Science

Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Scott Magoon

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Orchard Books

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Summary:  A crew of underwater creatures is interviewing Shark to present fun facts to the folks watching back home.  Shark keeps getting doing shark-ish things, like eating a baby seal or going after a human who has a cut on his knee. When caught, he always has an excuse: “I was just helping her find her family!” “I brought boo-boo strips!”  Interspersed with the hi-jinks are some actual facts about sharks. Shark feels so misunderstood that he needs a hug; the squid broadcaster provides one, but then gets eaten…or is Shark really just playing hide and seek? The show signs off with a voice from inside Shark’s stomach.  48 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Who wouldn’t love a goofy shark story?  There will be plenty of laughs in the audience, both from the text and the illustrations.

Cons:  I can’t help being a bit disturbed by the ending.

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A Round of Robins by Katie Hesterman, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

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Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

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Summary: A male and female robin build a nest; before long, there are four eggs inside. Twelve days later, the babies hatch. After a period of mostly sleeping and eating, the fledglings are ready to fly. They learn to find their own food and defend themselves, and before long, Mom and Dad have an empty nest. Not for long, though; the mother lays four more eggs, and twelve days later….40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros: The first part of a robin’s life cycle is described with playful rhymes and cute illustrations that reminded me of P. D. Eastman’s The Best Nest and Are You My Mother?

Cons: Some back matter would have helped explain some of the poems and made this more useful as an informational book.

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They Lost Their Heads: What Happened to Washington’s Teeth, Einstein’s Brain, and Other Famous Body Parts by Carlyn Beccia

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Published by Bloomsbury

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Summary:  17 chapters recount the fates of the body parts in the title, as well as Sarah Bernhardt’s leg, Vincent Van Gogh’s ear, Elvis’s wart, and more.  Each chapter is followed by several more short tales of relevant anatomy.  20+ pages between the last two chapters go into greater detail about cloning, stealing body parts, and some pretty disgusting food and beverage trivia.  The writing is breezy and irreverent, with lots of humorous footnotes, and there are plenty of illustrations throughout.  Includes an extensive bibliography and index.  192 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  The humor targets the age group perfectly; readers will enjoy grossing out their peers and elders while inadvertently learning some history and science.  The black and white etchings reminded me a little bit of Edward Gorey’s art.

Cons:  Some of the stories, particularly those involving ingesting body parts and fluids, were a little over the top for me.  But then, I am not a 12-year-old boy.

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The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow by Jan Thornhill

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Groundwood Books

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Summary:  As she did in The Tragic Tale of the Great Auk, Jan Thornhill tells the story of the interaction between birds and humans.  This one has a happier ending, though, as house sparrows have proven to be incredibly adaptable, often becoming pests that feed on agricultural grains.  The birds have spread around the globe with humans, traveling on ships with Roman soldiers to Great Britain and being introduced to the United States by homesick immigrants.  Despite their peskiness, sparrows also eat a lot of insects, as Chairman Mao discovered in 1958; his campaign against the Eurasian Tree sparrows led to a devastating famine in China. In the early 1980’s, the population of sparrows began to fall, and the author offers several theories–all of them based on human factors–for this decline.  In some places, this is starting to level off, offering hope that the house sparrow’s adaptability is helping it to survive in a changing world. Includes a map showing where the house sparrow lives; its life cycle; a glossary; and additional resources. 44 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Beautifully illustrated and engagingly narrated, this informational book will help students learn more about animal adaptation and the relationship that exists between humans and animal species.

Cons:  I’ve always thought sparrows were kind of cute, and didn’t realize they are considered “the most despised bird in human history.”

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Baby Animals Moving by Suzi Eszterhas

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Published by Owlkids

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Summary:  Young animals are shown on the move.  Some, like the zebra, can move independently practically at birth, while others, like kangaroos, get a ride with parents.  Each two page spread shows one or two animals moving with their parents, and includes a sentence or two of text describing what’s going on.  Suzi Eszterhas introduces herself on the last two pages, showing additional photographs taken for this book, and explaining a bit about her work as a wildlife photographer.  24 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Another work of almost unbearable cuteness by Suzi Eszterhas.  Kids will love looking at the pictures, and the text is accessible for preschoolers.  Look for other books in this series: Baby Animals Eating and Baby Animals Playing.

Cons:  There’s not a lot of information if readers are doing any kind of research.

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Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez, illustrated by Felicita Sala

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Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

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Summary:  From the time she was a young girl, Joan Procter loved reptiles.  Instead of a doll, she carried around her favorite lizard, and she got a pet crocodile for her 16th birthday.  She started hanging out with the curator of reptiles and fish at the Natural History Museum when she was still in high school. He was impressed enough to hire Joan as his assistant, and she eventually took over his job when he retired.  From there, she went to work at the London Zoo, designing a new reptile house. The most amazing part of her new creation was the exhibit featuring Komodo dragons, a fabled but little-known animal from Indonesia.  People assumed they were ferocious, but Joan soon learned they were quite gentle, and one of them, Sumbawa, became something of a pet to her. He often accompanied her around the zoo, at children’s tea parties she held there, and even at a scientific presentation at the Zoological Society in London.  An author’s note gives more biographical information, including the sad fact that Joan was sickly much of her life and died at the age of 34. 40 pages; grades K-4.

