Go Fly a Kite - or something...

The Nature of Play: A Handbook of Nature-Based Activities for all Seasons

by Delfina Aguilar & Clare Aitken; illus. by Sabrina Arnault 

180 pages; ages 8+

Greystone Kids, 2026 (will be released May 19)

Put down the phone.

Turn off the screens.

Let’s go outside and play!

I grew up when phones were attached to walls and we spent most of our free time playing. We made up games in the back yard, chalked squares on the sidewalk for a game of hopscotch, and stitched up doll clothes from fabric scraps. Play allowed us to observe our world, contemplate nature, and experiment. It provided a place for our imaginations to run wild – and for us to become pirates, knights, or dragons!

The current move to reduce screen time opens opportunities for rediscovering the fun and wonder of play. And this book provides a source of ideas for things to explore, from star watching to making seed bombs. 

I like how it begins with a list of things to collect, and a list of things to know. For example, if you want to sleep outside but don’t want to get wet, a rope, a tarp, and a bit of knot knowledge can go a long way. Or if you want to draw some of the flowers or birds you find, knowing some basic shapes helps.

For each season, there are suggested things to do, things to eat, and things to observe. Activities include getting to know a tree, sending secret messages, building a kite, and making a camera. There are suggestions for books to read, tips on leaf identification, and games to play with friends.

If The Nature of Play had book buddies, they would be The Observologist and Be a Nature Explorer!

Here’s what we had in our “nature play” cupboard:

• magnifying glass or hand lens
• compass
• old prescription bottles for collecting samples 
• heavy cardboard and rubber bands for making a flower  press
• notebooks and sketch books
• pencils, crayons, markers
• chalk and sidewalk chalk
• paints and brushes
• scissors, tape, glue
• a box of shells and rocks
• a tin of beads and feathers
• ribbons, string, yarn
• fabric scraps
• needles and thread
• interesting papers, old cards, pictures from magazines
• and a couple bins to store all these in!

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.

Two Books for Exploring Summer

Greystone Kids has a couple books that are perfect for young nature explorers. 

Themes: fungi, nature, hands-on activities

Mushrooms Know: Wisdom From Our Friends the Fungi 

by Kallie George; illus. by Sara Gillingham 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Greystone Kids, 2024   

Mushrooms always wear their thinking caps. They know so many things.

For example, they know that there is more beneath the surface than what you see. That being unique is awesome. And that small can be mighty. They also know that it’s important to take care of your neighborhood, your friends, and yourself. Most of all, they know how important it is to stay connected.

What I like about this book: This is a wonderful book on so many levels. There’s the simple text about what mushrooms know, that ranges from ecological understanding to SEL. Sidebars provide another layer that dives deeper into the science of mushrooms. That’s where you’ll find cool info about how fungi send messages to plants, how they glow in the dark, and where you might find them growing. I also love the cute expressions on the mushroom caps. Plus there is back matter! That’s where you’ll find even more information about what mushrooms are, how they’re used to clean up oil spills, and the cool way bird’s nest mushrooms use raindrops to spread spores.

Be a Nature Explorer!: Outdoor Activities and Adventures 

by Peter Wohlleben; illus. by Belle Wuthrich & translated by Jane Billinghurst  

100 pages; ages 6-10

Greystone Kids, 2024 

This book is filled with 52 activities for the curious young naturalist. Peter Wohlleben invites kids to explore what’s outside around them. Record the plants and animals in your own nature notebook, he tells readers – that way you’ll have a book filled with your own discoveries. In addition to taking a pencil and notebook, he suggests a few other things to take along on your outdoors adventures: plastic containers to collect things for further study, a hand lens or magnifying glass, binoculars for observing animals and birds without bothering them, a cell phone to take photos – and maybe a nature app to help identify plants, insects, and other cool discoveries.

The activities are listed in a table of contents, in no particular order. The idea, Peter says, is to browse through and find something that interests you. They range from listening to a tree talk, to following slugs and snails, to mapping plants that move. It’s a great way to beat the “nothing to do” blahs of late summer

Beyond the Books:

Go on a fungus foray. Late summer and into the fall is the perfect time to look for mushrooms and other fungi. Draw what you see – feel free to give them faces, even entire personalities. What wisdom do they have for you?

