or two about each one. The end of each section shows a common habitat where the members of the group can be found, such as “coastal waters” or “arctic tundra.”

Below is an infographic with a point-by-point comparison of some of the features of the two books.

animal comparison(Note: Actually humans are mentioned once on the primate page of Animalium, so the percentage is a very small amount above 0%).

The bottom line is that Awesome Animal Kingdom and Animalium are two different books on the same general topic that serve two different audiences. It is likely that even the same child may find them both useful, as his or her needs and interests change. Consider both when studying the animal kingdom.

Related activities:

See Classification of Organisms at Growing with Science

Disclosures: Awesome Animal Kingdom was supplied 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.

 

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

 

 

 

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Fire Birds

Children’s book author Sneed Collard III has been making a name for himself in the field of nonfiction, winning the Washington Post– Children’s Book Guild Award in 2006. With his newest title, Fire Birds, he tackles the tough topic of forest fires and asks if it possible that some forest fires can actually have benefits.

Forest fires have been a “heated” topic in the West. Many acres have been burned in the last few years in Arizona alone and lives have been lost trying to battle the blazes. What to do to manage forests and forest fires has become highly controversial.

The book starts out with the work of biology professor Dick Hutto, who has been investigating what happens to bird species after a forest fire. He found that some species nest almost exclusively in burned forests, including the black-backed woodpecker. He has come up with a list of 15 species that are not destroyed by fires, but instead are closely associated with, and benefiting from, recently burned forests. These are the birds of the title, the “Fire Birds.”  Each fire bird is featured throughout the book with large color photographs and detail-filled sidebars.

Collard then goes on to discuss salvage logging after forest fires and points out the complexities of managing fires due to a mix of private and public concerns. Although fires are natural occurrences and forest communities may depend on fires to be healthy, fire suppression and changes in habitats and climate have given delicately-balanced ecosystems a wallop. The author suggests it might be time for a more nuanced and informed approach to forest fire management.

Fire Birds will be of interest to children who want to learn more about birds, ecology, and also those studying forest fires. It is full of questions that are sure to encourage children to delve deeper into the topic.

Ages:  8+
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Bucking Horse Books (December 10, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0984446079
ISBN-13: 978-0984446070
Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches

Sneed B. Collard III is also the author of an older fictional novel that covers similar topics:

Flash Point

Age Range: 11 and up
Grade Level: 6 and up
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers; Reprint edition (April 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1561455776
ISBN-13: 978-1561455775

Disclosure: Book provided by the publisher for review purposes. 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 not extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

nonfictionmonday

Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.

 

 

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Hands-On Science Finalist: The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature

A few weeks ago the AAAS/SubaruSB&F announced their 2015 finalists for the Prize for Excellence in Science Books and it is a wonderful list. For example, in the Hands-on Science Book category, one of the finalists is The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature (BBG Guides for a Greener Planet) by no less than a team of educators from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and illustrated by László Veres.

What an exciting book for young nature lovers and scientists alike! It has fabulous photographs and illustrations to help identify common plants, animals, and fungi, as well as activities, descriptions of common careers held by naturalists, and explorations of different habitats.

The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature is organized by season, with activities, career summaries and habitat information for each (you can see a table of contents here.) This organization allows readers to skim and skip to sections that interest them most.

In addition, László Veres’ digital illustrations are just amazing. You could spend hours delving into them and still find more the next time you look. They would be perfect seek-and-find pages for younger children.

Is there any down side? I have to admit that growing up in western New York, I recognized many of the wildflowers, wildlife and weeds that were described, for example:

plaintain-plant-44broadleaf plantain…

pokeweed-fruit-11and pokeweed.

However, I do have to say many of the plants and animals featured are not found throughout North America. After having moved to Arizona, it has become evident that many nature books for kids are incredibly East Coast-centric. Because this book was written by the staff of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, that is understandable since they write about what they know. Fortunately most of the activities, such as keeping a nature journal or creating a boat from natural materials, can be done anywhere. If you live on the West Coast, just be prepared to substitute information about local species from local field guides in some sections.

The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature is a wonderful book that is likely to inspire budding naturalists and scientists to learn more about their world and to observe closely. It is also an incredible resource for nature educators.

Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Hardcover: 120 pages
Publisher: Brooklyn Botanic Garden (August 5, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1889538884
ISBN-13: 978-1889538884

Disclosure: Book provided by my local library. 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 not extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

nonfictionmonday

Looking for more children’s nonfiction books? Try the Nonfiction Monday blog.