Pros:  Kids will warm up right away to Joan and her love of animals; they’ll also be inspired by her groundbreaking work as a woman scientist.  The illustrations are beautiful, especially the ones of the reptiles.  And who doesn’t love a Komodo dragon?

Cons:  Hopefully no reader will be inspired to bring a baby crocodile to math class, like Joan did.

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Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum

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Published by Candlewick

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Summary:  In a first-person narration, the Mars rover Curiosity tells her story, beginning before she was built, when scientists at NASA started designing probes to learn more about Mars.  Curiosity (she was named by a sixth grader from Kansas) was to be larger and more advanced than any of the previous probes.  Labeled illustrations show the processes of designing and building her in Los Angeles, then flying her to Florida, where she was launched on November 26, 2011.  After 253 days of space travel and a somewhat precarious landing, Curiosity began the work of exploring Mars that she continues today.  Includes additional information about Mars rovers, a timeline, and a glossary.  56 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  The personification of the rover makes it accessible for elementary school kids; the text, illustrations, and labeled diagrams provide a lot of information.

Cons:  Two design issues: the book is so large it feels a bit unwieldy, and some of the black-on-blue or blue-on-black type/background combinations are difficult to read.

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In the Past by David Elliott, illustrated by Matthew Trueman

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Published by Candlewick

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Summary:  Twenty poems are illustrated with oversized paintings of a variety of prehistoric creatures from the trilobite (“So many of you./So long ago./So much above you./Little below.”) to Tyrannosaurus Rex.  (You thought/(if you could think)/you’d live forever./The great T. rex/would never die!/But even kings/are vanquished/when stars fall/from the sky.”).  Early mammals like the smilodon (a.k.a. Saber-tooth tiger) and mammoth are included.  Each illustration is labeled with the geological period when that animal lived.  Back matter includes a note from the author and information about the animals that inspired the poems. 48 pages; ages 3-8.

Pros:  Dinosaur fans will love the giant (and appropriately ferocious) illustrations as well as the brief, funny poems.

Cons:  Additional scientific information on each page would have made some of the poems more understandable.

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The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

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Summary:  Maria Merian faced some tough obstacles to studying science in the 17th century, not the least of which was the risk of being painfully executed for practicing witchcraft.  Fortunately, she had a supportive family who was pretty tolerant of her obsession with insects.  Her father was a printer and engraver; after he died, she had an artist stepfather.  Both included her in the family business, and Maria used her artistic skills to capture what she observed in nature.  She set about disproving the theory of spontaneous generation by studying the life cycles of as many moths and butterflies as she could.  As an adult she produced books of her subjects, usually in their natural habitats, making connections between plants and animals that few of her contemporaries observed.  In her 50’s, she traveled with her daughter to Suriname, where she was among the first European naturalists.  Her final masterpiece, an illustrated guide to the insects and plants she observed there, was well-received throughout Europe and influenced John James Audubon and other naturalists more than a century later.  Includes an author’s note, timeline, bibliography, and index.  160 pages; grades 5-8.

Pros:  A fascinating biography of a woman who was many centuries ahead of her time, balancing family and running a household with her art and science careers.  Her paintings and engravings throughout the book are almost unbelievably detailed and realistic.  Newbery poet Joyce Sidman named each chapter for a stage of a butterfly’s life and wrote an appropriate poem for each.

Cons:  While the book seems like it could appeal to third and fourth graders (only 120 pages of text and lots of pictures), the subject matter makes it more appropriate for grades 5-8.

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Rodent Rascals: From Tiny to Tremendous–21 Clever Creatures At Their Actual Size by Roxie Munro

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Published by Holiday House

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Summary:  Rats! A book about rodents? Yes, and there are rats…and lots of other rodents from the two-inch pygmy jerboa to the 150-pound capybary. Each animal is portrayed in actual size (or as much of it as can fit on a page) with a paragraph of text providing some interesting facts about it. An introductory page explains what makes an animal a rodent; two pages at the end provide researchers with the size, habitat, and scientific name of each creature. Includes a glossary, index, and additional resources. 40 pages; grades K-4.

Pros: Animal lovers as well as rodent-phobes (I just made up that word, but I kind of am one) will learn quite a bit and enjoy the large ink and acrylic illustrations.

Cons:  Is it accurate to have guinea pigs in this book? Back in the days when I was a guinea pig owner (technically, my children were the owners, but you know how that goes), I was told guinea pigs aren’t rodents.  There seems to be some controversy about this, and guinea pigs may be leaving the world of rodents for their own order, as rabbits did before them.

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