Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  When an Argentinian gaucho told museum staff that he had found a dinosaur bone much larger than the one they had on display, paleontologists Jose Luis Carballido and Diego Pol wanted to investigate.  They visited the ranch and found out the gaucho was right–he had discovered a dinosaur bone bigger than any previously discovered. The two paleontologists assembled a team and began excavating the fossils.  They eventually were able to estimate the size of the dinosaur, which would have weighed in at seventy tons. Over 100 bones were found, belonging to several dinosaurs.  The team had to work around the clock to uncover them all before cold weather set in, which could damage the fossils. When the titanosaur’s skeleton was finally assembled, it was 122 feet long and almost 26.5 feet tall, making it the largest ever found…for now.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Dinosaur enthusiasts will be blown away by this gigantic dinosaur, and the work it took to dig up and assemble.  The illustrations and photographs add a lot of information, and make a paleontology career look like a very fun adventure.

Cons:  Some back matter would have added a lot; for instance, I couldn’t find any dates for when the expedition took place or the name of the museum where the skeleton is now on display.

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Similar in format to Steve Jenkins’ The Beetle Book, this book provides information on frogs’ diets, habitats, defenses, and reproduction.  There’s a page about extreme frogs (smallest, largest, most poisonous, etc.), and another on the endangered status of frogs around the world.  You can also learn the differences between a frog and a toad and a little bit about other amphibians. The last two pages have a table showing all the frogs in the book, with their body lengths, diets, and where in the world they can be found.  Includes lists of books and websites for further information. 40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  There’s a wealth of information that would come in handy for any kind of frog research or report-writing.  The format is inviting, with beautiful cut paper illustrations, and small sections of text with the kinds of interesting facts kids love.

Cons:  I wasn’t a huge fan of the tiny font.  Also, a table of contents or list of the sections in the book would have been helpful.

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Published by Scholastic Press

Summary:  As he did in his book A Drop of Water, Walter Wick gives a straightforward explanation about different aspects of light, all illustrated with his own photographs.  A variety of topics dealing with light are included, such as the color spectrum, iridescence, light waves, and incandescence. The text and photos present information in easy-to-understand formats, such as showing a ball attached to a rod vibrating at varying speeds in the water to demonstrate differences in wavelengths as a function of vibration speed.  There aren’t any activities or experiments, but several of the pages have information that would easily lend themselves to either one. The final two pages include notes on each topic, with extra details offered “for the benefit of the more advanced or curious readers”. 40 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  This visually appealing book will grab the attention of kids interested in STEM.  The clear explanations provide an excellent introduction to the topic, and the photographs lend themselves well to the text.

Cons:  There’s no table of contents, glossary, index, or list of additional resources.

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