Science

Science Friday

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Honeybird Blue by Taunya English, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa (HarperCollins, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Honeybird and Pop get up before the sun to head into the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia for a day of birding. Honeybird has a list of birds by color that she hopes to see, and she’s sure today will be the day that she finally sees Blue: the great blue heron, who has skinny legs and a topknot just like her. Off they go, and as the day progresses, they see Yellow (yellowthroats), Green (mallards), Grey (woodpeckers), Black (blackbirds), Brown (geese)…but no Blue. Pop reminds Honeybird that “birding is seeing what you see,” but she’s still disappointed as they head back to the car. Right before they go, they gather in a circle with other birders, each one naming a favorite bird (“Honeybird,” says Pop). Just as they pose for a photo…there’s Blue! Flying in the sky, then landing nearby so that Honeybird gets a good look and makes the last tick on her list. Includes a birding glossary as well as pictures and additional information about all the birds in the book, including the honeybird.

This lovely book with illustrations by Coretta Scott King Honoree Figueroa is an excellent introduction to birding with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable main character. It would also make a nice Father’s Day gift and might inspire a father-child outing into nature.

Hooray for My Brain! by Paul Meisel (Holiday House, 32 pages, grades K-4). “Look at us!” two kids call from the first page. “We can run! We can read and play the drums! We can jump and draw and throw and talk!” And it’s all thanks to their brains. They then get into the details, introducing readers to the way the brain connects to the spinal cord and nerves to allow our bodies to do so many amazing things. Information on the structure of the brain shows which lobes are responsible for which bodily functions. Glands located in the brain–the pituitary and the hypothalamus–are described. “Hooray for my brain!” the narrators say in unison as they ride their bikes off the last page. Includes a glossary.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Honoree has created a science book that’s accessible for younger readers but doesn’t shy away from challenging vocabulary and complex concepts. The illustrations play a big role in providing clarity, and showing the two kids on many of the pages helps readers understand how different parts of the brain make different activities possible. Kids may want to do additional research on some of the concepts introduced, and a list of resources would have made a nice addition.

Science, art, and nature

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Reaching Across the Sky: A Celebration of Bridges by Christy Hale (Christy Ottaviano Books, 48 pages, grades 2-6). The author’s note introduces readers to bridges, not only as structures that help people travel across gaps, but also as both real and symbolic ways to connect people and communities. She then looks at more than 100 bridges around the world, dividing them by categories on two-page spreads: “Bridges span obstacles,” “Bridges join places,” “Bridges take people where they need to go,” etc. Each spread shows one, two, three, or more bridges that illustrate this concept, along with a sentence or two of additional information about each one. She also looks at how human bridge builders have been inspired by nature, whether it’s a fallen tree, a stone arch, or a spider web. There are fourteen pages of back matter, giving extensive additional information about bridges with more real-life illustrations, as well as a glossary, and resources for learning more.

This book really has something for everyone, from kindergarteners to older students studying engineering or physics. The gorgeous collage illustrations made me want to visit many of the bridges shown. I confess I didn’t wade through all the back matter, but it would be a great starting place for kids engaged in bridge building projects.

Kaleidoscope of Hope: How Butterfly Life Cycles Reflect Our World by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Hari and Deepti (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, grades K-4). The collective noun for butterflies is kaleidoscope–as I learned on the first page of this book–and kaleidoscopes are used not only to show the brilliant patterns of butterflies’ wings, but to explain the various stages of the butterfly life cycle. Eggs are a kaleidoscope of hope, caterpillars are a kaleidoscope of growth, and metamorphosis is a kaleidoscope of change. Each stage is introduced with a two-page spread that includes a few sentences and illustrations. Turn the page for more detailed information about that stage, along with gorgeous kaleidoscopes of eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, etc. The final two sections (A Kaleidoscope of Nothing? and A Kaleidoscope of Action) discuss threats to butterfly populations, as well as actions kids can take to welcome butterflies to their yards. Includes a note from the author about the hundreds of butterflies she and her family have raised, instructions for making a butterfly puddle, a note from the artists about how they created the illustrations, and a list of sources.

