Wrapped in Foil » STEM Friday

A Tour of Your Body Books

Roberta — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:28:27 +0000

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.

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.

One Gorilla: A Counting Book Plus

Roberta — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:16:20 +0000

One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Anthony Browne takes the straightforward concept book and “adds” a gentle message about primates and humans.

Anthony Browne is an award-winning British author and illustrator, whose credits include being the Children’s Laureate from 2009-2011, and the book reflects his outstanding expertise. Just take a look at the stunning illustration on the cover.

As with many counting books, Browne introduces new vocabulary as well. The reader quickly discovers the differences between macaques, baboons and lemurs.

If you and your troop are regular visitors to the primate area of the zoo, One Gorilla will be a must have. If not, it might just inspire you to make a visit.

Age Range: 3 – 7 years
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 12, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763663522
ISBN-13: 978-0763663520

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

The Earth is Painted Green

Roberta — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:23:59 +0000

The Earth is Painted Green: A Garden of Poems about Our Planet edited by Barbara Brenner and illustrated by S. D. Schindler is an older collection of poetry for children that is a wonderful choice to tie Earth Day and National Poetry Month.

The poetry comes from such diverse poets as David McCord, Shel Silverstein and Margaret Wise Brown.

The illustrations are lush and mostly gently old-fashioned, which suit the poetry well. Some have rich detail and others are slightly silly, as the poems warrant.

My recommendation is to grab the book, find a quiet spot out in nature and share the poems with some children. I can’t think of a better to celebrate Earth Day.

Age Range: 4 and up
Paperback: 81 pages
Publisher: Byron Preiss Publications (March 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0590451359
ISBN-13: 978-0590451352

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

Stripes of All Types Book Review

Roberta — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:24:09 +0000

Are you looking for a children’s picture book to read for Poetry Month in April? Stripes of All Types by Susan Stockdale is a perfect choice. It combines rhyming text, incredible art and engaging science into one appealing package.

It is hard to describe the visual impact of this book with mere words. The acrylic illustrations are so clean and crisp. The patterns are amazing. It is sure to stimulate the reader to begin looking for stripes and other patterns everywhere. To find out more about how Susan did the illustrations, check Creating Illustrations for Stripes and How I Created Stripes at the Peachtree Publishers blog.

Susan Stockdale highlights many unusual and intriguing animals with stripes, some with very subtle stripes like a turkey’s wing. In the back matter she discusses each animal in more detail, giving its name, where it lives and more about what its stripes might have to say. In the end is a matching game to reinforce learning, which asks the reader to match the square samples of different stripe patterns to the animal that wears them.

Stripes of All Types by Susan Stockdale is a bold look at animals of all stripes. The rhyming text is perfect for preschoolers and the youngest reader, especially those interested in animals. Pick it up for Poetry Month or before a trip to the zoo.

Explore the science behind the stripes at Growing With Science.

For a simple art activity provide children with a outline of an animal or have them draw one,

and then supply markers, crayons and colored pencils for them to explore stripes. Fun!

Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers (April 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1561456950
ISBN-13: 978-1561456956

The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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

Stronger Than Steel: Spider Silk DNA

Roberta — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:55:39 +0000

The newest addition to the Scientists in the Field Series is out. Stronger Than Steel: Spider Silk DNA and the Quest for Better Bulletproof Vests, Sutures, and Parachute Rope by Bridget Heos and illustrated by Andy Comins highlights scientist Randy Lewis’ quest to find a better way to obtain large quantities of spider silk for innovative new products.

Packed with so much information on different topics, it is hard to know where to start with this book. The first chapter introduces us to both spiders and to the basics of genetics. Why genetics? Because Randy Lewis is exploring ways to produce large quantities of spider silk via the genetic engineering of a variety of different organisms, starting with goats.