You’ll find 30+ activities to explore fungi in my book, Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens & More (co-authored with Alisha Gabriel). Plus there’s more over at Patricia Newman’s LitLinks.

Label some pages in your nature notebook and start some lists of all the birds, trees, wildflowers, insects, and mammals you see in your neighborhood. Share with a friend and ask what they have discovered in their neighborhood. Hint: the more you look, the more you’ll see.

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Dive into a Deep Ocean Adventure

Deep

deep

down,

at the bottom

of the Pacific Ocean

lies a secret place.

Deep, Deep Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench 

by Lydia Lukidis; illus by Juan Calle Velez 

40 pages; ages 7-10

Capstone, 2023

theme: ocean, animals, exploration

This book is the perfect “armchair adventure” story: you start at the ocean’s surface and then dive deep, deep down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Which is the deepest part of the earth’s surface. The lyrical language and spare text give this underwater adventure a feeling of poetry, as if we are swaying in water like strands of sea plants. Or the arms of crinoids. 

Yep, crinoids! I thought they were all dead and fossilized, like the ones I dig out of my garden every spring. But no- they are alive and well and feeding 25,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. 

What I like about this book: I like the way Lydia describes how it feels being so far down in the ocean. She compares the increased water pressure to a thick, heavy blanket with a thousand hands pressing down. I like how there’s a text box on one side of the spread that’s a depth counter, and on the other side there’s more information about the featured creature. 

On this spread, the depth is 31,000 feet (9,449 m), where you can find amphipods. They are tiny crustaceans, around an inch long, though they can grow nearly a foot long in the upper regions of the trench. 

And of course there is back matter! Lydia shares how she came to write the book in an author note, as well as more about the Mariana Trench and its importance in the ocean ecosystem. There’s also a wonderfully illustrated chart showing which animals can be found at which levels in the trench.

Lydia graciously answered A Couple Questions about life in the trench.

Me: What made you want to write about the deepest part of the ocean?

Lydia: Like many others, I’m drawn to and curious about the unknown, especially places that I can’t visit myself. The deepest spot in the ocean was a topic I felt certain I wanted to write about. I’m also interested in space and anything cosmic. The deep sea and space are very common themes in kidlit books, so the trick is you set your book apart somehow. Luckily, there aren’t many kidlit books about the Mariana Trench so it worked out well.

Me: What surprised you most as you researched the creatures that live way, deep down in the water?

Lydia: Great question! In my initial research, I read that seadevil anglerfish roamed the trench and I was so excited to feature them. But when I interviewed experts, I discovered they can’t survive the intense pressure deep down. In fact, none of the initial “terrifying” creatures that I found on the internet actually lived in the trench. (A lot of information on the internet about the Mariana Trench is false). The most surprising element to me was how poetic, slow moving, jelly-like, and beautiful the creatures actually are. I was mesmerized and decided the text should be equally lyrical.

Kathy Halsey had a wonderful conversation with Lydia about her new book. You can read it over at the GROG blog. And you can check out Lydia's book trailer here.

Beyond the Books:

Find out more about the Mariana Trench. You can read about it online at NOAA.

What would a map of the deepest place on Earth look like? That’s what Dawn Wright, a marine geologist, is trying to find out. Read about her project to map a slice of the trench.

Draw a picture, or build a model of a submersible that you could use to explore the deepest part of the ocean. Then dive down into the trench with this BBC video.

Lydia is a member of #STEAMTeam2023. She is the author of more than 50 trade and educational books for children, including The Broken Bees Nest (nominated for a Cybils Award). A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Her next book takes readers up above the atmosphere. Look for Dancing Through Space: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024).

You can find out more about Lydia at her website. She's active on twitter (@LydiaLukidis) and Facebook and also posts on her blog, Blissfully Bookish.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review pdf provided by the publisher.

Dive Deep to Explore the Ocean

Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean

by Michelle Cusolito; illus. by Nicole Wong 

32 pages; ages 5-8

Charlesbridge, 2022    

theme: nature, ocean, exploratioon

Far away from shore, past beaches and coral reefs, the ocean’s surface conceals earth’s last unexplored wilderness.