The more I examined this book, the more impressed I was with every aspect of it. Not only does it introduce the butterfly life cycle in ways that will be understandable to younger kids, but it gives additional information for those wanting to take a deeper dive. The paper sculpture illustrations by husband-and-wife team Hari and Deepti are unique and gorgeous, particularly the kaleidoscope ones, and I’m glad they got to show how they created them in the illustrators’ note.

Under the sea

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The Secret World of Seahorses by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Lou Baker-Smith (Candlewick, 32 pages, grades K-4). This straightforward introduction to seahorses includes information on eating, mating, reproduction, and body structure. Human activity endangers millions of seahorses–76 million are caught every year and turned into lucky charms, key rings, teas, and tonics. Three projects to save seahorses around the world are described, in Malaysia, Cambodia, and England. Additional information about seahorses and climate change is given at the end.

This would make a great nonfiction companion to Eric Carle’s Mister Seahorse, offering more information about different aspects of seahorses that are touched on in that book. The mixed media illustrations with a wide color palette do a beautiful job of portraying underwater scenes. While Nicola Davies doesn’t shy away from describing human dangers to seahorses, the specific projects to save them add an upbeat note.

If You Went to the Bottom of the Ocean by Brooke McIntyre, illustrated by Gordy Wright (Chronicle Books, 50 pages, grades 1-5). Follow a submersible as it heads out into the ocean, then dives down, down, down. In the sunlight zone, there’s still plenty of light and life, but as you head through the twilight zone and the midnight zone, there is less and less of both. It gets colder and darker, with the weight of the water pressing down harder. Finally, 3.5 miles down, you’ll reach the floor of the ocean…but there are still more depths to explore. The Mariana Trench is another 3 miles deeper, and if you reach the bottom, you’ll be in a place few other humans have ever seen. Includes additional information about the layers of the ocean, their geography, and milestones in human exploration.

Both the writing and the illustrations do an amazing job of conveying the vastness and wonder of the ocean depths. The illustrations grow darker and darker, illuminated by the bioluminescent creatures that live there. The back matter adds interesting information and may inspire readers to dream about traveling to a part of Earth that is still 90% unexplored.

Ocean animals

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The Octopus by Guojing (Two Lions, 48 pages, ages 4-8). A little girl and her mother are walking on the beach when they find a tiny octopus caught in some plastic rings. The girl carefully frees the octopus, then lets it go in the ocean. To repay her kindness, the creature uses a shell pendant around her neck to create magic that shrinks her down to its own size. Together they go on a magical journey through the sea, swimming with all kinds of marine animals and hiding together in scallop shells. When a sea turtle swims head first into a plastic bag, the girl frees it, then takes the bag back with her when she returns home. Back on the beach with her mom, she discards the bag and other trash she’s found into the proper receptacles, then shares her amazing story with her mother while they watch a beautiful beach sunset together. Includes an author’s note with additional information about keeping beaches clean and treating animals with respect, as well as some fun facts about octopuses.

The luminous illustrations tell the story in this wordless picture book that also imparts a lesson about taking care of the environment. Kids will be enraptured by the adorable octopus and the magical underwater scenes.

The Secrets of the Jellies: Amazing Jellyfish and Their Surprising Talents by Karen Jameson, illustrated by Marie Hermansson (Chronicle Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Inspired by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s jellyfish exhibit and live Jelly Cam, this book introduces kids to jellyfish with rhyming text and colorful illustrations portraying a variety of species that sometimes seems to glow in their marine habitat. A sentence or two on each page gives a fact about jellyfish, all of which are elaborated on in a page-by-page guide at the end. There are also thumbnail illustrations and additional information about 22 different jellyfish.

Readers will want to hop on a plane to California to see what must be a truly spectacular exhibit at the Monterey Aquarium. The book is written and illustrated in a way that will appeal to very young readers, but the additional information in the back makes it a good choice for older kids too. The only thing missing was a list of resources for further research.

The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story: a book to read from front to back and back to front by Kate Messner, illustrated by Brian Biggs (Clarion Books, 40 pages, ages 4-9). A whale and an otter stand at a microphone, each one prepared to make the case about why its species is the best. Starting on the first page, the whale explains the superior ways that whales hunt, communicate, swim, and help the environment, with disparaging remarks about otters sprinkled throughout. The last page tells readers to start on the last page and read the book backwards. In this version, the exact same words are used by the otter to make the case that otters are better than whales. The author’s note explains how words can be used to create misinformation and encourages readers to consider a speaker or writer’s point of view learning something new. There’s also additional information about whales and otters, with a list of books for further reading.

