scrounge: /skrounj/ informal verb: to actively seek [books] from any available source
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover is a great book for kids who are curious about outer space and astronomy, robots, or science and technology in general. While it conveys a lot of information and has more pages than many picture books, most pages aren't very wordy and so it might also appeal to some pre-kindergarten-aged children too.
The story is told from the perspective of Curiosity itself, and that plus the eye in the cover picture made me a bit wary, because it can be easy for the personification of non-human characters to distract from the story or veer into absurdity. But I think it works here. Curiosity's story is still told in a straightforward, nonfictional manner -- the personification wasn't done for entertainment value but instead to help keep the narrative relatable and focused.
This book is about Curiosity, but it's largely about science in general -- about questions and answers and why we send all these robots into space to begin with. I like how the grander desire for exploration is expressed so clearly throughout the story of the robot, making the scope much larger than just one robot or planet.
Of course, the robot's story is primary, from the whys and hows of development, to interesting details and complications involved in the launch, to the tension of the final moments of Curiosity's arrival on Mars that was witnessed by people around the globe. And all this still manages to stay within the realm of understanding of a young elementary-aged child.
I thought this book was really well done, and would make a great gift or science resource for elementary-aged children.
Scrounged From: Amazon
Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Markus Motum
Pages: 56
Content Advisory: None
I really enjoyed Charlotte Milner's The Bee Book (see my review here), and even based a homeschool summer science unit around it. So I was happy for the chance to review The Sea Book, another installment (rhyming, even!) from the same author/illustrator.
Like the previous book, this one features clear designs and colorful illustrations (with lots of blue, of course), and begins with the big picture of the oceans on our planet, and then "zooms in" to look at specific areas and ecosystems (such as coral reefs, kelp forests, and the arctic), as well many examples of the types of sea creatures that inhabit them. The blocks of text are fairly short and concise, but there are enough pages here that this would probably be best read in multiple sittings, at least if read to young children.
The last few pages focus on the problem of plastic trash in the ocean, and give some ideas for how we can help keep our planet clean. There is also a tutorial for how to make a reusable shopping bag out of an old T-shirt! I like how this section seems to flow in a straightforward manner from the rest of the book and takes the problem seriously without coming across as heavy-handed.
I think this one will be a great addition to our homeschool library as well.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
Scrounged From: NetGalley.com
Format: Kindle
Author/Illustrator: Charlotte Milner
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None
Counting Birds starts off as the story of a man named Frank Chapman, who decided to do something to combat what was a Christmas tradition in some places 100+ years ago: shooting birds for fun.
His idea of an annual "bird count" has since developed into a massive citizen science project organized by the Audubon Society. This book celebrates the joy of discovery and conservation of our feathered friends, in a way that reminds me of The Sky Painter, which features another bird lover who also decided to find a way to depict birds without shooting them (see my review here).
That spirit of conservation is present here, displaying an attitude of enjoyment and appreciation of wild birds, and portraying the thrill of the "hunt" as well as the benefit this participation can be to science.
The last few pages give some more information on how the bird count works, and how the average citizen can participate. This is definitely something I'd like to be involved in someday, and would make a great homeschool project.
Oh, and, plot twist! When I read the page about calling owls, I couldn't help but think of Jane Yolen's Owl Moon. Turns out the author of this book is actually her daughter, who is the girl who goes owl calling with her father in Owl Moon. Nifty!
(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
Scrounged From: NetGalley
Format: Kindle
Author: Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Illustrator: Clover Robin
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: One scene shows a bunch of dead birds lying on the ground, but it's from a distance and not graphic.
We've read a few of the board books in this series, and found them a very fun and foundational way to introduce science topics to preschoolers. In Baby Loves Quarks! we learn that quarks are like the building blocks of everything around us, because they make up atoms, which make up molecules.
I like how this is communicated in an ordinary way, with the illustration of a baby building a tower of blocks, which keeps the concept at a concrete level that young children can understand. We've also enjoyed Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering! which looks at flight, but begins simply, with a bird.
Scrounged From: Our local library
Format: Board book
Author: Ruth Spiro
Illustrator: Irene Chan
Pages: 20
Content Advisory: None
Ideas from Nature is a simple early reader book featuring different aspects of nature that engineers and inventors have copied for people to use.
The clear photos illustrate ideas such as hook-and-loop closures (like Velcro) and the burrs that inspired them, snakes and snake-bots which have a few different uses, architecture shaped like a giant flower, and more.
This is a great way to inspire kids to look around at the ingenuity present in nature, as they grow in confidence with reading.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)
Scrounged From: NetGalley
Format: Kindle
Author: Mary Lindeen
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None
Blogs on This Site
Like us on Facebook to get updates about new resources