After spending some time getting acquainted with the adorable goats, the reader is off to learn about potential products that could be made from the silk protein expressed in the milk of the transgenic females. The next stop is transgenic alfalfa, then transgenic silkworms, then transgenic bacteria. In the chapter about “Transgenic Organisms: Ethical Concerns and Lifesaving Possibilities” we also meet transgenic pigs that contain a mouse gene and soybeans that are resistant to an herbicide. It is a whirlwind tour of bio engineering.

Interspersed, we also get to know more about Randy Lewis and his technicians and students, including some of the techniques and equipment they use, as well as a few details of their personal lives.

Because Stronger Than Steel covers so much ground, it is likely to spark an interest in children to delve more deeply into a number of different topics. Be prepared to pull out further readings and supply activities on topics ranging from bacteria to spider webs. The book will also be a useful resource for students doing reports on transgenic organisms, because it shows both the benefits and the struggles of introducing the genes from one organism into another. Finally, as with the other books in the Scientists in the Field Series, this one offers budding scientists an important glimpse into the lives of actual scientists.

Some suggestions for related activities:

Study spider webs

Learn more about the amazing and beautiful robe made from golden spider silk:

Isolate DNA from strawberries and bananas (directions given in the book, too)

Explore silkworms (raising silkworms is a fun project to do with children)

Age Range: 10 and up
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (February 26, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0547681267
ISBN-13: 978-0547681269

Book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

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

Women in STEM for Women’s History Month

Roberta — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:54:48 +0000

Are you looking for some children’s books to read for Women’s History Month?

For STEM Friday yesterday I gathered some biographies of outstanding women in science, technology, engineering and math, plus links to other great lists. Check it out at STEM Friday Celebrates Women’s History Month!

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

The Little Plant Doctor: A Story About George Washington Carver

Roberta — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:54:02 +0000

The Little Plant Doctor: A Story About George Washington Carver by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max is an introduction to a great scientist, and also a glimpse into what it was like to be African-American during the time after the Civil War. It is a picture book to consider reading for both STEM studies and Black History Month.

This book has loads of educational potential. As a biography, the reader learns the details the childhood of a famous scientist. George Carver (he added the Washington part later) wasn’t allowed to go to school because the nearest school was for whites only. He didn’t let that stop him. He still learned how to read, and spent his time learning all he could about plants. Later he put those early studies to good use when he became a plant scientist, investigating uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes. In the back matter the author reveals he discovered over 300 ways to use peanuts in many diverse products. The endpapers feature lovely illustrations of a peanut plant and a sweet potato plant (with the primary parts labeled) to honor his work with those plants.

In an unusual choice, the narrator of the story is a tree. Some readers may not find this as appealing as others, but it might be a chance to “turn lemons into lemonade,” as the saying goes. Use the book to discuss the idea of a narrator in the story. Ask why the author might have chosen a tree to narrate (to show the passage of time, because George Carver loved plants). How does the tree narrator limit the story? (Trees can’t move around to follow the main character, etc.)

The Little Plant Doctor celebrates the early childhood of a great scientist. Perhaps it will inspire a future scientist, as well.

With a little planning, it could be fun to pair this book with an activity to sprout sweet potatoes as well.

Gather:

Sweet potato
Clear container for water large enough to accommodate the sweet potato.
Toothpicks
Water source

Determine the end of the sweet potato that was attached to the plant, if possible. That should be oriented up or out of the water. Stick some toothpicks into the middle of a sweet potato and suspend it root down into the container so that about half the potato is immersed when water is added. Keep the water level up by adding water as needed. Look for new growth. (A clear container works best so you can watch for root growth).

Reading level: Ages 5 and up
Hardcover: 22 pages
Publisher: Holiday House (April 15, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0823423255
ISBN-13: 978-0823423255

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

Wild Horse Scientists Review

Roberta — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:11:49 +0000

Have you seen the newest book in the Scientists in the Field Series, Wild Horse Scientists by Kay Frydenborg? Concentrating on research by two scientists, ethologist Dr. Ron Keiper and wildlife reproductive physiologist Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, the book reveals the challenges and the successes of studying wild horses.

