Dinosaurs (and People) at the Museum!

 Every now and then I get some picture books that I know will appeal to older kids – the six-to-nine-year olds who still love picture books but revel in something with more depth. Here are two that might go together…

themes: dinosaurs, museums, science

Brontosaurus Is Back!: A Dinosaur's Name and Return to Fame

by Sarah Albee; illus. by Chris Hsu 

40 pages; ages 6-9

Charlesbridge, 2026

Before we even get to the first line of the story, we know something big is coming. STOMP! “Do you hear that?” asks a bird, who then announces (at the title page) that the awesome Apatosaurus is coming. But, on the first spread we learn…

Behold! It’s … Brontposaurus! “Wait!” says Bird. “Mistake! This is Apatosaurus. We’re not supposed to call it Brontosaurus.”

And who, at this point, would NOT turn the page to find out why?  Such a great lead-in to a tale of bones and skullduggery and the famous fossil rivalry between Marsh and CopeBack in their day, there was such a rush to discover – and name – dinosaur fossils that sometimes the science got … sloppy! 

What I like about this book: I like the humor Sarah Albee brings to her books, and this one is no different. It’s fun to read, a bit sassy in places, and shows how our understanding of paleontology has evolved over time – and how scientists continue to seek answers. I also like the fact boxes – they come with fun headings such as “Dig This!” and “Talk Like a Scientist.” Plus, Bird shows up in every spread lending his own point of view to the discussion. Brontosaurus fans (of which I am one) will appreciate the extensive timeline at the back as well as discussion about how we know what we know about apatosaurus and brontosaurus… and how scientists shifted their thinking as they accumulated more data.

Since the dinos we see are fossils at the museum, I thought this book would be a good companion.

What Do People Do at the Science Museum?

by Maggie Tokuda-Hall; illus. by Qin Leng

48 pages; ages 5-8

Chronicle Books, 2026

Welcome to the Science and Natural History Museum! It’s a good place for curious people to ask questions and learn.

Not only will we see all kinds of things in there, but we’ll meet all kinds of people who work in STEM fields… starting with a structural engineer who made sure the building was safe to be in. In this book readers learn what museum educators and geologists and paleontologists do – pretty important folks if you love dinosaurs and fossils! They’ll meet collections managers and preparers – the folks who clean the dino bones and help arrange the skeletons. One of the jobs that you rarely think about is that of the conservator – the folks who keep the specimens in good shape. There are even museum artists!

What I like about this book: Each spread highlights different scientists or other kind of museum specialist. Sidebars provide further information and details about what they do, sometimes in a humorous fashion. For example, “Herpetologists ssssspecialize in ssssnakes….” The last spread encourages kids to get involved in community science projects because “… [they] can do science all the time” – not just at school or in a museum.

Beyond the Books:

Visit some dinosaurs at a natural history museum. Draw a picture of your favorite one. How tall is it? How long? How is the skeleton supported? 

Look at the signs for your dinosaur. What information is on the signs? Did you learn something new about your dinosaur by visiting the museum?

When you’re at a natural history museum, visit one of the dioramas. Take some time to study the details: what does the painted landscape look like? What sort of trees and animals are in the diorama? Are there human artifacts? Why do you think the artist designed the display this way?

Read about the brontosaurus debate at the Natural History Museum website

Sarah Albee is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her books at her website sarahalbeebooks.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM books at www.steamteambooks.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. 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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ a leaf's view of the world

 Sometimes it's good to look at the world from another perspective. Would a bird see things the same way we do? What about a chipmunk? What about a leaf? 

 

What does your world look like when you look at it from ground level?

 

Trees as Memorials and Habitats

I live in a region of the country that is blessed with trees (and the water to nurture them). Trees provide food and shelter to wildlife, even in the city, and are long-lived so they are often planted as memorials. So today I’m sharing two books that highlight trees in those roles.

themes: trees, nonfiction, memorial, animals

150,000 Trees: Growing a Memorial for 9/11's Flight 93
by Rebecca Hirsch; illus. by Jacqueline Tam
40 pages; ages 7-10
Tilbury House Publishers, 2026

Many years ago, in the quiet hills of Pennsylvania, a field of grasses whispered shh-hh-hhh to the bright September sky.

As a tiny speck of a plane appears in the distance, Rebecca Hirsch introduces us to the field – one that had long ago been a forest. Once coal was discovered, the land was dug and mined and no more trees grew. Meanwhile the plane is getting closer, and closer until it crashes into that whispering field.