But humans are curious. We want to know what’s in the ocean, so we dive in. We want to know what’s deeper in the water, so we create a way to carry air with us. We want to dive deeper … to know what’s at the very bottom of the ocean floor, so we build machines to help us to explore. 

What I like about this book: I like how the book takes readers on field trips to different depths. First we go snorkeling, swimming with fins and breathing through a tube that reaches above the water’s surface. This is where we can see corals and fish and maybe, if we’re lucky, a ray. Each spread takes us deeper into the ocean and introduces the technology used by explorers: atmospheric diving suits, submersibles, and really deep-sea submersibles.

I like that Michelle focuses on the diving that scientists do for research, and that she focuses on how the technology aids in unlocking the secrets of the deep. And I love that there is a vertical spread (turn the book so it is taller than wide) that illustrates the different kinds of diving technology used from sub-surface to miles below. Of course there is back matter!

I caught up with Michelle a couple weeks ago to ask her One Question:

me: Have you done any diving? And what cool things did you see?

Michelle: Yes. When I went snorkeling in the Caribbean in 2016, I was amazed by how loud it was on the coral reef. That experience worked its way into the book where you see two snorkelers glimpsing angelfish amongst sea fans and eavesdropping “on parrotfish crunching on corals.”  

 I also learned to scuba dive while researching for Diving Deep. The deepest I went was 12 meters (about 40 feet). During my certification dive, my instructor brought me to see an octopus in its den. I was so excited, I squealed through my regulator. That octopus sighting went directly into the book: “We fly among fishes and spy an octopus in its den.”

I would be thrilled if I ever got an opportunity to go down in a deep-sea submersible. I most want to see bioluminescence in the deep-sea.

me: I love how your experiences add so much to your book. Now you've inspired me to try snorkeling next time I get to a body of water larger than the bathtub.

  

Beyond the Books:

Build an underwater viewing scope so you can see what lives in the water near you. Maybe there’s a pond, or a stream, or (if you are lucky) an ocean. You can use a tall yogurt container or a plastic milk jug or a 2-liter soda bottle to make your viewing scope. Plus you need some plastic wrap and rubber bands and a pair of scissors. Here’s how to make one.

Go snorkeling even if you are nowhere near the ocean. This video lets you see what snorkelers see in the Caribbean. 

Michelle also wrote Flying Deep ~ you can read about that book and my interview with her here.

Michelle is a member of #STEAMTeam2022. You can find out more about her at her website, www.michellecusolito.com

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Mole and Vole are Friends

Expedition Backyard: Exploring Nature from Country to City (A Graphic Novel) 

by Rosemary Mosco; illustrated by Binglin Hu

128 pages; ages 5-9

‎Random House Graphic, 2022

Mole and Vole are friends, much in the way the Skunk and Badger are friends. Or Frog and Toad. They each have their cozy home and they go off on adventures together.

Vole’s attitude toward adventuring is … well, let’s hear Vole explain: “We could swim across a stream full of hungry fish…. We could climb the tallest tree in the forest and sway with the wind!”

Mole is the sort who carries along a sketchbook and prefers an adventure on the tamer side. “What if we went looking for a Swamp Milkweed flower?” Mole would love to draw one!

So Mole grabs their leaf-bound sketchbook, and the two friends set off. In five chapters, Mole and Vole share adventures in the forest near their homes, inside a house, and in the city… a place they didn’t intend to explore, but ended up there by accident. 

What I love about this book: Each page is divided into a few large panels, making it easy to follow the story. Some pages present a single illustration, such as a page from Mole’s sketchbook, and each chapter includes a spread that shows a birds-eye view of their adventure for the day. In the city park, we can follow their route around the trees, see the birds they meet, and even “hear” their calls – via the magic of speech bubbles.

I like that no matter where they are, they find nature to explore. They even go on a night adventure, and meet a whole new cast of friends. 

And of course, I love that there is back matter! In this case, it’s hands-on activities, including how to draw Mole and Vole, keeping a nature journal, getting involved in a community garden, and more.

Beyond the Books:

Make a simple nature sketchbook. All you need is paper, cardstock for the cover, a twig (in a pinch a pencil will do), a thick rubber band, and a hole punch. Here's how to do it.

Try your hand at creating your own graphic nature story. Learn how to make a 4-panel comic here. And you can find printable comic sheets here and here. 

