Books | Page 13 of 81

Inner Workings, a cut-through, STEM, curiosity book for a couple of pages

I taught a fifth-grade student who drew detailed illustrations of automobiles in his spare time. They were surprisingly intricate, exterior drawings of cars with some having overview representations of their engines. While many kids who are that age like cars, this student’s passion and talent certainly went to the next level. Inner Workings is an engineer’s look at how just over two dozen things that kids see on a daily basis work. The illustrations in the book mainly consist of cross-section pictures that are done in a classic-retro style. It’ll initially draw in those mechanical engineer kids, as well as those who are just curious about how the soft-serve ice cream machine works.

Inner Workings is a how-it’s-made book that’ll preach to the STEM, engineering crowd, but could’ve yelled at everyone with more narrative.

The STEM Choir rejoices, but it could’ve reached wider and higher

The Golden Age, 2,000-year-old poems retold for kids today

We’re not worthy, quoted Wayne Campbell. The Golden Age is a children’s illustrated book that presents 17 of Ovid’s poems in story form. Without context, the writings from a two-century deceased poet that Augustus exiled to the Black Sea are not the sort of readings that tempt young audiences. However, when it’s paired with esoteric artwork that has a timeless appeal to it, combined with this style of writing it’s elevated to something greater than the sum of its parts.

The Golden Age is presented here in a package that’s retold for children. The art is gorgeous and the succinct text is perfect for those kids and creation folk tales.

Ovid, dropping knowledge like he did 2,000 years ago

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz, the text and science of Dorothy’s tale

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz is not a word-for-word retelling of the classic book by L. Frank Baum. Nor is it a twisted version of the Yellow Brick that changes the tone and heart of the story in favor of accentuating certain characters. This is a truncated version of The Wizard of Oz text that inserts four instances of science, and two STEAM activities for kids to do in each chapter. It’s not as far-fetched or as uninteresting as you might think, let’s take a look at an example.

STEAM Tales The Wizard of Oz retells aspects of the classic story, spotlighting engineering, math and science aspects of the yellow brick road.

Follow the STEAM Yellow brick road

Stanley’s Secret, a charming read-aloud that talks to kids

A ball is just a ball unless it’s an oval, and then sometimes it could be more oblong in nature. However, kids in elementary school will still play with a ball. The lesson that’s illustrated in Stanley’s Secret is similar to the ‘ball’ that kids will play with. Most kids have a thing, a thing that they do well or love to do, but they might keep it a secret from others. Stanley’s Secret isn’t a bad secret, it’s just a thing that he’s traditionally done by himself at home, in front of his two pet mice.

Stanley’s Secret is a charming illustrated book about your talents, embracing them and having the confidence to share them with the world.

sHHH…IT’S A FUN BOOK THAT TEACHES…….DON’T TELL THE KIDS

City Spies City of the Dead goes 4 out of 4 in this mglit must-read series

The really great books have readers hoping that the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger or on some absurd happening. An otherwise fabulous book that’s built up to a satisfying ending cheapens the entire affair when all of the events are for naught. It turns out to have been a dream. A long-forgotten relative appears at the door or they jump off into the sunset to their mortal peril…unless there’s a sequel. City Spies City of the Dead is the fourth book in this series that’s built on its predecessor with ease and a sense of plot satisfaction. It’s done this while leaving clues as to something much bigger that all of the books are building to.

City Spies City of the Dead, City Spies 4, continues to rip around the world as a must-read mglit series that builds and improves the story.

People in your house will wrestle over who’s the first to read it

Little Pea, a super-cute read-aloud book that rises to the challenge

Little Pea is one of those books. It’s a book that’s meant to be read aloud to toddlers through first-grade students. The text is simple. The illustrations are cute, very detailed in a cartoon fashion, and relentlessly happy. With great read-aloud books, the magic happens when you read it and combine everything together. That’s what happens when you read Little Pea to children.

Little Pea is a very simple book with a message crawlers through first will enjoy and grin at, with art that’s as detailed or as simple as you need it to be.

A book in a 3 to eight minute pinch

When Things Aren’t Going Right Go Left, a can-do book on positive vibes

If you’re looking for a sign, this is it. I use that sometimes when I teach. I’ll write “Sign” on the board, and put a border around it, then stake it as if it’s posted in the ground. When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left is an illustrated book that is rife with metaphors, double-meaning words and positive vibes. It’s an unlikely book that’s an empowering take on how young school-aged children can overcome anything just by thinking in a more positive manner. The book also tackles an angle that elementary students aren’t told enough, and that’s the fact that everybody has something. And that you and your something are OK if you put it down for a bit and give it a rest.

WHen lessons and comfort book food intersect

The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away-scale that curious or STEM kids crave

I was talking to a student one day about the approximate distance between Georgia and New York and they had absolutely no clue. Their spatial abilities were suspect at best with them guessing at only a couple of hundred miles to multiple thousands. Space is like that too, except so much more interesting and potentially complex. The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away puts the impossibly massive scale of the solar system into a scope that anyone is able to understand. Author Mike Vago is an author who produces books that are as much of a publishing statement as they are informative, entertaining, or both.

The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away-space scale for curious STEM kids

Vast nothingness turned into curiosity food for kids