What I like about this book: I like how Rebecca introduces the field as a character, along with the families of passengers and crew killed in the crash of flight 93 on September 11. She shows how, in the following years, people wanted to create a memorial to their loved ones in an act of healing, and also do something to help heal the land, too. I also like the language where she shows how people decided to plant trees and continues over the years until “… tree by tree, person by person, the forest grew.” Back matter provides more information about United Airlines Flight 93 and 9/11 along with a map of the memorial wall and groves, and a personal note from Rebecca.

Congratulations to Rebecca for her book being selected as a Gold Award winner for California Reading Association’s Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Award this year. 

We Live in Trees! Amazing Animal Adaptations
by Heather Alexander 
32 pages; ages 4-9
Millbrook Press, 2026

What can live in a tree? Not just anything! 

Some animals just don’t have what it takes to live in a tree. Take dolphins, for example. Or pigs, or elephants! From tails to toes, this book explores the adaptations that allow arboreal animals to be … arboreal. 

What I like about this book: I love that Heather Alexander introduces the word “arboreal” on the first spread. And I like the diversity of animals, from kinkajous to red pandas to tree frogs. We see adaptations that allow climbing up and gliding down, adaptations that provide balance, and some that help an animal blend in to the tree environment. 

I like the fun titles of fact boxes found on every spread: Tail End Fact, Swoosh Fact, and for chameleon, Foot Fact. I also like how, at the end, Heather invites kids to share what they know about animals living in trees and some of their adaptations. Back matter includes suggestions on how kids can help protect tree habitats, a map of the treetop habitats found around the world, and a glossary (with pronunciation guide) for all the cool science words in the book.

Beyond the Books:

Go on a tree walk around your neighborhood or a local park. What kinds of trees do you see? Borrow a field guide from your library that shows trees in your region and learn more about them.

Are there any memorial trees planted around your school or parks? Sometimes they have plaques next to them. Find out more about why they were planted, and why those trees were chosen. You can learn more about the 9/11 memorial trees on this page at the Flight 93 National Memorial.

If you were going to live in a tree, what sort of adaptations would you need? Think about how you would get up, find food, sleep ….

Check out this interview with Heather Alexander at the Lerner Books Blog.

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. 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 copies provided by the publisher.

Explore Outdoors ~ Look Up!

 This week, Look Up! What do you notice?  Here's what I noticed over the past few days ...

 

Leaves, Migration, Hibernation ~ Seasonal Books for Emergent Readers

 This is the perfect season to check out these new books from Lerner publishing that focus on why leaves change color, why birds migrate, and why animals hibernate. These “First Look” titles are part of Lerner’s Read About Science series (Read for a Better World) and aimed at emergent readers. Written by Candice Ransom, each book spans 24 pages with a first-grade readability level and seasonal science facts that will appeal to ages 5-8.

My grand-kiddo is three fingers away from beginning-to-read, but here’s what I like about these books:

 

For emerging readers, each book poses a question at the beginning and then presents information to help answer the question. For these books, the first page questions are:

Why do birds migrate?
Why do leaves change color in the fall?
Where do animals go as days get cooler and nights get longer?

The information is simple and focused on answering the question.

The words are appropriate for the reading age, and I think will give emerging readers a feeling of success and satisfaction. And – one can hope – help them develop the habit of including nonfiction books in their library bookbag. 

Plus, the photographs are engaging.

 

For parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and librarians there is embedded family and educator support, starting with page two. A bright yellow-on-green “educator toolbox” presents three questions an adult can ask before diving into the book. For example, what do you think this book is about? 

A “let’s read together” section presents handy tips such as encouraging the child to use pictures to understand the text. As a former high school science teacher I just want to point out that this is an important skill, and one I reminded my students about constantly! “Look at the chart/graph/photo,” I would say. “What information can you glean from that?” 

Each book has a “You Connect” page where readers are asked three questions including what else they might want to learn about the topic. This is such a great question to ask kids and gets them thinking like a scientist. A “STEM snapshot” page asks them to think a bit more deeply about the topic. Additional back matter includes a photo glossary, suggested books to read, and a simple – and useful – index.

 

Beyond the Books:

What colors do the leaves turn where you live? If it’s not too late to collect a few, bring them in and make some crayon leaf-rubbings using the colors of the leaves.

