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 Hughes 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 Hughes 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.