Rosemary Mosco writes and illustrates the bird and moon science and nature cartoons. Her recent picture books are Flowers Are Pretty Weird! (reviewed here) and Butterflies are Pretty Gross! (reviewed here)

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.

The Apollo Missions for Kids

The Apollo Missions for Kids: The People and Engineering Behind the Race to the Moon, with 21 Activities
By Jerome Pohlen
160 pages; ages 9 and up
Chicago Review Press, 2019

This was the summer of SPACE – celebrating the historic spaceflight that landed the first two people on the moon (July 20, 1969). Getting people to the moon took money and man-power. It took teamwork! More than 400,000 people worked on the Apollo project, in factories and offices spread over 46 states, writes Jerome Pohlen.

Mostly, it took vision – the vision of President John F. Kennedy who, in 1961 declared the goal of landing a man on the moon within the span of a decade. At the time, the US space program was in its infancy; just 20 days earlier the first astronaut had been launched – a 15-minute flight up and back without even time to orbit the earth. Landing a human on the moon would be a challenge.

This book takes us into Mission Control and into space with the Gemini and Apollo projects. We get a close-up view of astronaut training, engineering problems, and the test of human endurance that early missions demanded. There were tragedies – the Apollo One crew was killed in a fire on the Launchpad during a test – and triumphs as the scientists, engineers, and astronauts worked toward their goal of safely landing on the moon and returning to Earth.

What I like about this book: The writing is engaging, like reading a story well told, and supported by plenty of sidebars. The book opens with a timeline that begins with 1926 – when Robert Goddard launched his first liquid-fueled rocket – to 1979 when Skylab fell to Earth. Sidebars provide additional details about the Saturn V rocket, how capsules “surf” through the atmosphere, moonsuit details, as well as offer short bios of software engineer Margaret Hamilton and “computer” Katherine Johnson (who calculated flight trajectories).

Twenty-one activities range from designing your own mission patch to figuring out your moon-weight, orbital mechanics, making “space food”, and more.

Beyond the Book:

Check out NASA’s page on the Apollo missions here.

Watch the Apollo 11 moon landing here.

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

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret

Have you ever thought it would be fun to be an explorer? Maybe one of those folks who jaunt off on a National Geographic expedition to uncover lost civilizations or discover new species? If so, then you'll like the Explorer Academy series coming out from National Geographic Children's Books.

The Nebula Secret 
by Trudi Trueit
208 pages; ages 8-12
released Sept. 2018

Twelve-year-old Cruz Coronado looks like the typical surfer dude. When we are introduced to him, all he wants to do is catch one more wave before he hops aboard a flight headed 4900 miles east to Washington DC. He's been awarded a coveted spot at the elite Explorer Academy. The school where his aunt teaches, next to the institute where his mom did secret research before she died.

When he reaches the school there's orientation. But first, a gold band is attached to his arm. It's synched to the school's computers to allow access to classrooms and labs. It also monitors all of his vital functions.

Before he can head out on expeditions, Cruz and his classmates have skills to learn. That means class time and lab time - though these labs include virtual reality simulations that can allow the students to explore different habitats and technology before heading into the field. But someone is sabotaging the simulations and putting students in danger. When Cruz learns that his mother's death was no accident, he worries that someone is trying to kill him as well.

Cruz finds himself at the center of an international search for a missing formula that only he can decode. Fortunately, he's got a posse of friends who he trusts, and some technology that links him with his good friend back home. And an aunt who understands that pizza is an essential item.

What I like about this book: there are maps, a code, and tons of technology. Some of it sounds like futuristic dreaming, but the tech in the story is inspired by real National Geographic explorers and their research. For example: 4-D printing and drone bee-bots. Back Matter (yay!) reveals the "truth behind the fictional" technology and also real explorers whose work inspired the adventures.

Want to know more? Visit exploreracademy.com to test your code-breaking skills, check out the wristbands, wearable computers, and other technology and meet real-life scientists. You can also read the first chapter of The Nebula Secret and preview the next book in the series.

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 publisher.

Activity books for emerging scientists, engineers, and explorers

Summer is here! If you've got a road trip planned - and even if you don't - you may be looking for a fun activity book that keeps kids involved in STEM exploration over the summer. Here are three that provide for lots of open-ended investigation.

