Science

High Tide for Horseshoe Crabs by Lisa Kahn Schnell, illustrated by Alan Marks

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Charlesbridge

Summary: Every spring, millions of horseshoe crabs flock to the shores of the Delaware Bay. As they have done since before the time of the dinosaurs, the crabs lay their eggs in the sand. Meanwhile, flocks of different types of birds make their way to these same shores as they migrate to the Arctic. They are hungry and weak on their arrival, and the horseshoe crab eggs are packed with fat and protein. They feast on the eggs, sometimes doubling their body size in just a few weeks. Many eggs remain, though, buried in the sand until the birds have continued on their way. Then, tiny crabs the size of ladybugs hatch and swim into the sea. People come from all over to watch and study this chapter in the lives of the horseshoe crabs and the birds. Grades K-4.

Pros: Having spent many summers in Cape May, New Jersey, I can remember finding the remains of horseshoe crabs on the beach. I never suspected the fascinating story behind these ancient looking creatures. This book makes science accessible to even the youngest students. The story is clearly written and beautifully illustrated, and the end material gives more interesting information. Readers will want to study the labeled drawings on the end papers.

Cons: I didn’t really understand the page that simply said, “It’s happening!” which seemed to connote an exciting event that wasn’t quite clear to me.

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey, foreword by Jane Goodall

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Published by National Geographic Children’s Books

 

Summary:  Many may be familiar with Jane Goodall, who is said to be the most recognized living scientist in the western world.  But her familiar story will still appeal to young readers, and it is particularly well told in this book.  It begins with her childhood in England, then covers her move to Kenya as a young woman, and her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees.  As she grew older, she became passionate about the conservation of chimpanzees and other animals around the globe.  Her organization, Roots and Shoots, provides opportunities for kids to get involved in the issues she is working on.  The final few pages offer facts about chimpanzees, a timeline of Goodall’s life, a family scrapbook of the chimps she studied, maps, and additional resources.

Pros:  The writing is engaging, the story fascinating, and photos of top National Geographic quality.

Cons:  The font is small throughout the text, and even smaller for photo captions.  The captions written in tiny lime green print on a white page are just ridiculous.

Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith, illustrated by Giuliano Ferri

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Published by Two Lions

Summary:  Back in the early 1900’s, an eccentric old man lived in a village in France.  His neighbors observed him squatting in the sun for hours to watch beetles, and marveled that he would pay children to gather dead moles and lizards to attract flies.  Imagine their surprise when a procession of cars arrived at their quiet village one day, and out of one of them stepped the President of France!  Turns out the old man was Jean-Henri Fabre, a scientist whose lifelong passion was studying insects.  Other scientists had written about dead insects from faraway places, but Fabre was more interested in the bugs he saw in the fields and woods around him.  He liked to study the live ones to learn about their behavior.  Then he wrote about them in books so beautiful that the President of France came to his house to let him know he had been nominated for a Nobel Prize in Literature.  While Fabre is little known today outside of France, his work influenced Darwin and inspired generations of naturalists.  Grades 2-5.

Pros:  This is an engaging biography of a little-known scientist, which includes a lot of interesting information about insects.  The illustrations capture the amazing creatures Fabre loved as well as his wide-eyed wonder of them throughout the nine decades of life.

Cons:  This is long for a picture book; probably best suited to older elementary students.

A Penguin Named Patience: A Hurricane Katrina Rescue Story by Suzanne Lewis, illustrated by Lisa Anchin

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Published by Sleeping Bear Press 

Summary:  When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2008 many of the animals at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas did not survive.  Patience was the oldest of a group of 19 penguins who were rescued and sent to the Monterey Aquarium in California.  This book tells the story from Patience’s perspective, from the day she senses something is wrong to the grand re-opening of the aquarium when the penguins strut down a purple carpet to the sound of “When the Saints Go Marching In”.  The author’s note at the end provides interesting additional information.  Grades K-4.

Pros:  This is a great introduction to Hurricane Katrina and ways that people across the country reached out to help the city of New Orleans.  The large, cheerful illustrations add an upbeat note.

Cons:  The story mentions 19 penguins, and the author’s note talks about a group of 18 penguins.

A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  Why is a nest noisy?  Because of the life being nurtured inside of it.  Nests are made of an almost infinite range of materials, from millions of interlocking army ants to the hardened saliva of a swiftlet (whose nest is used to make birds’ nest soup).  And nests aren’t just for birds.  Alligators, platypuses, orangutans, and others make nests, too.  Each two page spread has a statement about what a nest is (“A nest is neighborly”, “A nest is hidden”, etc.), followed by a paragraph or two explaining this statement, all gorgeously illustrated with exquisitely detailed watercolors.  The front endpapers show all the nests described in the book, and the back ones display all the animals that inhabit them.  Ages 5-10

Pros:  This award-winning team has produced beautiful nonfiction books about eggs, seeds, butterflies, and rocks.  The writing and illustrations ensure that readers will gain a wonder and appreciation of the world around them.