This very clever book is written like Marilyn Singer’s reveso poetry, making it fun to read but also a good exercise in thinking about how the same words can be used to present points of view that are completely opposite. The illustrations are cute, with lots of humor, although I personally prefer a greater variety of colors than the mostly turquoise and black.

Back to nature

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Just One Oak: What a Single Tree Can Be by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Diane Sudyka (Beach Lane Books, 48 pages, ages 4-9). What can one oak be? A home for all kinds of animals in all seasons, from its roots to its leaves. A provider of nutritious food, with the millions of acorns it produces over its life time. A climate regulator, slowing winds in the winter and giving shade in the summer. A single oak tree “is beautiful and bountiful to all.” Includes additional information and resources, ways to help oak trees, and an illustration of the oak’s life cycle.

The main narrative of this beautifully illustrated book tells the many amazing things an oak tree provides, while the smaller blocks of text give additional details. The information is fascinating, and this would make a great book for Earth Day as well as for any environmental educational program wanting to highlight the impact of a single tree on many areas of the ecosystem.

When the Sun Goes Down by Greg Pizzoli (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, ages 2-5). “Where do you go when the sun goes down?” This question is posed to creatures who live outside (a butterfly, an ant, and a bird), to a couple of indoor pets (fish and cat), and finally, to a child getting ready for bed. Does she go under a leaf like a butterfly? In the dirt like an ant? Curled up in a chair like a cat? No! She goes to bed, to sleep safe and sound. Good night.

Greg Pizzoli keeps cranking out fun and entertaining books for the youngest readers that they’ll be able to read along with sooner rather than later–a deceptively simple art form! This time he’s created a lovely bedtime story that slowly moves from the outside world to the inside, and finally into bed. You can pair it up with another Greg Pizzoli bedtime story, Good Night Owl. Both have nice touches of humor to make an easy transition to sleep.

How does your garden grow?

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The Weedy Garden: A Happy Habitat for Wild Friends by Margaret Renkl, illustrated by Billy Renkl (Greenwillow Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Fifteen animals plus one child enjoy a wildflower garden in all different ways: “If you’re a bumble-bee in the weedy garden, you carry grains of pollen from blossom to bloom. You’re a seed-maker dusted with magic. You’re a flower farmer dressed in gold.” Each spread contains a detailed illustration of the garden from that particular animal’s viewpoint. The child on the last page sits still in the garden, surrounded by all the creatures and observing the natural world. Includes additional information about the animals, information about planting a garden or a container garden that will attract wildlife, and a note from the illustrator about creating collage illustrations.

This is a great introduction to creating a wildlife garden that will get kids excited about seeing what kinds of animals might visit. The illustrations are rich and textured, and readers will have fun finding the animals in each one and seeing what they do in the garden. I loved the illustrator’s note, which presents the idea of creating mythical animals with collage, which would make a nice extension art project. Fifteen animals felt like a lot, and younger kids may need a few sittings to get through the whole book.

Growing Together by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Paola Escobar (HarperCollins, 32 pages, ages 4-8). A girl tells her small sunflower plant that its “new home is waiting,” and off they go to a busy community garden. They see friends and neighbors digging, weeding, composting, and watering to create colorful, tasty gardens. A variety of vegetables is introduced, along with herbs, and flowers, which not only add beauty but bring pollinators to the garden. At the end of the book, a table is set and spread with the bounty from the garden for everyone to feast on together in a joyful celebration. Includes a page showing what was grown in the garden with illustrations and a sentence or two of information.

The bouncing, rhyming text and busy, colorful illustrations introduce a wide variety of garden terms and products that will have kids begging to go outside and dig in the dirt.

Happy Spring!

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Is It Spring? by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books, 32 pages, ages 3-6). The titular question is answered in the affirmative by the flowers, buds, and birds. The wind, sleepy animals, and gray clouds have a more ambiguous “not yet” reply, while the response is a definite no from the late snow. “Will it ever be spring?” we wonder after such a storm, and the sun says, “Yes, yes, yes!” as animals awaken, snow melts, and flowers bloom.