Have the summer birds left your area already? Which ones fly south? And where are they going?

What to the animals who live in your area do in the winter? Do they migrate? Hibernate? Or stay active all year round? 

Explore Outdoors ~ nothing's perfect

 

 

It's tempting to think that nature is perfect - but it's not. Maple samaras are not perfectly symmetrical. One might be smaller, or shaped funny. Leaves are slightly different from each other. Fruit size and shape varies. This week, look for the small imperfections that make up the natural world around you.

Take It Apart!

You've heard of Maker-Spaces... now it's time to think about Breaker-Spaces!

Take It Apart

by Katey Howes; illus. by Elizabet Vuković 

32 pages; ages 4-9

Carolrhoda Books, 2026

themes: problem-solving, engineering, rhyme

Some call you a Wrecking Ball. Some say Destroyer.

A troublesome, mess-making, chaos enjoyer.

That’s because when they see you unraveling things, busting and breaking them apart, they think that’s all you’re doing. What they’re not seeing is the way you’re thinking about how something was put together; what makes it work; and how those pieces of broken things might be used to repair – or create – something else. There’s a science to breaking things down and sorting and storing the screws and washers, bolts and nuts and hinges. 

What I like about this book: This is a great cross-curricular book that links STEAM and language arts. I like how Katey Howes expands on the concept of breaking things down. For example, when you’re reading and come across a new word, breaking it into parts is one way to figure out how to read it. And sorting is, at its heart, all about math (think: grouping). Furthermore, she points out that we aren’t the only ones “taking things apart” – consider the compost pile! One of my favorite spreads is where Katey shows how a big project can be broken down into smaller parts. I also like the end pages! Katey Howes and illustrator, Elizabet Vuković worked together on an earlier book, Be a Maker which is every bit as fun as Take it Apart!

Beyond the Books:

Take something apart. Some libraries have “take apart” days where you can break down old phones, radios, and other electronics to see how they are put together. Is there something in your house you can take apart? Make sure you ask for permission first! And if you need help with screwdrivers and other tools, ask for help.

Sort a bunch of parts. Does someone in your home have a bucket of screws and nuts and bolts? Ask if you can sort them, and put them into groups of like-things.

Solve a problem. In our house it’s figuring out a way to sort recyclables so they end up in the right bin at the recycling center. What kind of problem can you help solve around your house? Once you’ve identified the problem, break it into smaller pieces and build a plan.

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 Blue Slip Media.

Explore Outdoors ~ funky fungi

 Still finding things to do from my beginning-of-the-month list... though I don't always accomplish them. For example: I've had no luck finding glow-in-the-dark mushrooms. That might have to do with the fact that I fall asleep before they start glowing... or that I'm just not in the right location. But I have found lots of cool mushrooms that don't glow! 

 

 What funky fungi do you see around your neighborhood?

A Visit to a Heronry

Heronry

by Barbara Herkert; illus. by Gordy Wright

40 pages; ages 4-8

Tilbury House Publishers, 2026

themes: birds, animal families, conservation 

Spring dawns at the heronry. 

The first bird arrives.

He lights with large, graceful wings, long stilt-like legs.

Page by page Barbara Herkert introduces us to a heron family, from the first sticks of nest-building through raising chicks to fledglings leaving the nest. The combination of lyrical prose and luscious art make this a wonderful nature narrative for reading to children. Aside from the hungry eagle, the story feels peaceful and nurturing. 

What I like about this book: I like the layered text. One side of each spread features lyrical text in larger print. A text box on the other side contains additional supportive information – perfect for an older kid to read, or from which a parent could choose a fun fact of the day to highlight during a read-aloud. The life-cycle of a heron provides a nice arc for the book, and Gordy Wright’s illustrations provide details that will have kids lingering over the page. Plus there is back matter for curious naturalists of any age, and end pages that will have you dreaming of flight- or at least heron-watching. 

Beyond the Books:

Learn more about Great Blue Herons. Here’s a video from Cornell Lab of Ornithology that shows herons fishing, and here’s their heron page at All About Birds.

Watch a baby heron hatch! Video courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

How do you compare to a Great Blue Heron? Herons range from 38-54 inches. How tall are you? Their wingspan stretches from 66-79 inches. How wide is your “wingspan” when you stretch both arms out to the side? 

Do you eat like a heron? Great Blue Herons eat mostly fish! But they also eat frogs, crabs, snakes, grasshoppers and other insects. What’s on your dinner plate?

