Never Insult a Killer Zucchini!

Never Insult a Killer Zucchini  

by Elana Azose & Brandon Amancio; illus. by David Clark

32 pages; ages 7-10

Charlesbridge, 2016

Topics: alphabet, science experiments, humor 

Opening: “I grew zucchinis when I was a boy. They’re my favorite!”

It’s time for the science fair and Mr. Farnsworth is the judge. When the killer zucchini hears Mr. Farnsworth profess his love for zucchinis, it falls in love. Maybe Mr. Farnsworth could be a friend? But when Mr. Farnsworth says, “He looks like a yummy afternoon snack,” all bets are off. The killer zucchini is determined to squash Mr. Farnsworth and stay off the menu. And it uses the science fair experiments to exact revenge until chaos breaks out and only Mr. Farnsworth can save them all. 

What I like about this book: I like that the story is told through dialog balloons and comic-book type illustrations. I also like that the outrageous science fair experiments are introduced in alphabetical order. I love the whimsy of the illustrations, too.

But what I really like is the back matter. “Think the projects in this book are just mad science?” ask the authors. Nope; they all come from the real world – even the “eraser beam” and “invisibility suit”. Each experiment is explained in the back using language that we comic-book readers can understand. 

Beyond the book: Think of the weirdest science experiment someone might want to try. Then find out if anyone has tried it! Antimatter experiments? Yup, being done. Killer zucchini? Not so much, although there are plenty of carnivorous plants. Here’s a video. 

Do some science. You can find experiments at this site. And this one. 

Make some goop! Just follow these instructions. 

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by the publisher. 

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

 Watch the moon rise. How do the smells and sounds and colors of the night differ from daytime? Capture what you see and hear and feel in your notebook using images, words, colors.



Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

The Biggest, Fastest, Weirdest Creatures on the Planet

Animal Records: The Biggest, Fastest, Weirdest, Tiniest, Slowest, and Deadliest Creatures on the Planet

by Sarah Wassner & Kathy Furgang

208 pages; ages 8 - 12

National Geographic Children's Books, 2015

Sometimes you’ve just got to know what was the slo-o-owest dinosaur of all. Or the speediest. Or maybe you need to find out what animal sings the loudest, has the most deadly bite, or looks the weirdest. Now there’s a handy reference filled with enough facts and photos to provide scintillating conversation around the supper table. And maybe garner a few extra points on your next report.

Cool things you’ll learn by browsing through this book include: the kill rate of dragonflies and other predators; that there really are zombie worms; how long it would take a turtle to “run” a 100-meter race; and who’s smarter in the animal world.

 On Monday we're joining the folks at Nonfiction Monday. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

 On a warm day, go outside and look for something that resembles pepper spilled on the snow. Look closely - those "pepper flakes" might be snow fleas, and they might jump.

What other insects do you see? Capture the colors and images you see in your sketchbook.


Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

To the Stars!

Before we head off To the Stars, a brief announcement. Traci is the winner of the Sea Turtle book. Traci - if you haven't emailed me your address, please do. (a click on the blogger icon beneath my name will get you to my profile page with email connection)
now... buckle up and prepare for Take Off.

To the Stars! The First American Woman to Walk in Space

by Carmella Van Vleet  & Dr. Kathy Sullivan; illus. by Nicole Wong

40 pages; ages 5-8

Charlesbridge, 2016

Theme: science, space, exploration, women

“Kathy Sullivan loved to explore.”

When her father brings home blueprints of airplanes, she studies their lines and curves. She daydreamed about flying, and when people asked, she told them that when she grew up she wanted to see the whole world. And she did – becoming the first woman to walk in space.

What I like about this book: It portrays a little girl who wants to be an adventurer and see the world at a time when girls were expected to grow up to be mothers or teachers or nurses. I like the way that pairs of spreads alternate, showing Kathy as a girl and in the next spread as a grown woman facing the same questions and problems. For example: a wonderful illustration of her as a teenager in the cockpit, learning to pilot a plane. “There were so many dials and buttons and numbers.” The next spread shows Kathy as an astronaut studying another (much larger) instrument panel.

There is great back matter including a note from Kathy, additional biographical material, and “American Women Firsts in NASA History”.

Beyond the book: everyone has dreams. What’s your dream; what do you want to do when you grow up?

Visit an airport to watch planes take off and land. Some airports have an observation tower where you can sit and watch, or a special parking lot for plane-watching. See if there’s a children’s museum where you can sit in the cockpit of a plane or space ship.

Visit the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian if you have a chance – or check out the photos of aircraft they have at their website.  Or find one closer to where you  live.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources.  We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by the publisher. 

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Watch one or more birds. Capture their colors and movements using your tools ~ paints/crayons/pencils and words. How can you capture their calls?


Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

Play with your food!

Edible Science: Experiments You Can Eat
by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen and Carol Tennant
80 pages; ages 8-12
National Geographic Children's Books, 2015

Our kitchen has been a science lab ever since I started cooking. Think about it: every time you mix something up, bake it, stir-fry or whatever... you're doing a science experiment. You're mixing up chemicals and creating reactions.

This book is chock-full of experiments to try, and "science scoop" text-boxes that explain why things happen or don't happen. Take the idea of chocolate-flavored gum. Ever tried eating a candy bar when you're chewing gum? Gum, it turns out, is made of molecules that don't mix well with water. That's why you can chew it all day and it won't dissolve. BUT, when you add chocolate, those chocolate molecules act as an emulsifier. They connect oil and water or, in this case, gum and water. When that happens, the gum starts breaking apart.

There are lots more things to try: making crystals, exploding seeds (popcorn), baking cookie pH indicators, making gels, and making slime. Cakes and cookies rise because of gas bubbles, so changing ingredients might make your cakes turn out flat. There's a recipe for making yogurt - that means keeping a bacteria culture alive - and one for making "bug" brownies with toasted meal worms. In all, there are about 40 hands-on science experiments - and to clean up, all you do is eat them.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Review copy provided by publisher.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Go on a Texture Field Trip. Feel the trunks of different trees. Are they smooth? rough? scaly? Capture them with colors and words ~ or make a rubbing of the bark.

To make a rubbing, hold a white piece of white paper against the tree trunk so that it won’t move. Then rub over the paper with the side of a crayon. 


Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.