Published by National Geographic Children’s Books

Summary:  Shortly after his birth, Little Larry was injured in an accident and rescued by humans.  His caregivers taught him some rudimentary chimpanzee skills, but he didn’t hang out with other chimps until he was eight months old.  He got along well with his playmates, but seemed to be afraid to climb trees. After months of watching the others climb, Larry slowly started to explore, first on vines close to the ground, then eventually high into the trees.  After graduating from his forest school, Larry was released into a chimpanzee sanctuary in Cameroon where he still lives today. Includes tips on speaking chimpanzee, sources of more information, additional facts; and an author’s note about the endangered status of chimpanzees.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Larry’s story is short and simple, but the photographs of him and his playmates are irresistible.  Facts about chimps’ diet, behavior, and communication are woven into the narrative, and the information at the end provides lots of other places to go for more research.

Cons:  There was very little information on Larry’s caregivers or the sanctuary where he lived.

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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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Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  “Every spring, across the land…Seeds sprout.  Stems pop out.  Bloom boom!” This book celebrates plants as they grow and blossom.  The large, close-up photos show all kinds of flowers, as well as leaves, bulbs, and an occasional animal (caterpillar, bee, lizard).  The phrase “Bloom boom!” is repeated as blossoming flowers are shown in a variety of habitats.  There are several pages of back matter, including information about flowers organized by habitat; additional resources; and thumbnail photos of each page in the book with further information about the plants and animals pictured.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  April Pulley Sayre has produced another beautiful and informative science book for preschoolers on up.  Keep it in mind for a spring read-aloud.  The additional resources and information at the end make it a valuable resource for older kids.

Cons:  I found “Bloom boom” to be a little bit of a tongue-twister.

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Published by Greenwillow Books

Summary:  A polar bear explains how she uses the sea ice to travel and to hunt.  As summer ends, the ice has thinned, and she spends more time swimming.  For much of the story, she is trying to reach land, which entails a long swim past other Arctic creatures like narwhals, walruses, and a whale.  Finally, after an exhausting three-day swim, she reaches land, where she will eat kelp and wait for the ice to thicken again so she can hunt seals.  Includes a page of information on sea ice, polar bears, and the implications of global warming; as well as a page describing some of the other animals shown in the book.  48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The lovely watercolor and ink illustrations perfectly capture the blues and whites of the Arctic, and the spare text introduces a lot of information about the polar bear.

Cons:  The global warming aspect makes it a sad story.

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  Are we alone in the universe?  Going back to ancient astronomers, this book quickly traces the history of what humans have learned about the place of Earth in the galaxy.  It then details how scientists are looking for a “just right” planet–not too big, not too small, not too hot, not too cold–that might support life.  Huge telescopes sitting on mountaintops or floating through space gather information on stars and the exoplanets around them. The illustrations show a girl and her family visiting a planetarium, then getting her her own telescope as she learns about the universe.  The last several pages speculate on what life on other planets might be like, and how we might communicate with those life forms. Includes a page of additional information; a bibliography; books and websites with additional information; and a timeline of space exploration on the front and back endpapers.  48 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  Packed with scientific information, the author does a great job of making a complicated topic accessible to elementary kids; the illustrations of the girl and her family help make it kid-friendly as well.

Cons:  Some of the information was a bit over my head…but readers will still find something interesting, even if they don’t understand it all.

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