This is a great book for preschoolers curious about the changing seasons and does a good job of capturing the feelings we in the north feel as a 75-degree sunny day gives way to a 32-degree one with snow squalls (to give an example from a recent week in New England). This did kind of make me question if we need another Kevin Henkes book about spring and hope that he is putting his considerable talents into some different projects.

Goldfinches by Mary Oliver, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Viking Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, grades K-5). This Mary Oliver poem celebrates goldfinches and thistle, and how the birds use the thistle down every year to line their nests before laying their eggs. The book itself is also an ode to being in nature and careful observations, with the collage illustrations portraying a woman–maybe Mary Oliver or Melissa Sweet–hiking through meadows and woods with a notebook and pencil in her hand. The birds are also shown, flying and nesting, and facts about the finches and the thistle are worked into the illustrations. Includes a one-page version of the poem, a list of birds handwritten by Mary Oliver, and a lengthy note from Melissa Sweet with additional information about Oliver and how this poem inspired Sweet to create this book.

I’m a little burned out on Mary Oliver quotes, so I almost gave this book a pass, but then I saw it was illustrated by Melissa Sweet. I’m glad I reconsidered, because it’s a real work of art and would make an excellent introduction to poetry (National Poetry Month will be here before you know it!). Take your time with it to savor both the words and the pictures. It might get you or other readers outside to be inspired by nature.

Safety in numbers

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The Big Book of Pi: The Famous Number You Can Never Know by Anita Lehmann and Jean-Baptiste Aubin, illustrated by Joonas Sildre (Helvetiq, 88 pages, grades 4 and up). Divide the circumference of a circle by its diameter, and the answer will always be the same: an irrational number beginning with the digits 3.14. Medieval mathematicians called this number “the quantity which when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference” (only in Latin), but thankfully, an 18th century Welsh mathematician named William Jones changed the name to pi or π, as we like to say in Greek. But enough history, how about some cool pi tricks? Did you know that you can find your six-digit birthdate somewhere in pi’s digits (mine starts at the 172,406th decimal place. Don’t worry, I googled it.). Oh, and there are jokes: what do you get when a bunch of sheep stand in a circle? Shepherd’s pi. The final pages explains how little we still know about pi, despite advances in computer calculations, and reminds readers to stay curious and open-minded about learning about pi and other phenomena. Includes a glossary and a QR code for an educator’s guide.

Well, this was fun! I never expected a book about pi to be even a fraction this entertaining, but the chatty text, comic-style illustrations, and cool activities drew me in from the first page. Some of the math activities required a little too much brain power for me to pursue, but this only proves the wide range of readers that will find something to love about this book. Math teachers from grades 4 through high school (and beyond, really) will want to get their hands on this to add some engaging history and activities to classes.

Twelve Daring Grays: A Whale Migration Adventure by Nora Nickum, illustrated by Elly McKay (Candlewick, 32 pages, grades 1-4). As a pod of 20,000 gray whales migrate from Baja California to the Arctic, a dozen of them make a detour to the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington. There they risk getting stranded in the shallow waters to feast on the ghost shrimp that live in the mud along the bottom of the sea. Since the whales eat almost nothing during their migration, this stop allows them to gain strength. A few weeks later, they rejoin the rest of their pod whose final destination is the Arctic. They spend the summer there before heading back south where their calves will be born. Includes an author’s note about these gray whales known as the Sounders that has grown from a pair that was first spotted in 1990 to larger group in this book.

The whales in this beautiful book look like they are about to pop off the page in the three-dimensional illustrations that portray them swimming and eating in gorgeous blue and gray waters. Readers will be filled with wonder about this small group of whales and the risky but rewarding side trip they take from their migration.

