See Your World Anew

 Last week I shared The Nature of Play, a handbook for exploring the world around us in all seasons. This week I want to dive a bit deeper into the theme of exploring nature. 

Stickler Loves the World (A Stickler Story)

by Lane Smith 

40 pages; ages 4-8

Random House Studio, 2023

theme: mindfulness, wonder, appreciation

Many strange creatures lived in the part of the forest where shadow met tree. 

But the strangest of all was Stickler.

Stickler loves sticks more than anything in the world. Except maybe fluffy clouds, buzzy bees, and prickly plants! Our world, says Stickler, has some pretty weird stuff – this coming from a character with eight – or six, or five – eyes that never seem to stay in the same place.

“Oh, to see it all anew. Wouldn’t that be amazing?” Stickler muses. When an alien shows up, Stickler has that very opportunity. The two set out to see the world, Stickler narrating all the wonders as they walk. Puffballs (dandelion seed heads), rocks, the wind…  the changing colors of the sunset.

What I like  LOVE about this book: As Stickler “shows” things to the space alien, readers can see things Stickler either misses or simply ignores. That space helmet? Not a helmet at all. When Stickler alludes to all the wonders we pass by every day “without even noticing,” we can see the creature in the woods. 

I love the language. The wind is like a whisper. Maple samaras whirl, twirl, spin as they fall. I especially love it when Stickler discovers who is really under that space helmet, and how they have both had their eyes “opened” that day. I love the art!

Beyond the Books:

Share the world outside your house with someone who can’t see it. Maybe blindfold a friend and describe what you see, smell, feel. Or call a cousin and tell them about the nature right outside your door.

Paint or draw a picture of the nature growing around you. How does creating art influence the way you see your world?

Collect some bits of nature that are on the ground – acorns, fallen leaves, sticks, stones – and pay attention to how they feel, their colors, whether they have a smell.

Describe the wind, how the sunshine feels, what the earth smells like before (or after) rain. 

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. I borrowed this book from my local library, Candor Free Library.

Explore Outdoors ~ Three Ways of Looking at a Tree

 This week take your camera or a sketch pad outdoors with you and spend a few moments looking at trees. It should be a bit warmer, so you can actually spend some time observing things in nature!

Look at a tree from a distance.

What do you notice about its shape?

What do you notice about the way its branches come off the trunk?

Get closer.

What do you notice about the bark?

About the twigs?

About buds?

What do you notice about tree shadows?

What Animals Leave Behind...

Scat, poop, dung … whatever you call it, tells a story: about the animal, about its environment, and possibly about the future. These three books look at the things wild animals leave behind, each in its own way. Their themes: animals, poop, nutrient cycle, observation

Scat: The Incredible Science of Wildlife Poop (Books for a Better Earth) 

by Anita Sanchez 

96 pages; ages 8-12

‎Holiday House, 2025

Poop, writes Anita Sanchez, is full of surprises. “It can be food. It can be shelter. It can be life…” Poop carries seeds, helps fertilize soil and oceans, and even carries messages to friends and family. Eight chapters discuss what poop is, how it connects the lives of plants and animals, the kinds of information scientists can gather from studying scat, and why some animals eat their own. 

There are a whole bunch of things I love about this book. First is the sly humor Anita injects into the topic. Take section headings for example: “Thinking like an avocado” or “Does a Bear poop in the forest?” Inquiring minds want to know! There are some truly great photos of animals taking dumps in the wild. For folks who want more, there are sidebars, titled “Scat Science” that dive into such topics as why wildlife poop doesn’t smell bad, dino doo, and moths that look like bird droppings. What’s really fun is the Field Guide to Scat at the end of the book, with photos of droppings from insects, birds, and mammals.

Ready, Steady, Sloth! 

by Justin Anderson; illustrated by Manu Montoya 

32 pages; ages 5-8

‎Candlewick, 2025

High up in the forest canopy, hidden among the leaves, there is a sloth. 

