Turn this Book into a Lever!

 Every now and then I come across a book that is more than a book. This one turns into a catapult - at least part of it does! That makes it a perfect gift for young knights-in-training...

 

 Mighty Models: The Legendary Life Story of the Lever 
by Christine Van Zandt; illus by Lesley Breen 
32 pages; ages 4-8
Union Square Kids, 2025

theme: physics, history, hands-on

 

This is a lever. It doesn’t look like much, but it is one of the world’s mightiest machines.

A lever is basically a rigid beam and a fulcrum. From teeter-totters to robotic arms, levers have been used to move things. People have used levers to hunt mammoths, build Great Walls, print books, produce movies – even defend the Crown Jewels of England!  Over the span of ten spreads, this book invites readers to discover the science – and the history – of this simple, yet important machine. 

 

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 What I like about this book: I like the visual table of contents. I also like the fun lever sidebars on each spread. But what I really like is how part of the book is a hands on build-it-yourself catapult model that allows kids to discover the power of a lever in action. 

 

  

I asked Christine if she had constructed the model catapult. "Oh yes!" she said. "The cats love it!"You can watch author Christine Van Zandt demonstrate her model catapult in this video at her website, christinevanzandt.com/models

Beyond the Books:

 
Check out this short video about levers and some simple machines you might use that incorporate levers. 

Make your own lever using a ruler (or similar flat wood piece) and a marker or other item (dowel, block) as a fulcrum. Use your lever to lift a flat stone or can of tuna. What happens when you move the fulcrum closer to the load? Or farther away?

Go lever-looking. How many kinds of levers do you find around your house and yard? Make a list of what you find using words or pictures. One of the levers we have around our house is a T-post puller.

Christine is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her website christinevanzandt.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM at www.steamteambooks.com

We'll be joining Perfect Picture Book Friday after the holidays. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review pdf provided by the author.

Explore Outdoors ~ a prickly tree!

 

Sometimes when you get up close to a tree, you decide that maybe you don't want to shake it's hands! What sort of prickly trees do you have where you live?

Let it Snow!

We still have a couple weeks before the official “first day of winter” but it can snow any time, so I want to share these fun books today.

theme: snow, snowflakes, STEM

Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm 

by Laura Purdie Salas; illus by Chiara Fedele 

40 pages; ages 4-7

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025

Clouds lie heavy, gray, and low. From down below, just one wish: Snow!

The kids are waiting, and waiting… they pull out the sled and sit on it and wait some more. Above, the sky is dark with clouds that look like they might bring snow. And above those clouds, the air currents, cold from the north and damp from the south, mix and swirl. “Water vapor clings to dust, begins to build a slushy crust.” From the endpages – autumn leaves at the front, snow at the back – to the rhythmic, rhyming language, this is one fun read-aloud!

What I like about this book: there’s a ton of science in this book, beginning with cloud formation. Readers will learn how a drop freezes and how water vapor clings, forming branches, and how those crystals begin to fall and collect into flakes. Back matter all about The Science of Snow, from the ingredients you need for a snowstorm to flake formation, accompanied by snowflake photos. 

Hello Snow (Board Book)

by Katherine Pryor; illus. by Rose Soini 

24 pages; ages 0-3

Schiffer Kids, 2025

Flakes flutter. Wind swirls.

Parents help two youngsters zip up into their outdoor clothes so they can greet the snow. They slip and slide, make snow angels, and roll snow into a friend. There is so much to explore outside in the cold.

What I like about this book: The rhymes are short and focus on sounds and action. Boots crunch, ice cracks. Activities are perfect for toddlers (and their adults!), and the bright colors bring life to a snowy page.

Beyond the Books:

Go snowflake watching. Make sure you’re dressed warmly and then go outside to watch snowflakes fall. What do they look like when you watch them looking straight ahead? What do they look like when you look up into the sky? Come up with words that show what you see.

Catch snowflakes. You’ll need to put some dark colored paper in the freezer a couple hours before. Then head outside and let flakes land. Some things to do: look at flakes through a magnifying glass; catch flakes at the beginning of the storm and later on to see if they have changed shape and size; try to count how many land on your paper in 10 seconds. 

Build a snowflake using materials at hand: legos, twigs, straws, or cut one out of paper. Remember the two rules of snowflakes: they have six rays and they are symmetrical. Here’s a video showing one way to cut a paper snowflake.

Make a list of five more things you can do to play with snow! Then go do them.

We'll be joining Perfect Picture Book Friday when it resumes after the holidays. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.