Two new National Geographic Readers

My kids loved listening to stories, and picture book read-alouds were our favorite time of the day. But there came a time when they wanted to find out stuff on their own – to read about bugs and animals that live nearby or far, far away. That’s one reason I love sharing books from the National Geographic Readers series. The other reason: they are filled with gorgeous photos that will have kids poring over the furry, fuzzy, or scaly details.

So here are two recently released titles.

In the Desert, by Michaela Weglinski is a short (24 page) book perfect for kids who are “ready to read.” The book features animals – and a few plants – from dry places around the world. It’s more than camels: there are fennec foxes, lizards, big cats, small birds. The text is large, with each sentence focusing on a specific fact. For example, “The cactus stores the water in its thick stems.” That photo features a diversity of cacti in the Sonoran Desert (USA), with an example pointing out where the stems are. This is helpful, since cactus stems look nothing like rose stems, despite them both being rather prickly.

What I like about this book: Did I mention the photos? Well, let me mention them again! They are filled with textures, from grainy sand to needle-sharp cactus spines to the fluffy coat of a snow leopard. Wait! What’s a snow leopard doing in the desert? That is one of the cool things kids will learn about. I also like the Vocabulary Tree at the beginning – with lists of words for Things in the Desert and How Deserts Feel.

Rainforests, by Andrea Silen is a 32-page book that is perfect for kids who are reading independently (but need occasional help with new words). Rainforests may cover only a small amount of the planet, but they have more unique plants and animals than anywhere else on Earth. And the photos in this book show some of those amazing flowers and frogs, birds and butterflies that inhabit the layers of a rainforest.

What I like about this book: There’s a table of contents, so kids can see what topics are included at a glance. And there’s a fun quiz at the back. There are those amazing, detailed photos full of color and texture. And there are plenty of text boxes that share information, show how to pronounce a word, or contain a joke. What do you call a clouded leopard on a rainy day?

Thank you to Tracey Daniels at Media Masters Publicity for review copies.

Animal Books for Early Readers

National Geographic Kids, 2016

National Geographic Kids has a series of readers that range from pre-reader to fluent reader. Here's a trio of titles that my kids would have loved when they were beginning to read
Peek Otter, by Shira Evans is full of active language: "Peek, otter!", "Run to the river," and "Jump!".

Each page or spread is a photo, with simple sentences in large type. Granted, some of the words are above pre-reader level. But once the child hears the story a couple of times, she/he will be able to read some words and fill in the rest of the story. And that's what pre-reading is all about, right?

National Geographic Kids, 2016

Evans also wrote Dive, Dolphin! another pre-reader. Like Otters, it is filled with action words. Both books relay information about how the animals hunt, what sort of food they eat, and their family life.

At the beginning of each book there's a "Vocabulary Tree" with categories of words. For example: where they live (ocean); what they have (flipper, tail); and my favorite, what they do (active verbs). So an early reader could learn words like dive, jump, play, leap, flip, peek ... and then act them out.

At the back of each book is an activity - a matching game or story sequencing challenge.

National Geographic Kids, 2016

Bears, by Elizabeth Carney is written for "fluent readers", children who are reading on their own and are ready for "more challenging vocabulary and varied sentence structures".  Each page features awesome photos, but this level has twice as many pages as the pre-readers - 48 instead of 24. And there are many more words on the page.

The format is more structured as well, with a table of contents, material divided into brief chapters, photographs with captions, and sidebars. There's also a glossary and an index. Like the other readers, Bears ends with an activity - though in this case it's a quiz.

While there's tons of great information about bears, my favorite section was about animals that have "bear" in their name but aren't bears. For example, Tardigrades, called "water bears" and "Bearcats" which are neither bear nor cat.

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

Animal Books for Early Readers

Reading aloud to kids is fun, but sometimes they want to find out things on their own. Here are three new books from National Geographic Kids that are written at a level for curious young naturalists. While written for different levels of readers, these books share a couple things in common: gorgeous photos of animals, a table of contents to help young naturalists find the information they seek, and an activity of some sort.