Cons:  There is a lot of information for younger readers.  They might appreciate this book more if read over several sessions rather than all at once.

Water Is Water by Miranda Paul, illustrations by Jason Chin

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Published by Roaring Brook Press

Summary:  “Drip. Sip. Pour me a cup. Water is water unless…it heats up.”  Each page has a rhyme to show a different form water can take—steam, clouds, rain, snow, etc.  The brief text is beautifully illustrated by incomparable nature artist Jason Chin.  Kids will connect with the brother and sister as they experience the different forms of water in their everyday lives.  End pages give a brief explanation of the stages of the water cycle, a comparison of what percent water different animals are (humans=65%), and resources for further reading.  Preschool-grade 2.

Pros:  A perfect pairing of text and pictures that will explain the water cycle to even the youngest reader.

Cons:  The title struck me as a bit inane, but it makes more sense when you read the book.

A Chicken Followed Me Home! Questions and Answers about a Familiar Fowl by Robin Page.

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Beach Lane Books

Summary:  Did you know there are approximately 19 billion chickens on earth?  Or that chicken can run as fast as the average human (9 miles per hour)?  Learn this and much more about everyone’s favorite fowl in this informational picture book.  Most of the text is in question-and-answer format, answering the narrator’s questions when a chicken follows her home.  What do I feed my chicken?  Will my chicken lay eggs?  How can I get the eggs to turn into more chickens?The answers are straightforward and brief, most just two or three sentences.  The large, simple illustrations are the perfect complement to the text.  The final two pages answer more chicken questions and provide additional resources.  Recommended for ages 4-9.

Pros:  This is the first solo effort by Robin Page, collaborator and wife of author/illustrator Steve Jenkins.  She has put together a near-perfect informational book, simple but packed with facts.  I didn’t realize exactly what I wanted to know about chickens, but Robin did, and she got all the answers just right.

Cons:   19 billion chickens running 9 miles per hour = a nightmare.

Up In the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal

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Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  A little girl and her grandmother plant a garden in spring, care for plants in the summer, and harvest in the fall.  While they watch what is happening up in the garden, there is plenty of activity down in the dirt.  Many animals make their homes in both places, some helpful to the garden plants and some harmful.  The last few pages list the sixteen animals pictured in the book and give a bit more information on their roles in the garden.

Pros:  This is a perfect beginning-of-summer book to take into the garden.  Readers will enjoy finding the different life forms pictured in the bold, beautiful illustrations.

Cons:  The picture of the garter snake about to chomp a grasshopper may give you nightmares.

Fire Birds: Valuing Natural Wildfires and Burned Forests by Sneed B. Collard III

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Published by Bucking Horse Books

Summary:  Sneed B. Collard takes the reader to forests after major fires to show how birds thrive in the burned trees.  For instance, certain woodpeckers are almost never found outside of burned forests.  The wood boring beetles that lay eggs in the trees provide food for them, and the trees are perfect for the birds to make nests.  Collard profiles University of Montana professor Dick Hutto as he observes the birds, explaining how his research has helped scientists understand more about fire ecology.  More scientists are now supporting the idea that it’s better to let naturally occurring forest fires burn.  A glossary, index, and full page of additional resources are included at the end.

Pros:  This would make a great mentor text for demonstrating informational writing.  Illustrated with many photographs, the text is engaging and packed with information.

Cons:  Was Smokey the Bear really wrong about forest fires?

Wandering Whale Sharks by Susumu Shingu

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Published by Owlkids Books

Summary:  What is the largest fish in the sea?  The whale shark, measuring up to 60 feet long and weighing in at over 40 tons.  In contrast to its great white cousin, this shark is a gentle giant, gliding slowly through the sea and allowing divers to hold onto their fins and swimming with them for miles.  Susumu Shingu poetically describes these animals in just a dozen sentences, all illustrated in the blue and black colors of the ocean.  An end note gives more information.

Pros:  There’s quite a bit of information in this brief book.  A few sentences could be used to teach similes and metaphors.  The illustrations strikingly capture the way the light reflects off the ocean.

Cons:  Kids who usually like shark books might find the whale shark a bit of a yawn.  No blood was shed in the creation of these illustrations.