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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ Finding our Colors

One of the things on my list of Things To Do in Fall (posted last week) is to watch the maple trees turn red. Or gold...  So that's what I've been doing this past week and I've noticed something. For sure, there's a "peak season" when most of the leaves will be at their most brilliant, but there's a long period of time when just a few are closing down their chlorophyll factories and putting on their fall colors. 

 

Watching them slowly change as the earth turns towards winter reminds me that we all change in our own time. Some of us, like the trees around me, are the first to turn red, orange, gold. Some of us are stragglers, the last ones to paint our leaves and join the party. And in the end, it doesn't matter because we all get there.

 

How are the leaves changing where you live?

 

Sharks in Kansas?

Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of America

by Melissa Stewart; illus. by Becca Stadtlander 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Random House Studio, 2026

themes: sharks, prehistoric ocean, nonfiction

Sharks in Kansas? Seems impossible, right? After all, Kansas is smack-dab in the middle of the United States – more than 1,000 miles from the closest ocean…

… and when we think of Kansas we imagine waving fields of wheat, not ocean waves! But here’s the thing: our world hasn’t always looked the way it does now. And Melissa Stewart takes us back in time to 85 million years ago to show us what scientists imagine Kansas looked like, and some of the amazing creatures that lived there. Back then, it was part of a vast interior seaway, with dinosaurs roaming the shores and sharks swimming the deep waters. Many kinds of sharks including the Cretoxyrhina which grew to 26 feet long! (That’s like five of me lined up head to toe!)

What I like about this book:  I love the diversity of sea life that Melissa introduces, with quick facts in sidebars. Not only does she tell what they are, their size, and where they sit on the food chain, she provides a pronunciation guide for each creature. That 26-foot-long shark, for example: kruh-tox-ee-RIE-nuh. Through words and illustrations we see the inland seaway shrink until all that’s left are chalky bluffs filled with coccolithophores and fertile soil beneath which the SHARKS lie! Back matter tells more about the geological changes over time.

Beyond the Books:

What did your state look like 90 million years ago? Check out the ancient earth globe.

Try one of the shark crafts listed at https://craftprojectideas.com/now-trending/shark-week/. I like the “feed the shark” activity myself.

Watch the sharks at the Georgia Aquarium via their “shark-cam”.

How long is a shark? Use chalk to draw a line 26 feet long on a sidewalk (or use a clothesline on a lawn). Have you and your friends lie down end-to-end ... how many of you does it take to make one giant prehistoric shark?

Melissa writes tons of books about science and is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her books at her website https://melissa-stewart.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM books at www.steamteambooks.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 Blue Slip Media, who graciously shares publisher’s copies with reviewers like me.

Explore Outdoors ~ Things to do This Season

 Fall is here! How do I know? Things are falling all around: acorns, locust pods, chestnuts, maple leaves...

 

Here are just a few things to do this season: 

• watch maples turn red
• collect acorns
• pick apples
• find glow-in-the-dark mushrooms
• follow woolly bear caterpillars
• map monarch migration
• make leaf prints
• hunt for insect galls
• do bark rubbings
• collect flower seeds
• make a compost pile
• take a sock walk
• rake leaves into a pile and jump in
• take a night walk
• make applesauce
• discover where ladybugs hide

What will you do today?

Welcome Back ~ Let's Talk Like an Animal!

 Hello! Hola! <uncurl and streeeeetch>

Welcome back from that rather extended summer break. I got busy moving, and am in a new home in a new town in a new environment that I'm exploring on my daily walks. Since those walks involve a dog (my grand-pup) we often end up at the park with other dogs, so I've had plenty of opportunities to observe how these canines meet and greet their friends. So today I'm sharing... 

 

 

 

Say Hello Like an Armadillo: And Other Animal Greetings from Around the World 
by Zewlan Moor; illus. by Karen Obuhanych 
40 pages; ages 4-8
Nosy Crow, 2026 

themes: animal communication, movement, read aloud

People like to say, “Hello!” 

Animals do, too. 

From whales to armadillos, which “hello” is right for you?

If you’ve ever wondered how to greet an elephant or a whale or even an armadillo, then this book is for you. Just like you, animals have their own way of saying “hello” to friends and neighbors. From fin shakes and tongue clicks to waving claws, these animal greetings invite kids to follow along – and maybe even experiment with different ways they can greet their own friends.

