nonfiction for children

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Three Tree Books

July 26, 2010 in Nonfiction Monday Review, Picture book- nonfiction, Uncategorized by Roberta | No comments

To wrap up our month devoted to learning about trees, we have three older books to consider.

Be a Friend to Trees by Patricia Lauber, and illustrated by Holly Keller, is part of the popular Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series. be-a-friend-to-treesThe emphasis of this book is how useful trees are. Starting with products and foods we use that come from trees, Lauber then devotes several pages to how many animals need trees for food and homes. Finally she moves to less concrete benefits of trees, such as holding soil and water, and producing oxygen. The last three pages are devoted to simple ideas of how you can be a friend to trees through activities like recycling and planting a tree.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Collins; Revised edition (January 30, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064451208
ISBN-13: 978-0064451208

tell-me-treeWe are huge fans of Gail Gibbons, so of course we picked up her book Tell Me, Tree. We were not disappointed. Gibbons has a huge talent for presenting a wealth of information so simply and logically that you finish the book astonished at all you have learned, whether you are a child or an adult. Starting out with general information abut parts of trees, such as seeds, leaves, bark and roots, Gibbons emphasizes identifying trees. She illustrates the overall shape, leaves and bark of sixteen different trees (although she also identifies leaves and trees throughout the earlier pages as well.) At the end she shows how to make your own tree identification book with pressed leaves, and leaf and bark rubbings. The last page is full of unusual and interesting facts about trees, sure to entice children to want to find out more.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316309036
ISBN-13: 978-0316309035

Last, but certainly not least we have A Tree is Growing by Arthur Dorros and illustrated by S.D. Schindler.A-tree-is-growing

This book is suitable for a slightly older audience. The text is a bit more complex and detailed, as it follows an oak tree through the seasons. Along the way are interesting sidebars of other species. Did you know that baobab trees store water in their trunks and actually swell up? I knew saguaros could do that, but not other trees.

When you first open the book, you might be surprised by the darker paper background and more subdued look of the illustrations. It is not the glaring primary colors of a board book. If you stay with it, however, you will begin to realize how the illustrations really capture the actual hues and tones of nature. Schindler’s renderings of tree bark are particularly amazing.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Scholastic (April 1997)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0590453009
ISBN-13: 978-0590453004

I’m sure you will find each of these books are “tree-rific.”

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. For more information, stop by Anastasia Suen’s Nonfiction Monday page. This week’s post is at Shelf-Employed.

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The Buzz About The Hive Detectives

May 30, 2010 in Middle Grade Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 7 comments

The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe is a new book in the fabulous Scientists in the Field series, by Lorre Griffin Burns, with photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz. hive-detectives

Time for a disclosure: I have been interested in honey bees for a long time and co-authored some lesson plans about honey bees during the 1990’s. I think all bees are really cool, and especially honey bees. So, when I found this book at our local library, I grabbed it.

I was not disappointed. Burns starts into the topic with a visit to Mary Duane’s backyard. Mary calmly works the bees as she explains many aspects of honey bee biology and the culture techniques she uses. I love the photographs of the brightly-colored hives.

The author moves next to colony collapse disorder or CCD – the problem with honey bees disappearing that has been in the news – by going right to the beekeeper who first noticed missing bees. Dave Hackenberg runs a large company, Hackenberg Apiaries. He moves thousands of hives around the country. When he found 400 empty hives in Florida, he knew something big had gone wrong and he sounded the alarm.

Burns then introduces us to four bee scientists who are at the front lines of CCD research, and explains their roles in the investigation. The honey bees have been hit with Varroa mites, tracheal mites and a parasite called Nosema in recent years, but none of those seemed to be correlated with CCD. Diana Cox-Foster has identified a virus that is correlated with CCD called “Israeli acute paralysis virus.” She is now running experiments to establish causation.

Finally, Burns wraps up by taking us back to Mary Duane’s beeyard for a lesson about gathering and processing honey. Nice!

The author has also included substantial additional information at the end of the book, with an appendix, a glossary, a list of books, magazines, videos and websites, as well as some select references and an index. This book is a researcher’s dream.

I did question one sentence on page 13: “Wind, rain, spiders, and others animals pollinate plants, but nothing does the job as efficiently as the honey bee.” Okay, many plants are definitely wind pollinated. The “rain and spiders” part gives me pause, though. The author may have found some rare examples of rain or spider pollination, but on the most part rain and spiders are hazards that inhibit pollination.

The effect of spiders on pollination is demonstrated graphically in this video:

So, why didn’t the author mention the other beneficial pollinators such as a diverse collection of bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, bats, and birds, instead of “other animals?” I’m not altogether sure. I think everyone agrees that honey bees do an important job.