Right away, I should make it very clear for my regular readers: this is not a picture book! It would probably be best from mature readers, ages 12 and up. The books contains large, full color photographs of dead, decaying horses, and a discussion of a birth control program developed for horses. That said, for older readers interested in science, and particularly horses, this book is a must have.

If your idea of wild horses has been shaped by the beloved book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, you will be surprised to learn the wild horses actually live on Assateague Island, which lies in part in both Maryland and Virginia.

It turns out that wild horses have no predators in the areas where they live, and they can produce a lot of offspring. Over time the herds become too large for the amount of food they have available, and they begin to starve and to negatively impact other wildlife. In the past, portions of the herds have been captured and offered out for adoption. Looking for a better solution, the agencies in charge of managing the wild horses asked scientists to find ways to keep the wild horse numbers to more ecologically sound levels.

Did the scientists succeed? Pick up this fascinating book to find out. You will be sure to learn a lot about science and horses along the way.

Our sister blog, Growing with Science has related horse science activities.

Wild Horse Scientists by Kay Frydenborg

Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (November 6, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547518315
ISBN-13: 978-0547518312

Book provided by publisher for review purposes. Cover courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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

Here Come the Humpbacks

Roberta — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 02:15:22 +0000

Have you seen the latest nonfiction picture book by April Pulley Sayre, Here Come the Humpbacks, illustrated by Jamie Hogan, coming out this week? The story starts with mother humpback whale giving birth to a baby in the balmy waters of the Caribbean Sea. When the calf is old enough, they migrate north to the New England coast so the mother can get food, and then back to the Caribbean. Along their migration route the whales encounter many dangers, both natural and human made.

In what might become a trend, the book is laid out with the primary narrative lyrically told on the left page of a two-page spread, and more traditional expository nonfiction text in sidebars (italicized) on the right page, filling in the details and defining the vocabulary. It is like two books woven together, which gives so many options for reading.

The pastel illustrations on textured paper are an absolutely perfect accompaniment. Some of the pages are drenched in underwater darkness, others shimmer with light and action.

Seems like a lot more attention has been paid to the humpback whales in the Pacific that migrate from Hawaii to Alaska. Sayre’s focus on the movement of Atlantic whales brings them closer to home for folks on the East Coast and increases the readers awareness that whales occur worldwide.

Here Come the Humpbacks would be a wonderful choice for a trip to the beach, to an aquarium and best of all, for a warm-up to a whale-watching tour. It will be perfect for units on marine mammals, as well.

Check out Growing With Science for related whale science activities and links.

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580894062
ISBN-13: 978-1580894067

Book provided by publisher for review purposes.

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

A Book About Groundhogs, Just in Time for Groundhog Day

Roberta — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:29:20 +0000

Groundhogs (Pebble Plus: North American Animals) by Chadwick Gillenwater is a perfect nonfiction picture book to pull out for Groundhog Day, coming up in two weeks on February 2.

Filled with large color photographs, this book would work well for sharing in front of the class. Written at the K-1 reading level, it is also sure to entice beginning or struggling readers, who will learn about the range, life cycle and behavior of groundhogs. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in learning more about these cute, chubby animals?

Let’s check out more about Groundhog Day with a short story inspired by the book:

It is February 2, Groundhog Day.
People say that if Groundhog sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.
Where is Groundhog?
He likes to hide.
Groundhog is in his burrow.
Can he see his shadow?
No, it’s dark in there.
Where is Groundhog?
He’s next to the big rock.
Can he see his shadow?
Not yet, he’s in the rock’s shadow.
Where is Groundhog?
He’s behind that tree.
Can he see his shadow?
Not yet, the tree is blocking the light.
Where is Groundhog?
He’s out standing in the meadow.
Can he see his shadow?
Yes, he can!
Back to the burrow, Groundhog, to sleep for six more weeks.