 

 

What I like about this book: It’s fun to read, with large-type verbs that will have kids trying out new moves. And, in addition to showing a diversity of animal species, it highlights the diversity kids might find in their friend groups. Plus – there is backmatter that expands on the animal greetings introduced in the read-aloudable text.

Beyond the Books:

If you have a dog or cat living with your family, how do they greet the humans in the family? How do they greet new people coming into the house to visit? And how do they greet other dogs (or cats)? 

Learn how to say “hello” in different languages from around the world. Here’s a video to get you started.

Try some of the animal greetings from the book: click like a whale, stretch like an armadillo, wave like a crab.

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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to play outside! To string up a hammock and read books! To build sandcastles and ... 

 

watch fireflies
explore mud puddles
watch mud wasps build their nests
dance in the rain
watch a spider weave her web
listen to bird songs    
follow a bumblebee
look for worms
pick blueberries
ride a bike
look under stones
look for dragonfly larvae in streams
smell the earth
write haiku
hang T-shirts on clothesline to dry
get to know a moth
watch for bats
listen for hummingbirds

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break for the summer. You'll find my nature posts and 1-minute book reviews over on my facebook page this summer ~ picture books, middle grade, young adult, adult, graphic novels, fiction, nonfiction... because, Summer Reading.

 

Have Fun & See You in September October*! 

*we are moving... so book reviews and posts will happen once I get settled

Oooh! Aaah! Fourth of July Science

Bang! The Art, History, and Science of Fireworks 
by Ron Miller 
104 pages; YA
Twenty-First Century Books, 2026

review copy provided by publisher

“This book is all about pyrotechnics,” writes Ron Miller. He’s not lying; this book explodes with research on the art and science of fire and explosions. And beyond, because he reveals the more mundane world of matches, roadside flares, and other non-weapon applications. The first chapter lays down early history. From there he explores fireworks as art. Though he mentions that different chemicals are used to create the colors we see in fireworks displays, he doesn’t explain which chemicals produce what color. I was hoping for a color wheel… 

 

Ron takes readers on an armchair field trip to explore how firecrackers and fireworks are made – and keeps us safe from accidental explosions. Later, he takes us on a movie set where pyrotechnics are used as special effects. After touring world holiday celebrations that include fireworks, he touches on environmental considerations and mentions some alternative ways, and less noisy ways, to create festive celebratory displays.

Fizz! Pop! Boom! 

Here's how to make some quiet Fourth of July explosions in your backyard:  

•  Fizzy sidewalk chalk fireworks ~ pffff!
•  Exploding paint Bags ~ more pop than boom!
• Erupting Rainbow ~ Of course vinegar is involved! 

Explore Outdoors ~ Wallflowers

I'm always amazed at how persistent plants can be. They'll find a foothold just about anywhere! I once found a sunflower sprouting in the nook of a tree branch...

 

 

Where's the most unusual place you're found flowers growing in your neighborhood?
 

Pollinator Pit Stops!

I can't think of a better way to end the week than with this book!

A Pathway for Pollinators 

by Michelle Schaub; illus. by Blanca Gómez 

40 pages; ages 4-8

Norton Young Readers, 2026

themes: ecology, pollinators, plants

Flitter.

Flutter.

Buzz.

Hum.

Come … watch a meadow thrum.

As cities grow, meadows go – where will the pollinators feed? In this book, children work together to create a chain of pollinator pitstops that connect the wild meadows beyond town limits to a city park. From rooftops and window boxes to patches of yard, they sow seeds of native plants that provide what the local insects, birds, and bats need.

What I like about this book: I love the lyrical language Michelle uses to bring us into the world of pollinator corridors. And the text reminds folks to be mindful about the ways we tend the plantings, by avoiding the use of chemicals that harm the pollinators. Back matter discusses why we need pollinators, why the pollinators need us, and the importance of choosing the right plants for a pollinator garden. There’s also a section about the importance of pathways as well as why we want to think about trees and shrubs as part of a pollinator pit stop. From the end pages through the pages, Blanca’s bright images invite us to explore the world of pollinators and their plants.

Beyond the Books:

Make a map of your neighborhood. Put in flowering trees that line the streets, and draw in where  people have planted flowers in gardens or window boxes. Is your neighborhood a good place for pollinators?

