Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ways of Looking at a Tree

Usually when we look at trees we notice the leaves, or the pattern on the bark. But what about the things that cling to trees? This month I've shared my Five Ways of Looking at a Tree. What ways have you discovered to look at the trees around you?

DECORATED

Biodiversity

Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth (Build It Yourself series)
by Laura Perdew; illus by Tom Casteel
128 pages; ages 9-12
Nomad Press, 2019

We share our planet with millions of other species – from bacteria to plants to fungi and animals. This tremendous variety of life on Earth is called “biodiversity”, a shortened way of saying “biological diversity.”  In six chapters, author Laura Perdew introduces biodiversity, why it’s important, threats to biodiversity, and how we can protect it.

In discussing climate change, Perdew discusses human activities that contribute to a warming planet, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation.  The warming planet is melting polar ice, causing sea levels to rise and flood coastal habitats.  The increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with ocean water to create acidic ocean water which, in turn threatens coral reefs and clams. Perdew also delves into pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and over-exploitation of resources. Fortunately, there are things people can do, from implementing conservation policies to developing new energy technologies to taking personal actions.

In addition to informative text and photos, each chapter contains a comic strip, text-boxes of “words to know”, quick facts, sidebars, and primary source links with QR codes (urls listed at the back). There are more than twenty hands-on STEM activities, from field trips to making things. Want to make bio-gas? You’ll need some help from microbes, but all you need are a plastic bottle, an uninflated balloon, and some dead leaves. There are directions for making a water filter and even instructions for making your own smartphone-microscope.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ways of Looking at a Tree

Usually when we look at trees we notice the leaves, or the pattern on the bark. But what about looking inside a tree? Or through a tree? This month I'm sharing Five Ways of Looking at a Tree. Head out and look at some trees in your neighborhood, a local park or wherever you wander this week.

INSIDE

I See Sea Books!

This week we’re heading beneath the surface of the ocean. Our mission: to discover weird creatures that resemble food, and to explore the ocean floor (if we can reach it).

This week’s theme: animal adaptations, ocean. exploration

I See Sea Food
by Jenna Grodzicki
32 pages; ages 4-9
Millbrook Press, 2019

Pineapples, pancakes, and chocolate chip cookies are tasty treats. But did you know they all live in the ocean?

Wait! Really? Chocolate chip cookies? Ok, maybe not cookies, but chocolate chip sea stars live in the ocean. So do pineapple fish, pancake batfish, and pizza crust sea slugs! Excuse me – I’ve got to grab a snack now, but I’ll be right back…

… OK, where was I? <brushing cookie crumbs off keyboard>

Oh yes, What I like love about this book:

• the mouthwatering names of sea creatures. In addition to pizza and cookies, there are fruits (sea apples and banana wrasse) and vegetables (cauliflower jellyfish and lettuce sea slugs). So it’s a well-balanced menu – er, book;
• the delicious photos of the fish and sea slugs and sea stars;
• the “fast facts” sidebars for every creature, providing species name, size, range and habitat, and what eats it;
• and the breezy, fun way Jenna Groszicki introduces each creature. For example, when discussing egg yolk jellyfish she subtitles her text “sunny-side up”. How imaginative!

Plus, dare I say it, Back Matter! In addition to a glossary and further reading, there’s a “Sea Food or Me Food?” quiz.

Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea (new and updated)
by Gail Gibbons
32 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2019

A large ship has reached its destination far out to sea.

This story begins even before we reach the title page. A ship anchors stops somewhere mid-ocean, and the scientists get ready to … explore the deep, dark sea. They stow gear and board the submersible. From there it’s
down through he sunlight zone.....
down through the twilight zone....
down into the dark zone until they reach the ocean floor.

What I like about this book: I always relish a dive into any book by Gail Gibbons. In addition to explaining things in clear and inviting language,  her illustrations provide room for the reader to explore. For example, as the submersible sinks through each zone, the spreads are filled with ocean life – each labeled. Sometimes there’s a line of explanatory text, such as when she explains how the Tripod Fish props itself on its fins.

And there is Back Matter! One spread presents a timeline of diving “past and present”, from the first diving bell (1250) to the unmanned REMUS currently mapping the ocean floor. There is also a bit more about the “deep, dark sea”.

Beyond the Books:

Read more about Chocolate Chip sea stars (and their weird relatives) in National Geographic's "weird animals" column. (You can sign up for four free articles/month)

Learn more about ocean exploration in this National Geographic video (about 7 minutes long)

Check out ocean exploration technologies at this NOAA site.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ways of Looking at a Tree

Do you need to look at trees to see them? This month I'm sharing Five Ways of Looking at a Tree. Head out and look at some trees in your neighborhood, a local park or wherever you wander this week.

SHADOWS

This Math is For the Birds

Today's books play around with math. But before I get to them, I want to announce a fun costume contest - with PRIZES!

You can find rules for the contest here. Get creative! Have fun!
and now, for the books....

Don’t call these mathematicians “bird brains” – because they are busy solving problems.
theme: math, birds, imagination

Arithmechicks Add Up: A Math Story
by Ann Marie Stephens; illus. by Jia Liu
32 pages; ages 4-8
Boyds Mills Press, 2019

10 chicks head off to play.