Turtles (level 1)
by Laura Marsh
32 pages; ages 4-6

Who doesn't love turtles! But did you know there are more than 300 kinds of turtles? And what the difference between a turtle and a tortoise is?

This book presents information in a variety of ways, from text on a page to "Turtle Terms" - introducing new words - to photo spreads where information is packaged like labels on a chart. There is an entire section devoted to "Cool Turtle Facts" like this: Giant tortoises can live more than 100 years.

Want to know what turtles eat? There's a chapter on that. There's also a chapter on how baby turtles hatch from their eggs and grow up into teenage turtles, plus a page showing different kinds of turtles.

Bees (level 2)
by Laura Marsh
32 page; ages 6-9

Pollinators are a hot topic, so kids will want to get the buzz about bees. Young readers can see close-up photos of how bees carry pollen, learn to tell the difference between a bee and a wasp, and how to be safe around bees (hint: don't bother them!).

There are plenty of "Buzz Words" scattered throughout the pages - words you need to know to talk about bees - and there's a detailed section about honeybees and how their society is structured. While the book is packed with great photos and information, I wish that the author had spent more time showing how solitary bees live - but maybe that's another book?

Follow Me: Animal Parents and Babies
by Shira Evans
48 pages; ages 2-5

This is a book meant to be read by children and an older sibling or a parent. Together. Sharing one book. One side is written for the older reader, with more sophisticated language. The "I Read" side is meant for the beginning reader, with larger text, easier words, and shorter sentences. The cool thing: people of all ages will learn something. For example, I didn't know baby lemurs were called "pups".

There are four chapters, each focusing on a particular aspect of animals lives: finding food, moving, making a home, and using tools. At the end of each chapter there's an activity to do together. What fun!

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.

A Trio of Animal Books for Early Readers

National Geographic Children's Books has a series of leveled readers for curious kids at every reading level. Here's a sample of three of their books about animals published this year.

Hoot, Owl!
by Shelby Alinsky
24 pages, ages 2-5
 level: pre-reader

Instead of a table of contents, the first page has a "vocabulary tree". In this case the list begins: animals. Under that: Snowy Owls. Then on one side a list with words related to Where they Live (snow, cold) and on the other side, What they Do (swoop, glide).

Easy-to-read text is accompanied by high-quality photographs. The last page in the pre-readers is devoted to an activity: pretending you're the featured animal and moving the way it moves, matching words to photos, drawing...

 Red Pandas
by Laura Marsh
32 pages; ages 4-6
level: 1 (starting to read)

This book opens with a table of contents and a question: Guess Who? Red pandas share the name of "panda" but, we learn, they are not any relation to the black-and-white pandas people are used to seeing.

Readers learn about life in the trees, what red pandas eat, and how they talk with each other. Large font text explains most of the material, with text-boxes for cool facts, new words, and even some panda jokes. There's even a panda centerfold - with Five Fun Facts and adorable photos of red panda babies.

The neat thing about books at this level is the "What in the World?" puzzle at the back: close-up photos with hints like "these are used for climbing." There is a word bank (words kids should be familiar with) and a photo glossary at the back.

Ugly Animals
by Laura Marsh
32 pages; ages 5-8
level 2 (independent readers)

This book is the antithesis of an animal beauty contest. Laura Marsh has rounded up some of the weirdest-looking creatures from air, sea, and land - even space!

There's a table of contents at the front and a photo glossary at the back. In-between are portraits of jumping spiders, tapirs, vultures, and bats. The text is more complex, with longer sentences and new words. There are plenty of text-boxes with cool facts, jokes, and "critter terms", and a centerfold featuring Five Ugly Frogs. At the back there's a quiz.

Kids who want to go beyond the book can become "Super Readers". National Geographic has a special Super Reader site with posters, activities, and games.

Today is STEM Friday. Drop by the STEM Friday blog for book reviews and other STEM resources.