Round is another neat "concept book" from Joyce Sidman, similar to her Swirl by Swirl book about spirals in nature (see my review here).

Here we explore the concept of "round," from planets and the moon to berries, eggs, and other things that grow. The text is poetic and is written from the first-person perspective of an observant child. It's really fun to think about just how many different contexts this shape appears in. In the text and in an informational page at the end, we also get to explore other concepts that contribute to circles and spheres: gravity, growth, weight, etc.

It's amazing how one simple shape can guide us from tiny things to the enormous and distant, as well as from young to old. I really enjoyed the scope of this book, expressed with such simplicity.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Taeeun Yu
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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On a Magical Do-Nothing Day is nostalgic for me, having spent a few years of my childhood in Scotland by the North Sea, where it rained frequently. If I'd saved all of my outdoor play for a sunny day, I would have been inside most of the time, and with four homeschooled children (at the time), I'm sure my mom needed a break once in a while. Consequently, my siblings and I spent many hours in our large backyard in our rain jackets, making "soup" from puddles, bouncing on the moss, watching slugs, climbing trees, and more. 

In this story, a child is reminded of the beauty of the natural world, after losing their video game in a stream. Perhaps the "lesson" is obvious, but the text is sweet and the illustrations are so beautiful with the earth tones contrasted against the child's bright orange raincoat. Also, the text manages to be evocative of ideas such as stillness, silence, solitude, pondering, observation, exploration, and even the way that these things can help us to look at familiar places and family members with new eyes.

I hope children will enjoy this book, and that it won't just be one of those stories that adults want children to like.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Beatrice Alemagna
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: None

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Archaeologists Dig for Clues provides an engaging and informative look at how archaeologists work, as a few schoolchildren work with an archaeologist named Sofie to look for artifacts in the remains of an Archaic-era settlement.

I like how this book makes archaeology look exciting, but also focuses on the scientific processes involved -- writing things down, looking for even the tiniest artifacts (most finds don't seem all that glamorous, and consist largely of ancient people's garbage!), and keeping track of where items are found. But when they put all the pieces together, they can infer quite a bit about how people might have lived, and even how their settlement may have been structured.

Scrounged From: Homeschool Classifieds (Sonlight Core B)

Format: Paperback
Author/Illustrator: Kate Duke
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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I love the bold and detailed (and very green!) illustrations in Nature All Around: Trees. This nonfiction book (hopefully the start of a series?) provides lots of basic information about trees -- from the differences between deciduous and evergreens, to pollination, photosynthesis, classification, as well as a look at how trees change over the course of the four seasons.

In addition to providing general information, this book gives some tips on exploring and appreciating the incredible variety of trees in the world, and the many different ways they help us and the environment by cleaning the air, and providing fruit, shade, and shelter for animals.

It's not too information-heavy, but would be too wordy for preschool-age children (though a glossary is provided at the end for words like cambium, stomata, cotyledon, etc.).

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Pamela Hickman
Illustrator: Carolyn Gavin
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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While the text in Camouflage: The Hidden Lives of Autistic Women is probably comparable to a magazine article or blog post in length (and therefore is a very quick read), the illustrations fill out the information and help to humanize this topic. 

We get to hear from a few different autistic women about some of the challenges and differences that they face in life. There is also some information about the differences in the ways that autistic men and autistic women present their symptoms, which can lead to women being underdiagnosed. 

Despite its short length, I found it fairly informative and a good resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the gender differences in autistic people, and the lived experiences of autistic women.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Sarah Bargiela
Illustrator: Sophie Standing
Pages: 48
Content Advisory: The topic of dating and sex is discussed in a non-explicit way.

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