Cheeping and chattering, they count rocks, flowers, and how many steps it takes to reach the park. Once there, they play – and add. With three chicks swinging high into the air, and six more at the lowest vertex of the arc, there are nine in all, swooshing through the air – while one holds up a scorecard so we can keep count.

What I like about this book: This is a great resource for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents who are looking for a fun way to introduce the idea of addition. Each spread shows a different way to add up the chicks – and back matter explains the different ways that you can use to represent addition. Most of us are familiar with basic equations and tally marks, but this book includes number bonds, counting on fingers (or feathers, depending on your species), number lines, and more.

Pigeon Math
by Asia Citro; illus. by Richard Watson
40 pages; ages 5-10
The Innovation Press, 2019

One bright and sunny morning, ten pigeons…

… well, there were ten pigeons sitting on the line until they got distracted by some bees – or maybe wasps – flying by. Still, some return to the line so the narrator continues the story. But this time he begins with four pigeons…

Wait! Pigeons are coming back! Now the narrator has to begin all over again. I’m sure the poor narrator has a story to tell, but with pigeons coming and going, will we ever get past the first line? Before pigeon bedtime? Meanwhile, there’s addition and subtraction happening all over the place.

What I like about this book: It’s funny, and fun to read out loud because every time you get settled and think the story will start there’s a …
           Hey! Wait! What do you think you’re doing?
….interruption. A great interactive read-aloud that offers plenty of opportunities to ask: how many flew away? How many came back? How many are there now?

Beyond the Books:

Make up your own story that involves some math – with or without birds. It could be about things you find outside, a tree losing its leaves, or anything that strikes your fancy. But definitely have some fun with it! Draw some pictures to go with it. Then share it with a friend.

Pigeons can count! Yes, scientists have really studied this, and counting might come in handy if you wanted to, for example, know how many eggs you had in your nest. Here’s an article about the pigeon study.

Birds can solve problems. You’ve probably heard about crows figuring out how to open containers or use hooks to get food. This National Geographic video shows a grackle solving problems.

Bird smarts are as much nature as nurture. Sure, your parents can teach you basic stuff like how to sing a tune. But city birds seem to learn more than their country cousins. Or maybe they just have more problems to deal with…

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ways of Looking at a Tree

The leaves on the trees behind my house are turning. Scarlet, tangerine, gold, bronze! So many colors that it's sometimes easy to forget about the whole tree. So this month I'm sharing Five Ways of Looking at a Tree. Head out and look at some trees in your neighborhood or local park or wherever you wander this week.

REFLECTED

The True Story Of A World-Traveling Bug Hunter

Evelyn The Adventurous Entomologist
by Christine Evans; illus. by Yasmin Imamura
40 pages; ages 5 - 10
The Innovation Press, 2019

theme: nature, insects, biography

 Back in 1881 when Evelyn Cheesman was born, most people thought girls should be quiet, clean, and covered with lace.

They definitely weren’t supposed to kneel in the dirt and hunt for bugs – but Evelyn did. She loved insects and other animals, and wanted to be a veterinarian. But in the early 1900s, women weren’t allowed to become veterinary doctors. They weren’t even allowed to vote! So Evelyn worked as a veterinary nurse until one day she learned that the London Zoo’s insect house needed a keeper. Evelyn applied and soon found herself scooping insects from ponds and collecting caterpillars, beetles and other buggy creatures to fill the tanks of the insect house. And when that wasn’t enough, she went on collecting adventures around the world to find new arthropods for the Insect House.

What I like about this book: If you’ve followed this blog long enough, you know I am passionate about bugs. And illustrator Yasmin Imamura fills this book with them, from the end papers to illustrations. I love the story about Evelyn and can only imagine having to fight my way free from a sticky curtain of spider webs (which she has to do on one of her adventures).

I like the way author Christine Evans weaves fun images into the story: crowds swarming into the insect house, and bugs creeping, sliding, scurrying. And I really like the way she portrays Evelyn as an intrepid and curious explorer graced with an indomitable spirit.

And there is back matter (which you know I love!): more information about Evelyn, an interview with an entomologist, and a list of books and other resources for curious readers who want to know more.

Beyond the Books:

Be an entomologist. Start by watching insects that live around you: bees, beetles, caterpillars – even cockroaches! Need help getting started? Check out this post on how you can be an entomologist (with plenty of activities) and this one for a great field guide.

Draw some pictures of your favorite bugs (insects, spiders, snails….)

Visit an insect house at a zoo. If you’re in Ithaca on October 19, head to Cornell for Insectapalooza where you’ll meet hundreds of live insects, spiders, and other fascinating arthropods. They have a live Butterfly Room and Arthropod Zoo.

Learn more about Evelyn Cheesman here.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website .
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Ways of Looking at a Tree

Every year people flock to our neck of the woods to peep at the turning leaves. And yes, those scarlet,  tangerine, gold, and bronze leaves fill our hills with color. But there are many ways of looking at the trees. So this month I'm sharing Five Ways of Looking at a Tree. Head out and look at some trees in your neighborhood or local park or wherever you wander this week

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