Storybook Science

3 Little Firefighters. Stuart Murphy. (Illus. by Bernice Lum; from the MathStart Series.) HarperCollins, 2003. 40pp. $15.99. ISBN 0-06-000118-6. Order

In this book, the author uses three culturally diverse children and a Dalmatian dog to successfully introduce pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade children to the basic concept of sorting by attributes. Murphy uses a simple adaptation of the scientific method to guide the children through identifying the problem and experimenting with sorting by shape, color, and size to determine the solution. This book could be used as an introduction to sorting and the processes of the scientific method. The various activities at the end of the book would be useful in a day care center for pre-school children or as an incentive for parents to interest their children in mathematics and science.

Adelina's Whales. Richard Sobel. (Illus. by the author.) Dutton, 2003. 32pp. $17.99. ISBN 0-525-47110-3. Order

This excellent children's book tells the story of gray whales. Adelina is the daughter of a whale-watching guide and the granddaughter of the first man to have a friendly encounter with a gray whale in the waters off of Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California, Mexico. This lagoon is where gray whales come to give birth in the winter and the only place where they seem to seek interactions with humans. The book teaches children to appreciate the natural wonders around them. This book is suitable for children up to the third or fourth grade and can be read to the younger ones among them. It does an excellent job introducing the gray whale, while demonstrating that the natural world can make children happier and more fulfilled than any material goods can.

Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius. Elizabeth MacLeod. (Illus.) Kids Can Press, 2003. 32pp. $14.95. ISBN 1-55337-396-0. Order

Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius provides a wonderful glimpse into the genius and charm of the beloved scientist, Albert Einstein. This is a story suitable for a wide range of student readers that illuminates not only biographical data about his life, but reveals to the reader the human side of this venerable icon of scientific knowledge. Readers are introduced to a man who took his work seriously but one who also valued a playful, joyous engagement in all that he did.

Amoeba Hop. Christine Lavin. (Illus. by Betsy Franco Feeny.) Puddle Jump Press, 2003. 38pp. $17.95. ISBN 0-9726487-3-9. Order

Amoeba Hop is an innovative approach to introduce young students to the world of microbiology, using song lyrics. The most difficult obstacle to a young person's learning process is the unfamiliarity of new and difficult vocabulary words. Through the incorporation of complex vocabulary into the lyrics of a song and the repetition of the song's verses, a child can become comfortable with speaking the words and subsequently learn their meanings more easily. Amoeba Hop is an imaginary story about a young girl and her dog, who see a puddle of water inhabited by microscopic organisms. Upon closer observation, they see the delightful, vividly illustrated puddle creatures attending a dance called the "amoeba hop." The lyrics describe the different members of the Protist family, the characteristics of their cell structure, and how a shy paramecium finds a partner for this dance through binary fission. Also included in the book are real photographs of protozoa. Information about the first use of the microscope to study pond water and how to find protozoa in outside water is provided.

Flick a Switch: How Electricity Gets to Your Home. Barbara Seuling. (Illus. by Nancy Tobin.) Holiday House, 2003. 32pp. $16.95. ISBN 0-8234-1729-8. Order

In this book, JoJo, a young girl accompanied by her hungry talking dog, Willy, flicks light switches on and off to facilitate explanation of the workings of electricity. The text is quite humorous. The front matter includes a good summary of the volume: "Describes how electricity was discovered, how early devices were invented to make use of it, how it is generated in power plants and then distributed for many different uses."

