Tag: Science Books for Summer Reading

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Ant Antics

As some of you may know, I am wild about ants, so naturally I had to pick up Ant Antics by Deborah Lock. This DK Reader is full of the fabulous full color photographs you have come to expect from DK, and it is told in a lighthearted way using the point of view of the ants that is sure to pull in young readers.

Deborah Lock has done her research and her portrayal of the six types of ants she chose is accurate and realistic. Although she does move into some mild sensationalism as times (“…we each use our lethal weapon- a poisoned stinger!”), her text is for the most part balanced and is thoroughly readable.

A note to those of you with sensitive children:  there is one photograph of a dead lizard with ants crawling on it that could be disturbing.

According to the DK scale, Ant Antics is level 3, which means it is meant to be read alone. The vocabulary and sentence structure are more complex than a beginning reader, and it contains a full glossary and index.

Overall, Ant Antics is definitely a book that will interest young scientists and naturalists. Although I picked up the book I reviewed at the library, I will be on the lookout for a copy for my personal ant book collection.

Reinforce learning with some ant-related hands-on activities

Reading level: Ages 7 and up
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: DK CHILDREN (August 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0756689325
ISBN-13: 978-0756689322

Stem Friday is at Picture Book of the Day today. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to the new STEM Friday blog for more information.

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Planes (from National Geographic Kids)

Planes by Amy Shields

Series:  National Geographic Readers

Reading level: Beginning/Easy Reader (Ages 4-8)

Summary: Narrator Pilot Nic tells about the smallest plane, the biggest plane, the fastest plane, and all other sorts of planes.

Illustrations: Color photographs

Comments: Planes will be a fun book for children interested in the topic. The formatting is perfect for the age group. The photographs are clearly labeled and laid out well. The book has a pictorial glossary at the end.

Related activities:

  • The book suggests pretending you are an airplane
  • Visit an airport to watch the planes taking off and landing
  • Fold and fly a simple paper airplane

Jeff at NC Teacher Stuff has another review and a lot of good ideas for using this book

Compatible fiction: Mr. Putter & Tabby Fly the Plane by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Arthur Howard

Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (September 14, 2010)

ISBN-10: 1426307128
ISBN-13: 978-1426307126

Stem Friday is at Simply Science today. Click through for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to the new STEM Friday blog for more information.

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Dinosaur Discovery: Everything You Need to Be a Paleontologist

If you have ever wished you could have a retired paleontologist come to your classroom or home and give your kids hands-on science lessons, then Dinosaur Discovery: Everything You Need to Be a Paleontologist by Chris McGowan and illustrated by Erica Lyn Schmidt is the book for you.

Interspersed with two-page spreads of amazing watercolor illustrations of dinosaurs by Erica Lyn Schmidt (see her website for numerous examples) and detailed information about specific dinosaurs, are instructions for hands-on activities with bright full-color photographs. It really gives a feel of going back in time and then coming to the present to learn more. (Although it would have been nice to include photographs of a girl performing the experiments as well as a boy).

Chris McGowan’s hands-on activities pack a powerful science punch. He incorporates numerous science principals into experiments and demonstrations that are deceptively simple and involve materials you can find around the house. These are real concepts that a paleontologist would need to comprehend and shows how well-rounded they must be, understanding not only dinosaurs but also such diverse fields as physics, anatomy and geology.

Pinning down an age range for this book is difficult. Most likely it targets middle grade, but many children get intensely interested in dinosaurs at an earlier age. I would say younger children would eat this up with quite a bit of help from an adult. It would also tie in wonderfully with a trip to a natural history museum that features dinosaur exhibits.

Teachers, homeschoolers and librarians will definitely find Dinosaur Discovery: Everything You Need to Be a Paleontologist a useful resource for experiments to supplement a variety of science lessons, such as earth science or anatomy lessons. Be sure to pick up this book and invite a paleontologist over soon.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing (June 28, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1416947647
ISBN-13: 978-1416947646

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We are hosting STEM Friday today. Stop over for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in the future, go to Chapter Book of the Day for a list of STEM Friday hosts.

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Seabird in the Forest: Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet

Seabird in the Forest:  Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet written and illustrated by Joan Dunning caught my eye because my family and I had become enamored with similar birds, the ancient murrelets, when we watched The Life of Birds with David Attenborough. It turns out the story of the marbled murrelets is even more amazing. Dunning reveals that it was only recently discovered these little sea birds fly long distances, sometimes more than 50 miles, to nest in old growth forests.

The main story follows two parent murrelets raising a chick. Many of the pages include sidebars within the illustrations with many more fascinating details about the birds and their habitat. Even the endpapers (front and back are different) are filled with intriguing facts and more information about the trees the birds nest in. For budding scientists, the author has included snippets of information about how biologists study these elusive creatures.

Joan Dunning illustrated the book with oils, as she says in her website, to capture the darker, heavier feel of the forests. She says she got the idea for the book when she saw the parent murrelets bringing food to their chick while she was working on Secrets of the Nest a decade ago. We are glad she did!

It is always fun to reinforce learning with some hands-on activities:

Intrigued? Check out this video from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for more information about the incredible marbled murrelets.

For another review, be sure to visit Archimedes Notebook

Publisher:  Boyds Mills Press (April 1, 2011) +

Reading level: Picture book Ages 4-8

ISBN-10: 1590787153
ISBN-13: 978-1590787151

Click on button to return to main science book list.

STEM Friday is hosted today at NC Teacher Stuff. Stop over for links to more excellent STEM books.

If you would like to participate in the future, go to Chapter Book of the Day for a list of STEM Friday hosts.