Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  A young girl observes a puddle throughout the year.  Spring brings tadpoles, turtles, and plants growing near the edges.  Squirrels cool off in the summer heat, which also causes the puddle to shrink.  There’s still enough water for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, and when they hatch, bats swoop in to eat them.  Deer stop by for a drink as the puddle fills up with falling leaves.  Finally, it ices over, and the girl bids it farewell until spring comes again.  Includes an author’s note about the real puddle on which the story is based; additional puddle facts and directions for making your own puddle; a list of the animals in the book and how to find signs of them; a glossary; and a list of additional resources.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Who would have thought the humble puddle could draw such a wide variety of wildlife?  This book is perfect for giving young naturalists an introduction to animals they can observe in their own backyards, and the back matter can lead them to further explorations.

Cons:  I got a little nervous there in midsummer that the puddle was going to disappear.

Published by HarperCollins

Summary:  This book presents a straightforward look at what a pandemic is, with a brief history of past pandemics and an introduction to Covid 19.  There’s a quick look back at the development of vaccines and antibiotics and precautions that were taken in our current pandemic before a vaccine was developed.  The book ends on an optimistic note: “Everyone who wore a mask or washed their hands or stayed home until it was safe helped bring about the day when the pandemic was over at last.”  Includes a glossary, hand washing instructions, and a timeline of past pandemics.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out series continues to do what it’s done well for the last 60 years: present science in a clear and understandable way to preschool and early elementary students.  At least that’s their target audience: I feel like by now I should know the difference between an outbreak, an epidemic, and a pandemic, but I learned that from reading this book.

Cons:  I wasn’t crazy about the small font.

Published by Crown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  While Neil Armstrong was dreaming of flight from his boyhood home in Ohio, a rock was hanging out on the moon, where it had lived for the last four billion years.  Young Neil learned how the moon had been formed when a small planet crashed into Earth, and how rocks were created at the end of the turbulent early time of the moon’s history.  As the years went by, different creatures came and went from the Earth, and eventually humans appeared.  The ancient rock slept through most of human history, but when Neil Armstrong finally traveled to the moon, he picked up the rock and brought it back to Earth.  Neil named the rock Bok, and it now rests in the Cincinnati Museum Center.  Includes additional information about the moon, the Earth, and Neil Armstrong’s journey to the moon.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Kids interested in space exploration, geology, and/or paleontology will get a taste of all of these in this whirlwind tour of the moon and Earth.  Armstrong’s personal connection with the moon and Bok makes the scientific facts even more interesting.

Cons:  Covering five billion years in a picture book means a pretty sketchy history and there are no resources given for additional research.

Published by Tilbury House Publishers

Summary:  A tiny egg sinks deep into the ocean.  As the days pass it changes shape, growing spines, eyes, and a mouth.  In four weeks, the organism travels almost two miles from the depths of the sea to the surface.  Finally, it is a full-grown krill, with 26 legs and spots that can light up.  There are millions and millions of other krill, and it’s a good thing because they provide food for all kinds of animals like seabirds, penguins, and the gigantic blue whale.  Includes additional facts about krill and a list of resources: books, websites, and a National Geographic game called Krill Smackdown.  36 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  It seems like it would take considerable creative energy to write an engaging story about an animal whose main purpose in life is to be eaten, and to illustrate it with a cute and endearing krill, but this team has pulled it off.  The additional material at the end makes it a good research resource and emphasizes the important role krill plays in food chains around the world.

Cons:  Kids may need to be persuaded that they really want to read a book about krill.

Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Look: you might see a bushy tail or a flash of orange.  Listen: a soft pad of paws.  A fox travels through the snow, hunting for food to take back to its den, where three cubs wait.  As the cubs get bigger, they go out on hunting expeditions, too.  On one trip, the fox is hit by a car and dies by the side of the road.  The cubs return home and are seen walking by the fox’s body as it slowly starts to decompose.  Birds and insects feed on the body, and insects lay their eggs there.  “Life is everywhere.  Death is not just an end but a beginning.”  Includes additional information on death, decomposition, and the cycle of life.  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  This beautiful book looks at death and decomposition from a scientific viewpoint, part of the cycle that allows new life to grow and flourish.  It doesn’t deal with grief (the young foxes seem unfazed by the death of their parent) but shows readers the natural process of death.

Cons:  Readers who may not have picked up on the foreshadowing of the “circle of life” subtitle may be shocked and dismayed by the death of the fox.  This is definitely a book to share and discuss one-on-one.

Published by Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Summary:  Michael Emberley traces the journey of a text message from one phone to another, starting with the formation of the message in the brain, then traveling through the fingers to the phone’s glass.  Next, the signal travels to a cell tower, then on through underground cables that travel deep into the ocean.  Eventually (I’m skipping over a few steps here) the message arrives at the recipient’s phone and is received by her eyes and brain.  Although emotions can’t travel via text, the message can trigger an emotion, in this case love as a mother and child exchange messages when the mom is away on a trip.  Includes additional information and resources (which are printed on the back endpapers…grrr!).  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Kudos to Michael Embereley for taking an incredibly complex process that most of us take for granted and making it interesting and understandable.  Both kids and adults will learn a lot from this introduction and the back matter adds much more.

Cons:  I definitely didn’t follow the whole process. My mind is still blown, though.