The rest of this book is exemplary. You should take a look at it for the stunning photographs alone.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 3, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0547152310
ISBN-13: 978-0547152318

For some hands-on activities, try:

Honey Bees:  Science Activities for Kids

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 Lori Calabrese’s Blog.

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Nic Bishop Butterflies And Moths

November 2, 2009 in Cybil Awards, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 1 comment

In most areas it is probably too cold for butterflies and moths to be active, but here in Arizona you can still see quite a few. You can spot monarchs on their long migrations to Mexico or California, as well as queens, painted ladies and fritillaries. What a perfect time to pick up Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths.

butterflies-and-moths

The insects are the star in Nic Bishop’s book and when you open it, the photographs bring those insects right to your fingertips. Shot from unusual angles and incredibly close up, you can see adult butterflies, moths and caterpillars in detail that speaks volumes. This book would be a conversation piece even if it didn’t have a single word, but Bishop manages to create a lively and informative text as well.

In addition to nailing the text, Bishop gives proper emphasis to the immature stages, with 14 pages devoted to caterpillars and pupae. The double gatefold of a butterfly in flight is sure to induce some gasps of astonishment. Amateur photographers are going to immediately ask, “How did he do that?” In the real treasure of the book, Nic Bishop writes in the end how he captured some of the wonderful photographs. It is in this section his passion and incredible hard work reveals itself. For one shot, he jumped on a plane for a flight to Costa Rica to photograph one rare caterpillar!

Actually, knowing how much he put into the photograph of the caterpillar that mimics a snake I can not criticize at all, but I really wish he had included a small photo of what the caterpillar looks like normally. I bet children would have been even more amazed at the transformation from mild-mannered caterpillar to ferocious snake.

Nic Bishop has made a well-deserved name for himself as a photographer and author of children’s books. His previous books have won numerous honors, and this book is clearly of the highest caliber. It has been nominated for the Cybils award in the category of nonfiction picture book.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction (March 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439877571
ISBN-13: 978-0439877572

Nic Bishop Butterflies And Moths by Nic Bishop

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 bookstogether.

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Vital Water

October 19, 2009 in Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 1 comment

saving-waterCrisp, clear and concise are the words to sum up Buffy Silverman’s book Saving Water: The Water Cycle. Nothing is wasteful or sloppy. The clean photographs, the neatly drawn illustrations and the confident, professional tone remind one of a fresh, cool glass of water. It isn’t fancy, but does its job well and fills an important role.

With recent emphasis on issues such as global warming and energy, the importance of saving water has dropped somewhat from public awareness. It remains, however, an issue critical to the future. Here in Arizona, we are triply aware of the vital nature of water as a resource because we have so little rain. Saving Water shows how much we need fresh water, some of the unique properties of water, and also ways to conserve it.

Silverman’s book will be popular with both educators and children doing science projects because it is full of hands-on experiments. For example, the “Changing Density” experiment on page 12 distills to the essentials how water changes density with temperature. In the corner on a yellow sticky-note graphic is a short list of the materials you will need to perform the experiment. In four simple steps she lays out the instructions. Silverman gets high marks in my book because she doesn’t give the expected results with the experiment. Instead, she gives the essential questions to ask, which leads children to further questions. I will be using the activities in this book next time I teach about water.

On the back of the book, Silverman acknowledges that she always learns something new when she writes about science, and how writing this book motivated her to get a rain barrel for her home. Hopefully children reading this book will be similarly inspired.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Heinemann Library (August 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1432910922
ISBN-13: 978-1432910921
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches

Saving Water: The Water Cycle (Do It Yourself) by Buffy Silverman

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 Lori Calabrese Writes!.

Next week Nonfiction Monday will be here.

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All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome

October 5, 2009 in Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 2 comments

all-cats-have-aspergerLife takes turns sometimes, and although All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome by Kathy Hoopmann has been out for a few years, it is worth taking a look at again. With cute pictures and a gentle, but highly informative text, this is one of those children’s books that is really for everyone. It is helpful for children with Asperger Syndrome, their families, relatives, classmates, teachers, and anyone else who works with children.

Hoopmann has done a wonderful job explaining not only the challenges of raising a child with Asperger Syndrome, but also the potential, giving a sense that through the differences are positives. For example, a child may be a picky eater and be highly sensitive, but he or she can also focus on a topic for long periods of time and may see the world with amazing insight.

Her choice of cats as subjects works not only because people with Asperger Syndrome may seem aloof like cats and only want contact on their terms, but also because the highly posed cats and kittens convey messages to children who might not understand the facial expressions and postures of human models. The soft and playful cats add a touch of warmth and humor to a subject that in other circumstances may be emotionally-charged or difficult to talk about.

After reading this book, you may find there’s a little cat in all of us.

Hardcover: 72 pages
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (October 26, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1843104814
ISBN-13: 978-1843104810
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches


All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome
by Kathy Hoopmann

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 Moms Inspire Learning.

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