Create a pollinator pit stop. If you don’t have space in a yard, consider a 15-inch diameter container for a patio or balcony. Check out the lists of native plants for your region at XERCES 

Go pollinator-watching. You can watch bees or butterflies, hummingbirds, or even bats (in the evening). Keep a list of all the pollinators that live in and visit your neighborhood.

Michelle is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her books at her website www.michelleschaub.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM books at www.steamteambooks.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 copies provided by the publishers.

Pollinator Week ~ plant some flowers

 ... or let some wild flowers grow in your garden or yard. Often, nature will provide plenty of flowers - plants that most folks call "weeds" such as: henbit and deadnettle, mullein, ox-eye daisies, asters, goldenrod,  red clover, Queen Anne's lace, and black-eyed Susans. 

When I want to add color and height, I'll plant cosmos, coneflowers, calendula, bee balm (monarda), and zinnias. I'll let some of the oregano, thyme, and basil go to flower - the bees love them. And I usually plant sunflowers and marigolds just for fun.

The other thing a pollinator patch needs is water. I pour water in a shallow dish and put in some rocks to give insects a place to perch as they drink.

And if you're growing flowers to attract pollinators, ditch the pesticides and herbicides. 

Explore Outdoors ~ Flower Flies!

 Not everything stripy and buzzy flying in my garden is a bee! Some of the hardest working pollinators are flower flies! Some folks call them hoverflies because they hover over blossoms. According to one horticulture educator, hoverflies pollinate strawberries, apples, plums, pears, cherries, raspberries and blackberries. 

So how can you tell if that yellow-and-black buzzy insect is a fly or a bee? Get a close look.

Not THAT close! A couple hand-lengths away should allow you to observe them without making them nervous. Look at:

• their eyes. Flies have large eyes that meet at the top of their head. Bees and wasps have smaller eyes that sit on the side of their heads.
• their antennae: Flies have short, stubby antennae that sometimes look like tiny clubs. Bees and wasps have long, thin antennae that are made of segments.
• their wings. Flies have only one pair of wings and tend to hold them out to the side when on a flower. Bees and wasps have two pair and tend to fold them over their back when resting.

There are 6,000 kinds of flower flies around the world - what kind do you see on the flowers in your yard?

Pollinator Week ~ bumble bees!

Some of the easiest pollinators to catch "on the job" are bumble bees... they tend to stay focused on their work, and they don't get too bothered by people getting a close look at them.

If you're lucky to find a bumble bee humming about the flowers in your yard, take a few moments to observe them:

• what colors are they? (some have orange stripes!)
• what kinds - and colors - of flowers are they visiting?
• do different bees visit flowers in the morning vs afternoon?
• can you hear a difference in the sounds they make?
• after visiting a flower, what's the next flower they go to?

You can make a "bee map" of your yard by following a bumble bee when she's on a pollen-collecting trip (but don't get so close that you bother her). Use some bamboo skewers to mark the flowers she visits. Poke one into the ground next to each flower she visits. Then when she flies away, draw a map of her journey and color in the flowers. 

Welcome to Pollinator Week!

 

This week is Pollinator week! And this year’s theme is Life on a Leaf: Celebrating Caterpillars and Host Plants. The theme highlights the importance of lepidoptera in the United States – the nearly 11,000 species of moths and 750 species of butterflies that pollinate flowers – and the  plant species they depend on for breeding, feeding, and overwintering.

This year’s “Pollinator of the Year” is the Swallowtail Butterfly. There are some thirty species of the Swallowtail here in the U.S. and nearly 600 species around the world – here’s the one I commonly see in my garden. You can find swallowtails around gardens, lilac trees, and puddles - they love slurping up salts from the mud. 

Pollinator Week is also your chance to get involved in a community science project: Pollinator Bioblitz. All you have to do is sign in on your iNaturalist account and join the project. (If you don’t have an iNaturalist account, it’s pretty easy to set up.) Then, during pollinator week, take photos of the bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, hummingbirds, and bats you see flying around and landing on flowers.  

An Underwater Fieldtrip to Seagrass Meadows

 

Meadows of the Sea: The Wonders of Seagrass 
by Michelle Schaub; illus. by Khoa Le 
40 pages; ages 5-8
Sleeping Bear Press, 2026

themes: ocean, animals, ecology
 

Where ocean meets shore, 

beneath the waves, 

vast grasses sway.