Frog in a Bog. John Himmelman. (Illus.) Charlesbridge Publishing, 2004. 32pp. $15.95. ISBN 1-57091-517-2. Order

Frog in a Bog by John Himmelman is a wonderful read-aloud book. The boldly colored drawings and simple text are ideal for reading to groups of children, who are usually fascinated by creatures and plants in nature. This elegant little story starts with a frog that hops onto some moss in a bog. The cascading events initiated by the small frog's jump impact more than fifteen residents of a North American bog, plus a visiting human being. The charming story comes full circle when the frog gets a meal at the end of the series of random but interlocking occurrences. This book is a great addition to any children's library, at home, in school or in the community

Frogs Sing Songs. Yvonne Winer. (Illus. by Tony Oliver.) Charlesbridge Publishing, 2003. 32pp. $16.95. ISBN 1-57091-548-2. Order

This book is an excellent example of one approach to providing information about a group of vertebrates facing conservation concerns to young children. The format will catch their attention and arouse their curiosity. The book uses a poem about frog songs to describe where frogs are found, what they may sound like, and why they call. In addition, the book introduces children to the problem of declining amphibian populations. This lovely volume is both entertaining and informative, with artwork showing the variety of frogs found around the world.

Giant of the Sea: A Story of the Sperm Whale. Courtney Granet Raff. (Illus. by Shawn Gould.) Soundprints, 2002. 32pp. $15.95. ISBN 1-931465-71-1. Order

This most attractively presented and enjoyable story relates a single episode involving behavior in Hawaii of a mother sperm whale and her young in an assembly, or "pod," of sperm whales. Delightful illustrations amplify the brief text shown on one page each of the double-page spreads. Beautiful pictures show ejected squid ink, the ink sac opening on the squid, and the baby sperm whale in the protective circle directed against the foiled killer whale. The reviewer asked a neighbor's fourth grader to read the book. He read it swiftly and accurately and was able to explain concepts such as the definitions of "pod" and "echolocation" and how the mother sperm whale uses echolocation to distinguish between rocks and the giant squid. When asked by the reviewer, "Would you enjoy rereading or even owning this book?" the child answered, "Oh yes, I like books that have 'true facts' in them."

Grizzly Bear Family. Audrey Fraggalosch. (Illus. by Donald G. Eberhart.) Soundprints, 2003. 32pp. $15.95. ISBN 1-59249-048-4.
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This book tells a story about a mother grizzly bear rearing her cubs through two seasons in either northwest Canada or Alaska. The interaction between the bears and their environment is woven into a straightforward description of other animals, sea life, and plant life. The artwork of the illustrator is simply magnificent. Many of the visuals in this volume appear almost three dimensional. At the end of the book is a one page description of the grizzly's habits and characteristics, as well as a beautiful four page foldout containing 36 color drawings and names of birds, sea life, animals, and plant life found in the northwest areas of North America that are populated by grizzlies. This volume would be a fine addition to a young child's library.

How Do You Raise a Raisin? Pam Munoz Ryan. (Illus. by Craig Brown.) Charlesbridge, 2003. 32pp. $16.95. ISBN 1-57091-397-8. Order

If a young child would like to know where raisins come from, this title is a good place to start. The author and illustrator combine their crafts into a colorful and informative book intended for a young audience up to about grade 2. Large-print questions about raisins are posed, with smaller print answers appearing alongside illustrative, colorful drawings. A section with fanciful illustrations covers raisin ancient history, no doubt an offshoot of the author's discovery that all the raisins in the United States are produced in the San Joaquin Valley in California. Three recipes on the last page ("Ants on a Log," "Rats on a Raft," and "Superballs") will cater to young chefs who want to try their cooking skills using raisins. This book is designed to keep young readers interested while they learn the facts; it accomplishes that aim well.

Jessica's X-ray. Pat Zonta. (Illus.; by Clive Dobson.) Firefly, 2002. 28pp. $8.95. ISBN 1-55297-577-0.
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Children are interested in what goes on inside their bodies. This book, full of real X-rays, will fascinate them. Children are also often afraid of going to the doctor or dentist, this book might help the parent to ease some of that fear. The illustrations of normal parents and children getting medical care are well done and clearly show the entire process. The text does not make fun of the real fears that children have, but instead offers reassurance. The book includes X-rays, ultrasound images, MRI images, CAT scans and dental X-rays. There are even a few mysteries for children to solve by looking at the images, such as find the broken bone, find the swallowed coin, see the baby on the ultrasound, or find the baby teeth in the dental X-ray. The book includes questions and answers about imaging procedures, such as how a doctor or dentist decides to use an imaging procedure. The last page provides pictures of the images from the book along with the answers to the mysteries earlier posed.

