by Susan Edwards Richmond ; illustrated by Jannie Ho ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 20, 2022
A well-thought-out addition to the science activities shelf.
With adult help, even preschoolers can explore science!
The author of Bird Count! (2019), illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, contributes the fourth title in the Busy Little Hands series of hands-on learning activities. These 20 projects serve as age-appropriate introductions to physics, earth science, chemistry, and biology. The directions are relatively simple, with few steps and clear results. A mix of photographs and illustrations showing diverse preschoolers allow the nonreading child to follow along step by step. Each project begins with “grown-up prep steps”: necessary materials, where to do the activity, and sometimes extension suggestions. The materials are easily available. Some projects, such as “Cereal Static” (demonstrating static electricity) or “Pulley-Up” (using a simple machine to lift a load) can be done in a short period; others, such as growing seeds or exchanging weather information with someone who lives in another climate, might be long-term. A beginning bird-watching activity could introduce long-running citizen science projects. The last few pages, for older helpers, detail the concepts explored through each activity. What’s most intriguing about this collection is the direct connection to the scientific method, explained to children at the beginning as asking questions, guessing answers, trying something out, seeing what happens, and pondering the results. With this introduction and some help with record-keeping (charts and graphs are among the illustrations), youngsters will develop good science habits while they are learning.
A well-thought-out addition to the science activities shelf. (suggestions of items for a science field kit) (Science activity book. 3-7)Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63586-465-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
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by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Claudine Gévry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019
A good choice for a late fall storytime.
Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.
Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).
A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Monique Felix
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by Laura Purdie Salas ; illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis
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by Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard.
Rotner follows Hello Spring (2017) with this salute to the fall season.
Name a change seen in northern climes in fall, and Rotner likely covers it here, from plants, trees, and animals to the food we harvest: seeds are spread, the days grow shorter and cooler, the leaves change and fall (and are raked up and jumped in), some animals migrate, and many families celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. As in the previous book, the photographs (presented in a variety of sizes and layouts, all clean) are the stars here, displaying both the myriad changes of the season and a multicultural array of children enjoying the outdoors in fall. These are set against white backgrounds that make the reddish-orange print pop. The text itself uses short sentences and some solid vocabulary (though “deep sleep” is used instead of “hibernate”) to teach readers the markers of autumn, though in the quest for simplicity, Rotner sacrifices some truth. In several cases, the addition of just a few words would have made the following oversimplified statements reflect reality: “Birds grow more feathers”; “Cranberries float and turn red.” Also, Rotner includes the statement “Bees store extra honey in their hives” on a page about animals going into deep sleep, implying that honeybees hibernate, which is false.
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3869-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
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by Shelley Rotner ; illustrated by Shelley Rotner
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by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
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