Iggy Peck's Big Project Book for Amazing Architects
by Andrea Beaty; illus. by David Roberts
96 pages; ages 5-8
Abrams, 2017

 Do you like to build things? Doodle? Dream up new creations? If so, this book is for you! Graph-paper-ruled pages are filled with engineering and architectural challenges, ideas, and things to imagineer (that's like imagining and engineering all smooshed together).

The book introduces the story of Iggy Peck and then gets you started with a list of things that might be useful for architectural designs - from rubber bands and paper clips to boxes, plastic bottles, and a T-square. There's a great show-and-tell about balance, rhythm, and movement in design, and then you're on your own to design a new city hall, school, or haunted house. There's a similar book for emerging engineers called,  Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers.

My Steam Notebook
by Darcy Pattison
156 pages, ages 6-10
Mim's House, 2017

Don't let the subtitle, "150 years of primary source documents from American scientists" fool you - at its heart, this is an activity book. There are indeed documents, photos of pages from scientists' notebooks and photos. One scientist loved to keep lists, another went on an ant safari and drew maps. As for STEAM, that refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

After introducing a scientist and his or her notebook, there are a few pages that are blank on one side and graph-paper-ruled on the other for you to jot notes, draw observations, make maps, record data... in effect, turn this book into your own scientist's notebook. There's a fill-in-the-blank table of contents at the front, and a make-your-own glossary at the back, for new words you discover as you explore your world.

Doodle Journeys
by Dawn Devries Sokol
160 pages; ages 8-12
Amulet Books, 2018

This fill-in journal is just the right size for tucking in a travel bag or backpack, which makes it the perfect thing to take along whether traveling by car or plane (or sail boat, canoe, bicycle, foot). It's designed to dip in anywhere, and use during more than one trip.

Introductory pages include items you might want to pack in a "travel tool kit" - things like pens, colored pencils, glue stick, tape, small scissors, a small ziplock to collect stamps, receipts, candy wrappers, etc. for collage.... stuff that could easily fit into a pencil pouch.

The book is divided into three chapters: Doodle Drills to get you going; Imaginary Trips for the creative mind; and Real Journeys for in-real-life adventures - even if it's just a walk to the library. You can fill the pages with drawings and observations of plants, animals, buildings, and other things you see, as well as use Dawn's prompts.

So go. Get a journal or an activity book. Explore new ideas, new places, and fill the pages. Review copies provided by publishers.

Flying Deep with Michelle Cusolito

Flying Deep
by Michelle Cusolito; illustrated by Nicole Wong
 32 pages; ages 5-9
Charlesbridge, 2018

theme: oceans, exploration, nature

Imagine you're the pilot of Alvin, a deep-sea submersible barely big enough for three.

This book takes you on an adventure down, down, down to investigate a site where underwater volcanoes erupted. Two miles below the surface of the ocean, scientist are studying the living things taking hold near the hydrothermal vents. Getting there is a bit tricky, because you could get trapped in nets - and you only have three days of air - and who would come and rescue you?

What I like love about this book: The adventure of a day in Alvin! The story begins with launch, and divers checking that the submersible is dive-worthy. Then the pilot and scientists go down, down, down. I love the cool creatures that scientists discover in the deep, deep sea! There are ghost crabs, six-foot tall tube worms, and dinner plate-sized clams. I love the language Michelle Cusolito uses to describe fish - an elusive eelpout - and the technology - they toggle the slurp gun into position. Slurp Gun! How can you not love science when you've got a slurp gun? Another thing I love: that illustrations include women as scientists inside Alvin and on the research vessel, reflecting the reality of the Woods Hole crews.

And of course, the back matter - and there is plenty for everyone. Michelle writes about underwater food webs at hydrothermal vents. Too deep for sunlight and photosynthesis, the creatures of the deep depend on bacteria and microbes to convert chemicals vented from inside the earth into food. Those microorganisms are in turn eaten by bigger animals. She also writes about her sources: Don Collasius, a former Alvin pilot, and Bruce Strickrott, a current Alvin pilot. Illustrator Nicole Wong writes about her research to get the illustrations correct - from the technology to how it moves underwater. There are Alvin Facts, a glossary, and a guide to the organisms Alvin scientists have found, along with sources for further exploration.

