Your Body’s Goops, Juices, and Hormones

The Gland Factory: A Tour of Your Body’s Goops, Juices, and Hormones 

by Rachel Poliquin; illus. by Clayton Hanmer 

80 pages; ages 8012

‎Greystone Kids, 2025

Another fun book about the human body by the same team who gave us The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers a couple years ago. I love the table of contents: a map of the Gland Factory so we know where to begin our tour. First stop: the mouth machine. You may want to put on a poncho and a hardhat, because things can get messy on the factory floor. The Mouth Machine has teeth that can crush you dead, and saliva glands that could drown you in spit. 

Make sure you hold on tight as we climb the ladder up to … the nostrils and inner nose. Hmmm, looks like the floor supervisor is doing a safety inspection of the nasal glands…

 After a quick stop at the eyes we get to Main Control in the hypothalamus. No gloop here! This is a messenger gland, a control station that sends and receives a continuous stream of chemicals from endocrine glands. Together they coordinate the body’s vital systems: circulation, digestion, sleep, metabolism, temperature control, and more. These important messages are sent through the bloodstream, similar to rolled up notes stuffed in a bottle and sealed and tossed into a stream. Unlike notes in a bottle, the messages are read and responded to. 

Upon receiving a message, the worker in charge runs it through the hormone decoder machine and then releases the appropriate response hormone from the hormone storehouse. At least that’s how it works in the gland factory. In real life it’s all about body chemistry and receptor cells that ensure the correct hormone message connects with the correct body part.

The tour exits through the waxy ear holes, but before you go, please fill out a visitor survey. (And leave your hardhat and protective gear.) Back matter includes a glossary, suggestions for further reading, and an index.

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Aging flowers

 Day by day we're growing older. But for some of us, the process of aging comes more quickly - especially if we're a plant! As the flowers in my garden age, they produce seeds and the petals fall away. But there's that in-between time when they look like they're having a "bad hair day." This is especially true with calendula.

 

Aren't those textured seeds cool? 

This week, check out what the flowers are doing in your neighborhood! 

 

Going nuts for books about acorns and their trees

Themes: trees, growth, nature … and, of course, acorns!

Back in 2020, author Barbara Ciletti and illustrator Cathy Morrison teamed up on The Tiny Giant, a story about how tiny acorns grow into mighty oaks. Now they’ve got a board book coming out in a couple weeks – with text beautifully revised to perfectly suit this new format. 

The Tiniest Giant (board book)

by Barbara Ciletti; illus. by Cathy Morrison 

20 pages; ages baby-3 years

‎Schiffer Kids, 2025 

Greatness begins in the tiniest places.

It always amazes me that seeds contain within them entire plants. I mean … pumpkins! And trees! This summer I watched acorns form on the oak shading our driveway and they start of so small – just a bunch of buttons hanging onto a twig. And I ask the same thing Barbara does in her book, “Is there a tree inside?”

What I like about this book: I like how the simple, yet not simplistic, text works with the illustrations to show the seasons of an oak tree’s life. The acorns ripen, and then “Seeds drop.” Simple language, right? But using the word “seed” for acorn helps build the expectation of future growth. Illustrations show the acorn sinking beneath the snow and, in the spring, germinating into a sturdy seedling. 

Oh, and do you notice anything about this first spread? If you said "book turn," you're right. You have to turn the book so you get this nice verticality of the tall, tall oak tree. Review copy provided by the publisher.

 

Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem 

by Henry Cole 

48 pages; ages 4-8

‎Peachtree, 2025 

Sometimes things happen by chance. A blue jay drops an acorn, and a tree’s life begins.

With luck, and enough sunlight and rain, that acorn germinates and grows into a seedling. A year later it has become a sapling. Over the years, the tree grows taller and provides nesting spots for birds. The leaves provide food for caterpillars which, in turn, provide food for songbirds. When they die and fall to earth, the leaves provide food for worms and other decomposers. Over time, people move into the area and what was once a forest becomes a town. Still the oak thrives.

What I like about this book: It seems such a simple thing, an acorn growing into an oak. But as the tree grows and ages, Henry Cole’s detailed black-and-white illustrations show the important role it plays in the ecological community around it. I like that Cole provides information visually, for those who want to look more carefully at details. At the back, he shows how to build an ecosystem in four easy steps. Cole writes and draws with the authority of someone who has studied trees and forests. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Looking for some fun fall read-alouds? Here are a couple more acorn-related stories that I found at my library:  

Acorn Was a Little Wild 

by Jen Arena; illustrated by Jessica Gibson 

‎Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022

Imagine an acorn – the first of his generation – leaping from the tree and heading off for a wild adventure. There are ferocious animals! Raging streams! Dark places…. but eventually, like every wild child, acorn puts down roots.

