Category: STEM Friday

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Ladybugs

Ladybugs (Creepy Critters) by Sian Smith is just the thing to ward off the winter blahs. This nonfiction picture book for the youngest reader features big bright photographs of insects that are highly popular with children:  ladybugs!

The lively rhyming text and large format makes this a perfect for reading aloud. The rhymes really help beginning readers sail through the text, as well.

What I really like about this book is that it tackles some common myths about ladybugs, like that you can tell a ladybug’s age by the number of spots. Different species of ladybugs have different numbers of spots, so the number of spots is more about what kind it is. Once a beetle is full grown, its number of spots does not change.

Smith packs in an amazing amount of information, including what the larvae look like, what ladybugs eat and where they spend the winter. She includes an activity in the end to reinforce learning, asking the reader to find two ladybugs hidden in an illustration. Will the reader remember the life stages of ladybugs?

Ladybugs is an up-close look at an interesting and appealing insect, one that you will likely revisit again and again.

 

For related information and suggestions for ladybug activities, visit Growing with Science.

Reading Level: PreK-K
Publisher: Heinemann-Raintree (August 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410948226
ISBN-13: 978-1410948229

 

 

Book was provided for review purposes.

 

 

 

 

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

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Desert Seasons

I guess people everywhere are getting ready for the holidays under record warm conditions, but here in the Sonoran Desert we are used to warm weather in the winter. In fact, it is a rare treat when it snows in the low desert. Desert Seasons (Wonder Readers: Science) by Layne deMarin is a nonfiction picture book that describes our unusual seasons.

Layne deMarin packs a lot into this little 20-page book, with a full discussion of how desert seasons are different. There are gorgeous full-color photographs of desert animals and plants for each season. She also suggests age-appropriate activities at the end.

Although it might look to the visitor that seasons never change in the desert, deMarin shows a full understanding of the subtle changes that occur, often out of synch with the calendar. For example, we have a dry summer in May through June and then a wet summer in July and August. In some ways we actually have more seasons than other places.

Desert Seasons is a lovely picture book to introduce young readers to the desert habitat. Teachers will appreciate that it supports national science standards.

See Simply Science for another review.

Growing with Science has related activities about:

 

Reading Level:  Ages 4-8
Publisher: Capstone Press (December 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1429686359
ISBN-13: 978-1429686358

 

Book was provided for review purposes.

Agaves are common desert plants.

 

 

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

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Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers

In order to celebrate the centennial of Lady Bird Johnson’s birth, December 22, 2012, we are featuring the wonderful picture book biography, Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein.

First of all, this book is a visual feast. Joy Fisher Hein is a certified Texas Master Naturalist and her paintings are amazing. Almost every single illustration has a garden of colorful flowers, realistic enough that the reader can identify each one. Bluebonnets, coneflowers, and Indian paintbrushes jump off the page. Many of the illustrations contain children to help draw the reader in.

The story of Lady Bird Johnson’s life is surprisingly child-friendly and compelling as well. The tragedy of the loss of her mother at six and the premature loss of her husband show that Lady Bird Johnson did not have it easy. Although she championed beauty the planting flowers, she was not frivolous.  Her delight in the natural world was centered by the realization that the being out in nature and seeing wildflowers can heal troubled emotions.

That is not to say that the story is a tearjerker. Appelt shows us that Lady Bird Johnson was an inspiring woman, who when she was seventy-years-old helped found what would be eventually called the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center near Austin, Texas. She wanted to make sure future generations could enjoy the beauty of nature.

Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America is sure to appeal to young gardeners as well as history buffs. Readers who live in Texas or plan to visit will also find it interesting.

Check either Kathi Appelt‘s (click on the icon next to the “brand new” image) or Joy Fisher Hein‘s websites for a fun activity kit (in .pdf) to download that accompanies the book. The kit includes a word search, card matching game and many ideas for hands-on learning.

See related more activities at Growing With Science

Reading level: Ages 4 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (February 15, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060011076
ISBN-13: 978-0060011079

 

 
Book was provided for review purposes.
 

 

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

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Mathemagic! Number Tricks

Let’s put the M into STEM today. Mathemagic! Number Tricks by Education Professor Lynda Colgan and illustrated by Jane Kurisu shows kids how to entertain with number tricks and then takes things to a new level by explaining the math behind the magic.

Of course kids are going to realize that this book is “educational” a mile away. Once they start using it, however, they just might get carried away by the interesting problems it poses. Certain children of the target age seem to enjoy mystifying their friends with tricks and magic, and are likely to really enjoy “mind reading” and “calculator magic.”

Educators will want to put this book into their trick toolbox, too. Obviously it will appeal to the math whizzes who play math games anyway. It might also be useful to those who are struggling math because it makes many aspects of math more concrete, allows children to see math computations from a new angle, lets them see math in everyday life, and may help motivate them to practice the skills that they need for standardized tests.

Mathemagic!  is not a textbook, but an enrichment that will appeal to middle grade children and make math more accessible. Without a doubt, in no time you will be hearing “Mathakazam!”

See what Lynda Colgon and other children’s book authors say about science and math books for kids.

 

Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Kids Can Press, Ltd. (March 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1554534259
ISBN-13: 978-1554534258

Book was provided for review for Cybils nomination in 2011.

 

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