A conversation with Michelle

Michelle Cusolito met Alvin pilot Don Collasius when she was teaching fourth grade. When he explained how microorganisms around hydrovents converted chemicals to food (chemosynthesis) she was hooked. Then while doing PiBoIdMo in 2014, she jotted down "Alvin". A couple months later she'd typed up a draft that was, she says, riddled with mistakes.

Now it was time to tackle the research. Michelle checked out kid's books to read, visited websites for Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and NOAA, and interviewed Don. As he talked about piloting Alvin, Michelle paid attention to sensory details. "For example, Don couldn't stand up inside because the space was so tiny." She also paid attention to details about safety protocols and how the submersible was prepared for underwater trips.

Then Michelle went to visit Woods Hole. "They have a science center with a portion of one of the old Alvin dashboards," she said. "And models of tube worms and clams." She read interviews with pilots, met Bruce Strickrott, a current pilot, and even got to go inside Alvin when it returned home for maintenance. "Bruce turned things on, like oxygen, so I could hear the noises that the pilot and scientists would hear. And he showed me how the joysticks controlled Alvin's collecting arm."

After revisions, she verified things with Bruce, such as the language that pilots and divers use during launch. Michelle encourages nonfiction writers to talk to experts. "Most of the time they want to talk to you," she said. "They are passionate about their work. As for Bruce, he also wanted to make sure that both the text and illustrations are accurate." Experts are especially helpful when writing about a complex topic for children.

I usually don't review books prior to their launch date, but Michelle has a special give-away opportunity for people who pre-order a copy of Flying Deep through her local bookstore, Eight Cousins. They will randomly select 5 pre-order customers to receive a crushed Styrofoam cup that went to the seafloor on Alvin. You can find out more about how pressures at the deep crush cups, and more about Michelle at her website. 

Beyond the Book

Go on a video voyage with Alvin. Click here for a video by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Learn more at this page.

Check out pompeii worms in this video.

Explore hydrothermal vents near the Galapagos Island in this video.

Design an underwater vehicle for exploring. What would you include? Baskets for gathering samples? Long arms that you could control with a joystick?  

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup - and we're also joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy from publisher.

Mission to Mars!

Mission to Mars
by Mary Kay Carson
32 pages; ages 6 & up
Sterling Children's Books, 2018

themes: space, technology, exploration

Mars. What image just popped into your head?

Science fiction movie? Roman god of war? Night sky-watching on a warm summer's night? How about space exploration? Because in your lifetime people could be headed to Mars.

In this book, author Mary Kay Carson begins by comparing Mars to Earth. Both planets are tilted, so Mars has seasons just like Earth does. And both have days that are similar in length - Mars days are 37 minutes longer than Earth days. But a Mars year lasts 687 days, and it's a lot colder. Think Antarctica. Now think even colder!

What I like about this book: Carson shares history of Mars exploration, from telescope to landers, orbiters, and the more recent rovers that roll across the desert-like landscape. The rovers send images back to earth, as well as data from their onboard labs that can detect bacteria and other signs of life. Carson goes into detail about what sort of evidence for life one might hope to find on the dry, cold planet.

Scientists continue discovering new information from the red planet. Just a couple years ago an orbiting satellite found evidence of water on Mars. And sometime in the next weeks, NASA plans to launch a new mission to Mars - perhaps as early as tomorrow (May 5) called InSight.  InSight will land on Mars and then drill into the crust to record geological data.

"NASA scientists want to know if Mars has a hot, liquid center like Earth, and how thick its outer crust layer is," writes Carson. As for future manned missions to Mars, humans will go there someday, she says. "We already have a lot of the technology and know-how." And should you think you might want to be one of the astronauts heading to Mars, there's a checklist at the end so you can determine if you're "mission ready".

Curiosity: the Story of a Mars Rover
by Markus Motum
56 pages; ages 8-12
Candlewick Press, 2018

Wherever you are in the world right now, I'm a very long way away. I'm not even on the same planet as you.

On August 6, 2012, the rover Curiosity touched down on the surface of Mars. This book is the story about her mission: to discover more about Mars and search for evidence of life.

