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Can Old Dogs Learn New Facts?

Kudos once again to Buffy Silverman for her new book Can Old Dog Learn New Tricks? And Other Questions About Animals (illustrated by Colin W. Thompson).

Are bats blind? Does the early bird really catch the worm? Silverman’s book takes the approach of the TV show “Mythbusters,” but without the explosions. She examines seventeen common truisms or sayings, and finds out whether science backs them up or not.Can-an-old-dog

What is important about this book, as with the others in the Is That A Fact? series, is that it encourages the young reader to fact-check information. Yes, it is easy to find almost anything on the Internet these days, but how can you sort the truth from the urban legends, myths, rumors, and general misinformation? By discussing what scientific investigations tell us, and also showing that we still don’t know all the details about certain things, Silverman teaches the importance of critical thinking and research.

I admit I love Buffy Silverman’s writing style. She knows how to find exactly the right word and convey the information in a clear, concise way. She also passed my personal test for accuracy when she nailed the “Does a Female Praying Mantis Really Eat Her Mate?” question. When scientists first studied this question, they used hungry females kept under stressful conditions and came up with the idea that the female had to eat her mate in order to produce eggs. Later observations showed, however, that under more natural conditions the female usually doesn’t eat her mate. The earlier idea was more startling, so it has persisted. Silverman does her part to set the record straight.

The best part about this book is that it is fun and enjoyable to read, (well, except maybe about the worm in the brain).Can an Old Dog Learn New Tricks? definitely got the tween boy stamp of approval.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Library Binding: 40 pages
Publisher: Lerner Publications (March 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0822590832
ISBN-13: 978-0822590835

(In case you were wondering, I picked this book up at the library and had no idea that Lerner Books was hosting today when I chose it.)

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at Lerner Books Blog.

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National Poetry Month

Hurray, it is finally time to kick off National Poetry Month.

I admit it, I love poetry. I even got an early start on the celebration with my last post, a review of the children’s poetry book Nest, Nook and Cranny. NPM_LOGO

National Poetry Month is a great time to get the word out that poetry is fun, interesting and as the website says, has a “vital place in American culture.”

The official Poets.org website has a wealth of information to help you get involved, including  Great Poems to Teach and a list of 30 ways to celebrate.

As March rushes out with a roar of wind gusts, I’m reminded of:


Who Has Seen the Wind?

By Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro’.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

windypalms

Photo Credit:  Public Domain Pictures.net by Andrew Schmidt

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Nest, Nook and Cranny Review

How do poets like Susan Blackaby do it? In her new book, Nest, Nook and Cranny (illustrated by Jamie Hogan) Blackaby manages to condense an obviously superb understanding of animal behavior and ecology into 22 beautifully-crafted poems, while still injecting humor and word play. What a delight!nest-nook-and-cranny

Teachers will absolutely love this book. Not only can you squeeze in science (the book is organized by habitats and the author includes a description of each in the back), but also language arts. Blackaby has added a behind-the-scenes look at each of her poems in her “Writing Poetry” section. No need to guess whether or not she intended the poem about the skink to be a cinquain, she tells you that it is, and explains the form. This section will be especially helpful to budding poets because they can go to the poems and see concrete examples of different types of poetry, from sonnets to triolet.

You might think that this revealing of craft could make the poems seem artificial or stiff, but they hang together wonderfully as a coherent package. And describing hanging bats as “fur bangles,” you just have to laugh.

The charcoal and pastel illustrations give the feel of a nature journal, with just the right touch of sophistication added by use of occasional silhouettes.

My favorite part of reading this book to my son was when we reached the poem about the duck on page 24, he spontaneously decided to read the quacks in counterpoint to my reading the text. It was a special moment.

If you love poetry and nature, this book is a sure winner.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 49 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; New edition (February 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580893503
ISBN-13: 978-1580893503

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Picture Book of the Day. This week’s post is at Miss Rumphius Effect.