A couple of how-to guides

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How to Have a Thought: A Walk With Charles Darwin by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Hadley Hooper (Neal Porter Books, 32 pages, grades 2-5). Start with some rocks, a stick, and a loop to walk. That’s all Charles Darwin needed for his walks. He would walk the loop and pile up the rocks to keep track of how many times he had gone around. And the whole time he walked, he was thinking. Thinking about what he had seen during his years traveling around the world on the Beagle: the fossil of a giant sloth, a flightless bird called a rhea (which he actually ate by accident), and the finches with subtly different beaks. As he walked and thought, Darwin slowly developed his ideas about natural selection. There have been many great walkers–William Wordsworth, Albert Einstein, Virginia Woolf, to name a few–and you can be one of them too, with your stick, your rocks, and your ideas. Includes a four-page author’s note with additional information about Charles Darwin and walking, and a bibliography.

I’ve loved Nicholas Day’s longer works that combined science, art, and history using a tone that invites readers to share in his discoveries. He’s done it again, this time with a picture book that focuses on Charles Darwin’s walking, then weaves in all kinds of interesting information about his work on natural selection and evolution and ends by including readers with those who can walk and have great ideas.

How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction by Katy Doughty (MITeen Press, March 31, 2026, 256 pages, grades 9-12). How will humanity end? Pandemic, nuclear winter, climate change? Katy Doughty takes a look at the history and possibility of each catastrophe in a way that is serious, yet optimistic enough to conjure up the will to keep going. Each chapter includes an “Ask an Expert” section in which a scholar of that particular topic weighs in. The final chapter, “The End?” is a brief but inspiring meditation on the courage required to face the possibilities of humanity ending and to look for your own role in possibly changing some of those outcomes. Includes a list for further reading, source notes, and a bibliography.

When this book arrived in the mail for a preview, I felt some existential dread at opening the front cover, but I forced myself to read the first chapter (Plagues and Pandemics), and was pleasantly surprised by how interesting and thought-provoking it was, with the illustrations making it a pretty quick and engaging read. The end of humanity may lurk at the back (or front) of all our minds, and teenagers experiencing this angst for the first time will find some interesting and hopefully inspiring reading here.

Superhero graphic novels

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Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy (Nosy Crow, 160 pages, grades 2-5). Inspired by her scientist parents, Nova has created a secret lab that she accesses through her bedroom. After learning about islands of plastic trash floating in the ocean, Nova sets out to create a plastic-eating creature. The key to success turns out to be her teenage sister’s discarded wad of gum, and before long Nova has made an adorable pink monster named Chomp. Unfortunately, Chomp has a voracious appetite for plastic and an unfortunate propensity to grow quickly when he eats. Soon he’s threatening to consume the entire town, and Nova has to act quickly–and to reluctantly call on her sister for help. The two of them find an ingenious solution, shrinking Chomp to a more manageable size and convincing the adults to find a home for him on one of those plastic islands. Includes an author’s note on the science behind the story, some drawing tips, and a preview of the next Nova book.

This cute story is a quick read and would be a good point of entry for beginning readers to try out a full-length graphic novel. Nova’s larger-than-life adventures bring to mind TV cartoons, with the science occasionally feeling a bit like a magic trick, but she’s a spunky and resourceful protagonist who serves as a good role model for girls (and boys) who are interested in science.

Sidekicks: Thick as Thieves by Dan Santat (Graphix, 208 pages, grades 3-7). I’m a little confused about this series: a book called Sidekicks by Dan Santat was published in 2011, but it looks like it was reissued as book 1 in a series last year. Book 2 is due to be released in the first week of 2026. When Scholastic offered to send me both books, I readily agreed, read both of them, and feel pretty sure this will be a hit series. The sidekicks are the pets of aging superhero Harry Blake, aka Captain Amazing. Each one has a superpower, but also a flaw or two, and part of the fun is watching both the people and the animals mess up.

In book 2, Harry and his older sister head off for a crochet convention as part of Harry’s attempt at retirement. While they’re away, chameleon Shifty’s older brother Whipley shows up. The two brothers were close at one point, but now the other pets–Manny the cat, Roscoe the dog, and Fluffy the hamster–are suspicious of Whipley’s intentions. Is he really there to reconnect with Shifty, or is he a spy working to bring down Captain Amazing? When Shifty leaves with Whipley, the other sidekicks go after him, and they wind up in an epic showdown right in the middle of the crochet convention. The good guys win for now, but readers are encouraged to stay tuned for two more upcoming installments. The fast-paced plot, constant humor, and Dan Santat’s incredible artwork will definitely appeal to fans of Dog Man and Bad Guys.