What I like about this book: Curiosity tells her story in first person. How often do you get to read a story told by a Mars rover? First she tells why she was sent to Mars. It's a hostile environment for humans, so she and her rover sisters and orbiter buddies can send lots of good information back home to help humans get ready for a voyage. Curiosity takes us on a field trip to the lab where she was built and gives us the inside scoop on the tools she carries and her power source (plutonium).Then - her trip to Mars, and the tension-filled deployment from orbit to the surface. Of course she took a selfie!

The illustrations give this book a Martian ambiance. Motum uses the deep blues of space to highlight the warm, rusty hues of the Martian surface. Plus there's a timeline of Mars Missions at the back.

Beyond the Books:
Check out these Postcards from Mars - favorite images sent back by Curiosity.

People who go to Mars will need protective space suits that will also allow them to do work. Read about space suits here, and check out the latest in Martian fashion here. Then head over to NASA to design a spacesuit for Mars.

Watch InSight mission launch for Mars. You can watch it on the website here. 

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup - and we're also joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from publishers

Exploring Science through Poetry

Two recent books allow kids the opportunity to explore science through poetry. They tickle the imagination and make you want to learn more.

themes: nature, imagination, poetry

Cricket in the Thicket
by Carol Murray; illustrated by Melissa Sweet
40 pages; ages 6-10
Henry Holt, 2017

Cricket in the thicket, cricket.
Cricket in the house, cricket.
Cricket in the bedroom, not as quiet as a mouse, cricket.

Playful, whimsical verse about a diversity of bugs, accompanied with the wonderfully bright, bold illustrations of Melissa Sweet. Can you ask for more?

What I like love about this book: It's about bugs! Butterflies, bumble bees, dragonflies, and even the least-loved members of the tribe: cockroaches, mosquitoes, ticks... yeah, even ticks. While the poems may be whimsical - they are also factual, and for each arthropod there is a text-box at the bottom of the page with a cool fact about the critter. For example: dragonflies are not true flies, daddy longlegs are not spiders, and roly-polies are related to shrimp.

I love the illustrations! This one, of inchworms and ladybugs is one of my favorites - probably because they feature common insects we can find in the garden. Or in your front yard, back yard, playground, neighborhood park. And there is Back Matter: notes on each featured creature, plus a table of contents.

Thunder Underground
by Jane Yolen; illus. by Josee Masse
32 pages; ages 5-10
WordSong, 2017

Thunder under- ground.
That's the sound beetles make
when walking 'round.

These poems explore the world beneath our feet - both natural and man-made. We explore ant cities, fox dens, beetle mazes, subways, fossils, and plate tectonics.

What I like love about this book: The way Jane Yolen incorporates unusual aspects of nature. Did you know that plants talk to each other? Corn roots do - they send secret messages we can't hear. But they can be picked up by recording devices. In her end notes, Yolen notes that other plants make noise, too. What juicy gossip are we missing out on? I like that she includes plate tectonics and lava, and a pirate ship that sails across a number of pages.

And there is Back Matter: the notes where she explains in more detail about the natural features and creatures in each poem. There's also a table of contents.

Beyond the Books:

Write a poem about a bug. Or a fossil, skull, rock, tree, plant, or animal that lives in your area. There are so many kinds of poems to try: haiku,  cinquain, or an acrostic. One thing to keep in mind: the best poems grow out of close observation. So take a good look at whatever you're going to write about. Look at it up-close. Look at it from a distance. Notice whether it smells, or moves, or makes noise. Most of all, have fun.

Explore science through art. Paint or draw or tear paper and glue it into a collage - to create a picture of something in nature. Maybe a ladybug. Or a flower. Be bold and try something new.

Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from the publishers.

Spend the Summer being a Curious Naturalist

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break from blogging for a few weeks so I can spend this summer being a curious naturalist.

I invite you to put a pagemarker in your books and turn off the computer for a few hours each day and head out to see what's going on outside. Take your notebook, camera, magnifying lens, bug net, or paints along so you can "take notes".

Keep tuning in on Wild Outdoor Wednesdays for five-minute field trips. Friday blogs will resume in August. Meanwhile, check over at Sally's Bookshelf for reviews of fun summer reading and an armload of neat, new biographies.