The Nut That Fell from the Tree 

by Sangeeta Bhadra; illustrated by France Cormier 

Kids Can Press, 2020

You can tell from the title that this is a cumulative tale infused with the rhythm and rhyme of the House that Jack Built. It begins with a treehouse where Jill plays … a tiny house tucked into the branches of an oak, from which an acorn drops and – I’m going to let you imagine the possibilities, but seriously, check it out and read it because it’s plain fun.

Beyond the Books:

Make some handprint acorns. Even one-year-olds will get into painting their hands and making a print! Here's how. 

Use mini-cookies and chocolate kisses to make edible acorns (this recipe uses peanut butter cookies – but for those of us with allergies we can find non-peanut alternatives!)

For older people: make a whistle using an acorn cap. I have yet to master this! Here's how.

Plant an acorn (or two or three) in a pot and leave it outside or on an unheated porch all winter. You might get a baby oak sprouting in the spring!

Get to know an oak tree. Collect some leaves and make some leaf prints. Do bark rubbing. Lay down underneath it and look up – what do you notice?

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher. Picture books from my local library.

Explore Outdoors ~ one last look at garden spiders

 My garden is a great habitat for spiders. I pile dried grass and straw on the beds to help keep them from drying out - and spiders love to hide in the mulch. I grow flowers between the tomatoes and peppers, and spiders love the web-building opportunities tall stems provide. And some plants have big leaves that create a shade for spiders looking for hiding spots. Here are a couple end-of-season spider pictures.

 

 

Some animals are Just Plain Rude!

 

So Rude!: Animals Behaving Badly 

by Jessica Fries-Gaither

32 pages; ages 4-9

Millbrook Press, 2025

theme: animal behavior, nonfiction, STEM

You’ve heard grown-ups say it again and again. Mind your manners. 

Be polite. 

Be on your best behavior.

Good advice for humans. Maybe not so much for animals, says Jessica Fries-Gaither. Because for some animals, what we think of as “bad manners” is just a way of life. For example, some animals don’t “tell the truth.” They use deceit to capture prey, disguises to hide from predators, and fake their own death to get out of … mostly getting eaten.

What I like about this book: Jam-packed with bad behavior – cowbirds cheat, crows call out fake news, and vultures poop on their feet – and filled with photos, this book is a fun tour of how animals use rudeness to survive. Or at least what looks like rudeness to us. Each example reminds us to not judge other animals by our standards (or lack thereof). There is back matter, with more information about animal behavior, a glossary, and list of resources for further reading. 

Jessica is one of my critique partners, and I watched this book “grow up” from outline to draft to revision to … yay! It’s a book! And in all that time I never asked her this One Question:

Me: What made you want to write this book? Were you inspired by behaviors you saw in the school lunchroom? Or, was this something you wanted to write for your students for any particular reason?

 

photo by Kollmer Photography

Jessica: I can't point to a specific incident that made me want to write this book! But we spend a good amount of time in my elementary science classes talking about animal behaviors and how we can't necessarily interpret them through the lens of human behaviors and norms. At some point I thought it could be a fun and funny window for kids into learning about animal behavior.

Beyond the Books:

Watch for backyard bullies at your bird feeder this winter! Which birds take over the feeder and scare off other birds? And how do they intimidate other birds? With calls? With wing displays? At our feeders it’s the jays who act badly!

What animal thieves hang out in your yard or neighborhood? Squirrels steal our bird seed and suit from the bird feeders! And a meadow vole took bites out of eight (8!) squash this summer. Crows often take shiny things, and even cats will pick up small toys and carry them off. Who's making mischief in your yard?

Jessica is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, www.jessicafriesgaither.com

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Smell the Leaves

Last week I was scuffling through the fallen leaves (on a country road in Vermont) - listening to the rustle and crunch - and I noticed that the air smelled sweet. Maybe it was all the sugar maple leaves?

 

 

This week pay attention to the leaves that have fallen:

• what do they sound like?
• what do they smell like?

 

A Last Hurrah for Bugs

Summer is definitely over, but fortunately* there’s still plenty of bugs all around us. Here are three books for bug-watchers who don't mind pulling on a sweatshirt. 

*my point of view. I realize other folks may have different feelings….

Themes: insects, evolution, nature

Bugs: A Skittery, Jittery History 

by Miriam Forster; illus. by Gordy Wright 

80 pages; ages 6-9+

‎Harry N. Abrams, 2024

“Bugs are everywhere,” writes Miriam Forster, noting they live in Antarctica, on the desert sands of the Sahara, and in the highest mountains on Earth. And they’ve been here forever – or at least for the past 520 million years or so. This oversize, beautifully illustrated book begins with an introduction to what makes a “bug” and a review of the classification system scientists use. Two-page sections show the evolutionary history and biology of arthropods, from trilobites to termites. 