If you’re heading to the ocean this summer, you might want to know more about the mysterious wonders of seagrass. They form underwater pastures filled with leaves that twist and curl, billow and bend. Although they’re called “seagrasses” they aren’t really grasses. “They’re underwater flowering plants that evolved from land plants about 100 million years ago,” writes Michelle Shaub. She takes us on an underwater field trip to look in the nooks and crannies of the seagrass meadows, pointing out the fish, turtles, and other marine creatures that live there. 

 

What I like about this book: I love the lyrical language that gently draws you into the underwater environment. I also like that Michelle shows how seagrass meadows are integral to the health of the planet. The plants sequester carbon, produce oxygen, and act as filters to help clean the water. As tough as they are, withstanding wind and waves, the seagrasses suffer from increasingly frequent marine heatwaves and chemical pollution. Fortunately, we can all be seagrass heroes, and Michelle ends with a list of things kids (and adults) can do to help keep the seagrass meadows strong. Back matter includes a closer look at the marine life that call seagrass meadows home, and a glossary. And did I mention that I love the artwork? Illustrator Khoa Le fills the pages with colors of the sea, and the rhythm of the plants swaying in the tide. Her art is informed by her personal observation of sea meadows during free-dives.

Beyond the Books:

Get to know a few kinds of seagrass from the Florida Museum. Draw your favorite one.

If you are at the shore, put on some snorkeling goggles or wade into the water and look down at a patch of seagrass. If you stay still, you might be surprised at what you see. The best places to search are shallow, sheltered places like bays and estuaries, where the sunlight reaches all the way to the sandy bottom. Look for dark green patches of plants.

Check out Michelle’s activity guide for a Seagrass matching game, writing a poem, and how to be a Seagrass Hero (and more!) at her website, www.michelleschaub.com/meadows. Click on the “download here” button.

Michelle is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her books at her website www.michelleschaub.com. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM books at www.steamteambooks.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 copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ Spittlebug Season

 

The other morning I headed out to take photos of all the spiderwebs in the "tall grass" - a section of lawn we've let grow. It's not so much grass as it is a mix of wild flowers and plants that have grown up. Along with the numerous webs, I noticed lots of spitballs ...

 

Yep, it's that time of year again: spittlebug season! Spittlebugs are juvenile "froghoppers" that suck plant sap, spill it all over themselves, then blow air out their butts to create a froth of bubbles.

 

 This is what they look like if you wipe some of the spit off their faces. Cute little buggers, aren't they?

 

 I see them on so many different plants, but I've never taken the time to make a list of:

• what plants do I find them on?
• do they prefer mid-level living or top floor?
• are there any plants they won't choose?
• how many spittlebug friends share the plant?

 This week head out on a Spittlebug Search!

What do you DO with a 40-pound Cabbage?

 

The Cabbage Seed's Colossal Secret
by Karen M. Greenwald; illus. by Alejandra Ruiz 
40 pages; ages 4-8
Tilbury House Publishers, 2026

themes: garden, food, community

If someone gives you a tiny seed, you’ll want to plant it in a secret spot.

When a child plants a tiny seed, she wonders what secrets it will reveal. She waters it and nurtures it and the tiny plant grows and grows and grows until it is huge! What does a kid do with a 40-pound cabbage?

What I like about this book: If you’ve ever grown a cabbage, then you know just how large they can grow! I like how Karen Greenwald shows her character, Katie wondering, and watching, and then realize that she might have to do arm-strengthening exercises in order to harvest the cabbage! And then how she dreams of what she can possibly do with such a huge vegetable… and eventually how this one girl’s dream of feeding people turned into a charity that encourages people to grow food for hunger relief programs. 

 

Backmatter tells more about Katie’s Krops and has some practical guidelines for how kids can nurture goodness in their own gardens.

Beyond the Books:

How many things can you do with a cabbage? Sure, you can turn it into coleslaw and sauerkraut, but there must be other things? Buy a cabbage and experiment with recipes!

Plant a seed – something you like to eat. And then watch it grow. Document its growth by drawing pictures or taking photos and measuring it. If you only have a small space, look for veggies that can grow in containers.

Find out more about Katie’s Krops, and see if there are similar programs in your area. Our town has community raised bed gardens behind the food pantry, and when people don’t need everything they grow, they donate it to the pantry.

In a couple weeks, on June 24, Karen’s joining a bunch of us to chat about writing agriculturally-related books over at the GROG blog. She is also a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her books at her website www.karengreenwald.com You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM books at www.steamteambooks.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.