Less Than Zero. Stuart Murphy. (Illus. by Frank Remkiewicz; from the MathStart Series.) HarperCollins, 2003. 40pp. $15.99. ISBN 0-06-000124-0. Order

In this book the author has found a wonderful way to teach math concepts: by telling a story. In this volume, the concept is negative numbers, and the story is about Perry the Penguin. Perry needs nine clams in order to buy an ice scooter. All his friends have one, and so he wants one, too. His parents tell him that if he wants a scooter, he will have to find a way to earn the clams. The story then follows Perry as he earns money, spends money, loses money, and borrows money. He uses a simple line graph to demonstrate the concept of negative numbers. The color illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz are delightful and will definitely hold children's interest. The graphs help illustrate how Perry's money fluctuates as he earns, saves, borrows, and spends. This book is a great teaching tool to be used by parents with their children and would be an excellent asset to a school library.

The Man Who Made Time Travel. Kathryn Lasky. (Illus. by Kevin Hawkes.) NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. 48pp. $17.00. ISBN 0-374-34788-3.
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This book introduces children in middle and upper elementary school to John Harrison, the highly inventive and persistent carpenter and clock maker from the 18th century who solved one of the most perplexing problems of all seafarers: How can one determine one's longitude no matter where one is on the high seas? For his discovery, Harrison was awarded a prize of 20,000 pounds sterling. This book highlights Harrison's ingenuity, patience, and personal demand for exactness. The science that underlies his technological invention is explained, although at a level that will likely be understood only by prescient students in fourth through sixth grade. The wonderful full-page color illustrations by Kevin Hawkes will delight both children and adults.

Marsh Morning. Marianne Berkes. (Illus. by Robert Noreika.) Millbrook Press, 2003. 32pp. $22.90. ISBN 0-7613-2568-9. Order

Through rhythmical verse couched in musical terms and colorful luminous watercolor paintings, this book takes young readers through a day in a marsh from dawn to dark. As the day advances, the reader meets a changing cast of birds at home in the wetlands. The marsh is a composite, with elements lifted from eastern, prairie, southern, and northern wetlands. Thus, there appear red-winged blackbirds, sandhill cranes, white ibis, and a loon, among other birds. The complementary text and illustrations deftly capture the voices and behaviors of 15 birds. Young readers will enjoy the versified text and illustrations. For them, the book will be a fascinating introduction to musical concepts and marshlands, so often viewed as wastelands to be drained.

Millions to Measure. David M. Schwartz. (Illus.; by Steven Kellogg.) HarperCollins, 2003. 38pp. $16.99. ISBN 0-688-12916-1.
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Author David M. Schwartz and artist Steven Kellogg have created an engagingly attractive booklet that is certain to appeal to the imagination and creativity of young readers. Traveling back in time with Marvelosissimo the Mathematical Magician, Millions to Measure invites readers to join in on a lighthearted adventure to discover the benefits of measuring length, weight, and volume. Children and adults alike will enjoy this humorous presentation that reads like a problem-solving fairy tale. Colorful cartoon characters and an energetic text lead readers to a solid conceptual basis for adopting standards in measurement. The characters in the story have fun comparing measurements of spiders, ants, and fleas with measurements of snakes, a pet hippo named Hercules, a cat named Jello, and themselves. The transition from customary, or English, units to metric units is done effortlessly as part of the story, and metric units and prefixes are presented as simply more user friendly in a global market place.

Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson. Amy Ehrlich. (Illus. by Wendll Minor.) Harcourt, Inc., 2003. 32pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-15-216227-5.
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In this volume, Rachel Carson's life is captured charmingly in 12 one-page vignettes, enhanced by vivid illustrations. We see how Carson grew to become an advocate for the environment from her experiences as a child whose mother encouraged her to study nature. Carson originally wanted to become a writer, but after her first glimpse through a microscope, she decided to become a biologist. As an adult, Carson blended her love and knowledge of nature with her writing skills to support her family as a chronicler of nature. Carson is a role model who was not afraid to speak out when forests were being cleared or birds were dying from insecticide. In this short book, Carson's human side is also presented, including how she raised her niece's orphaned son and how she comforted others about her imminent death from cancer. This volume is an excellent introduction to one of our most cherished environmentalists.

Seashells by the Seashore. Marrianne Berkes. (Illus. by Robert Noreika.) Dawn Publications, 2002. 32pp. $8.95. ISBN 1-58469-034-8. Order

A pleasant introduction to shell collecting, this volume uses 12 four line rhymes to discuss 12 different common shells, each on a delightful two page-spread painting of shore life. Numerous little features of flotsam and jetsam found on the beach, as well as several kinds of shore birds, are left unmentioned in text, but are useful for discussion. Marginal illustrations of the 12 shells from the 12 pages are reproduced together in a larger format on a single heavy paper tear out identifier page, with other common shells shown on the reverse.

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone: A Math Adventure. Cindy Neuschwander. (Illus. by Wayne Geehan.) Charlesbridge Publishing, 2003. 32pp. $16.95. ISBN 1-57091-600-4. Order

This book provides a mathematical adventure with lots of photographs that are attractive and will motivate children in grades three to five to learn about various geometric shapes as well as vocabulary related to them. The text focuses on geometric shapes and reading skills in the context of a mathematical adventure. Despite the story line running through the book, each page of the story can also be used independently of the others. The story line encourages students to think critically and to connect real-world math to the math that is taught in the classroom. The story itself is age appropriate and will enhance the content and knowledge base of each reader in the area of geometry.

The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin. Peter Sis. (Illus.) NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. 44pp. $18.00. ISBN 0-374-45628-3.
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Peter Sis has created a fantastic book on the life of Charles Darwin, a gentle man whose research and writing changed the way we look at the living world. The book is slated for young people 8 years and older, and I am sure that some 8-year-olds will find it meaningful; others might need guidance from a parent or friend. Mr. Sis selected great plants, animals, fossils, and people to illustrate - and he illustrates with great care and cleverness. I read every quote that he reproduced from Darwin's own pen or from that of others. The list of his father's objections to his joining the five-year voyage of the Beagle did not daunt Charles from seeking his uncle Josiah Wedgwood's support; the uncle's influence prevailed to the benefit of human knowledge. Toward the final third of the book, foldout pages herald the publication of On the Origin of Species - exemplifying the well thought out design of this fine book.

Wild Horses: Black Hills Sanctuary. Cris Peterson. (Photographs by Alvis Upitis.) Boyds Mills Press, 2003. 32pp. $16.95. 2002110799. ISBN 1-56397-745-1. Order

This volume tells the interesting story, beautifully illustrated, of Dayton Hyde's success in providing for the survival of North America's wild horses. On his ample range in South Dakota, the horses are free to roam, breed, live, and die as true mustangs. It is not a formal science book. It provides scant, if any, information about the biology or other science of horses. Nor is this story fictional. It is a true historical account of one man's efforts to conserve wild horses. The reading level is geared toward middle elementary school students, but the story also could be read to young children, who would enjoy the beautiful photography as well.

The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start. Elizabeth MacLeod. (Illus.) Kids Can Press, 2002. 32pp. $14.95. ISBN 1-55074-933-1. Order

The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start recounts the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright and how they designed and built the world's first successful controlled, powered aircraft. MacLeod emphasizes how the Wrights' relationship and engineering methods made their efforts to invent the airplane possible. She never claims that flight would not have happened without the Wrights, but rather suggests that their skills and determination were responsible for their success. That first airplane would be only the beginning of their efforts to build an aircraft with practical applications. In this volume, MacLeod clearly shows how the Wrights' engineering approach and unwavering dedication made the airplane as we know it today a reality.

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