Tag: STEM

Strange Nature, amazing close-up images kids want to see

It takes a special kind of person to oversee a fourth-grade report. In most cases those students are presented with a wide variety of options to choose from and more often than not, they’ll go for the more obscure animals. When I oversee kids doing a report like this I always encourage them to do the research in a book. The way that elementary kids use computers to research things is limited to what they see on the screen. They won’t let their natural curiosity turn the page before they’ve written down an information point that their teacher has asked for. Strange Nature, The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss is the kind of slow boiling, detail-filled book on bizarre insects that most kids will never see, but will know something about.

Bugs you can love. Photography you’ll crave.

Do You Know Where the Animals Live?, animal questions kids actually have

A book whose title asks a question owns a special spot to those kidlit readers. Do You Know Where the Animals Live? is a children’s book from Peter Wohlleben, who young readers might know from The Hidden Life of Trees or The Inner Life of Animals. This is our first time reading one of his books and the difference in how he approaches nature content, relative to how some readers might be used to reading about it is immediate and respectful.

Do You Know Where The Animals Live? is a smart, STEM-centered animal book for curious kids who want to ask and read questions about critters.
Looking for a smart book on animals for ages 9 and up?

Our World Out of Balance ecologically nails climate change for kids

Just yesterday we reviewed a climate change book aimed at early elementary-aged readers. That book was the opposite of Our World Out of Balance, Understanding Climate Change and What We Can Do by Andrea Minoglio and Laura Fanelli. That’s a scary title, isn’t it? Our World Out of Balance sounds like it would be an alarmist, riot grrl, worst case, handbook for skipping school on Friday and blaming the environment for it. Instead, Our World Out of Balance is a STEM-focused, scientific-minded, cause and effect illustrated book that will make kids think and want to solve, instead of panic and freak out.

This is STEM-based, edu-taianment reading at its best

The Story of Climate Change, a first eco primer for Mother Jones kids

The Story of Climate Change, A First Book About How We Can Help Save the Planet is the fifth book in the series by Catherine Barr and Steve Williams. It’s an engaging book that introduces second through fourth graders to the history of climate change. The illustrations by Amy Husband and Mike Love are playful, have lots of movement, and certainly keep the eyes of those young readers busy in the best of all possible ways. Most of the target audience will enjoy the book and its approach to global warming is unique in its visual presentation.

The illustrations are great, the text casts a wide net with mixed results

Busy Spring, Nature Wakes Up is soft edutainment for 3-7 YO

Educational and entertaining illustrated books have a sweet spot in our hearts. Elementary school children want to be entertained, and they don’t mind learning. While parents or educators would prefer that the verbs in that previous sentence were flipped and that learning came first in the equation, it’s not. Busy Spring, Nature Wakes Up by Sean Taylor, Alex Morss with illustrations by Cinyee Chiu is an illustrated book that softly tells a story about a dad and his two daughters on an early spring day.

Fun, educational illustrated books for early elementary are possible

What Breathes Through Its Butt? is fresh air for curious kids

Our family has lots of non-fiction books on animals, nature, and science in the house. A reference book is a great thing to have around because you never know when school-age children will need something in it. Granted there is that whole internet thing, but a book allows for that random sense of discovery that online searching simply doesn’t satisfy. However, odds are that all of, or almost all of your non-fiction animal reference books are encyclopedic, or listing in the presentation. That certainly leads to discover and learn about new creatures, but might not motivate kids to read it page to page. What Breathes Through Its Butt? is a non-fiction book on animals, but it’s unlike any critter book you or your kids have seen.

A Stem book for elementary kids that asks questions

Who Gives A Poop?, STEM, fun, edutainment for 10 and up

Regardless of your stance on books, STEM, mglit, or chocolate chip cookies, we can all agree that Who Gives A Poop?, Surprising Science From One End To The Other is one of the cleverest book titles you’ll ever run across. The book is a story of things that we see every day. Sometimes it’s hiding in plain sight and other times it smacks us on the shoulder while we’re sitting at the pool. It’s worth noting that actually did happen to our son this summer from a passing seagull. Now that I’ve read this book I know that so many things could’ve been gleaned by taking a look at that white splotch that splattered from him onto our stuff.

It’s science. Stem. funny. readable. and makes ages 10 and up curious

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo, great strange nature for third grade & up

The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is a book whose title will grab mid-elementary school through middle school readers by their nape and drag them in. It won’t be an unwilling situation at all. Most young readers will see the animals drawn on the cover, read, or make out ‘screaming hairy armadillo’ and be curious. Those critter readers will jump right into the book and read about 77 seriously strange animals that they’ll probably never see.

Kids love strange animals and they’ll dig this book too
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