What I like about this book: At the top of the first page of every section there’s a geologic timeline that runs from Cambrian to Quaternary. An icon of the bug sits above the appropriate period, with a note below about when it first showed up in the fossil record. There’s a “Did You Know” fact, a Toolbox, and a sidebar. The Toolbox is where you’ll find out more about how bugs breathe, segmentation, eyes, legs and other body parts, and behavioral adaptations. Sidebars focus on cool things such as modern-day relatives of the prehistoric critters, biomimicry, and how to distinguish a millipede from a centipede.

Back matter – yes, even with all that info there IS back matter – includes how to make a bug-catching kit, how to handle insects, and how to help bugs. The only thing that might make this book even better would be a table of contents. 

Bella Loves Bugs: A Fact-filled Nature Adventure Bursting with Bugs! (Nature Heroes, 2) 

by Jess French; illus. by Duncan Beedie 

48 pages; ages 4-7

Happy Yak/ Quarto, 2022

Hello, I’m Bella. I love bugs. When I grow up, I want to be an entomologist – that’s someone who studies insects.

Spend a day with Bella and her spider side-kick, and get to know the insects that live in her neighborhood. You’ll probably find many of them around your own yard! She finds ants, bees, and butterflies. She hops with crickets and checks the beetles in her tumble trap. At the end of the day she sets up a sheet and a light for an evening of moth-watching.

What I like about this book: I like how illustrator, Duncan Beedie incorporates graphic novel-type panels and speech bubbles. I like the sidebar pages that highlight such things as aquatic insects, metamorphosis, and twelve sparkly beetles. And I like the back matter that shows kids how they can be a nature hero for bugs.

One Day a Mayfly 

by Shirley Marr; illus by Michael Speechley

40 pages; ages 4-8

Candlewick, 2025

One bright morning, Mayfly emerges. 

Nobody notices except a little girl. And the frog who warns the mayfly that the world out there will eat her up. "Not that it matters. You'll only live for one day, anyway." But one day can be an astonishing amount of time for a tiny insect. Mayfly takes flight and leads readers - and the girl - on a tour around the park.

What I like about this book: What an imaginative way to introduce a short-lived creature! Mayflies are in the insect order, Ephemeroptera, as the adults live only a day or so. [The juveniles (larvae) are aquatic and, depending on species, may live up to a year before emerging as adults.] 

I like that there's a lot of "one day" word play in the illustrations: Day in Units; Day out Apartments, Daydream travel agency... I like that Mayfly could go on unknown adventures, but discovers that there are so many surprises nearby. I love that Mayfly wears a party hat but has no mouth. And I love that the adventures of Mayfly and the girl come back full circle to where they started, connecting with family - old and newly acquired.

One thing that is interesting about this book is that you have to turn it to read it. Like a calendar. Indeed, both front and back end pages are calendars that add context to the story. While a fun way to present a story, I found it awkward to flip pages up instead of right to left. At the end of the book, I found myself wanting to know more about mayflies: why didn't the mayfly have a mouth? Why do they live only one day? Do they really hatch in May?

Beyond the Books:

Go on a bug hike. Look for bugs that are on the ground, in a pond, on a tree, on flowers, or flying through the air. Set a timer. How many bugs do you see in five minutes?

Draw pictures of bugs you see outside your house, or that you saw on your bug walk. Or visit an insect house at a zoo or museum and draw your favorite bugs that you see there.

Be a bug! Even if for only a day! Make yourself a pair of antennae. You’ll need: a paper bag, pipe cleaners, tape, scissors. Here’s how. Mine are straight because I was being a fly that day – and also, I had to substitute a couple straws instead of pipe cleaners. I also made designs on my headband. Be creative! Extra points if you can make yourself a pair of wings!

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. And on Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy of  One Day a Mayfly from publisher. Other books  from the library.

Explore Outdoors ~ Caterpillars in the Carrots!

 One day I noticed that someone had been chewing on the carrots. The green tops, that is - and they had nibbled them down to the stems! At first, I thought it might have been a rabbit. But no ... a rabbit would have bitten off entire stems. This was a more dainty diner.

 

I looked and looked and nearly gave up. But then I saw the culprit!

 

 A black swallowtail caterpillar! Notice how the color helps it blend in with the shadows of the carrot leaves. I wanted to get up-close and meet it face-to-face.

 

 

 

This week, get to know a bug up-close and personal!