Mama sloth doesn’t move much, but today she needs to go down the tree for a special mission. And she’s taking her baby with her. Down, down, down they go. Oh dear… mama sloth is going so slowly you’re going to wonder whether she’ll make it. This journey is important because sloth has to “go” and the only place she can do that is down on the ground.

What I like about this book: Layered text allows younger readers (or read-alouds) to focus on the story of mama and baby sloth’s adventure down the tree, while introducing some of the other forest creatures – including jaguar! Will he find them? Smaller text provides sloth facts (did you know sloths can’t fart?) and back matter introduces all five three-fingered sloth species and the two two-fingered sloths.

For another book on the topic, check out Kyle Goes Alone 

The Secret of Poo Mountain: Book 4 (Whose Poo Is This?) 

by Song-eui Park; illus. by Duck-Young Kim 

88 pages; ages 7-11

‎Lerner/ Graphic Universe   ‎ March 3, 2026

There are as many ways to write about poo as there are kinds. This book is fourth in an educational comic series that takes readers on a journey to learn about the ecology of animals and the sorts of information that can be derived from the study of poo. Previous books have taken Dr. Egg’s team to the desert and on a boat. In this book, they climb a steep mountain. The three Korean scientists who make up the team learn such things as what an animal eats and where it lives by studying the scat left behind.

What I like about this book: Like other books in the series, this one is structured like a scavenger hunt, with each chapter revealing a new clue. That mystery, and the graphic format help make it appealing to readers who might not want to spend time with a field guide.

Beyond the Books: 

Check out this video, Whose Scat is That? Created by the folks at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Write a list of as many words you can think of (or find) that refer to “poo.”  Don’t forget about dinosaurs…

Create your own story or comic about animals doing something in the wild: making breakfast, going to sleep, combing their fur...

You can find an online “field guide to scat” here. Remember: if you head out on a scat-hunt, look but don’t touch!

https://a-z-animals.com/articles/a-field-guide-to-identifying-wild-animal-scat-in-north-america/

Today we’re sharing Ready, Steady, Sloth! with Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. 

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be sharing Scat over at at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, a hangout for MG book bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. 

This week’s review copies were provided by the publishers.

Explore outdoors ~ No Mowing Yet

 We have not mowed yet ... because the lawn is filled with flowers. And some of those flowers provide pollen for the bees. And because, frankly, we just haven't gotten around to it. Here are a couple shots from my lawn last week. What do you notice?

 Do you have flowers growing in your yard? 

Take a close look - sometimes the flowers are hidden.

• What color are the flowers growing amongst your grass?
• How many petals do they have?
• Are there any bumble bees or other insects visiting them? 
  

Spring is a Season for Hatching!

themes: Animals, nature, growing up, eggs

Watching and Waiting: What Hatches from Nature's Nurseries

By Sara Levine

32 pages; ages 4-8

Millbrook Press, 2025  

When you find something interesting and beautiful 

… what should you do? Should you poke it and prod it? Open it up to see what’s inside? Granted, that is the way curious naturalists discover things. But if you open things up, then what’s inside won’t grow anymore, says Sara Levine. So maybe you could wait?

What I like about this book: Using gentle, lyrical language, Sara ponders how one might observe nature without harming it. In particular, she offers strategies for watching how eggs develop and waiting to see what hatches out. She draws examples from birds, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. Back matter discusses what eggs are, egg cases and galls, and how to be an “observational scientist” – something anyone can do. The photos are gorgeous and will have children looking closer to study the details.

Sara is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website, www.saralevinebooks.com She's also a guest author joining me at the 5th Annual Arthropod Roundtable over on the GROG Blog on April 16. 

Butterflies come from eggs. But what happens when they grow up?

When a Butterfly Goes to School (Board Book)

by Laura Purdie Salas; illus. by Chloe Niclas 

7 spreads

‎Creative Editions, 2025

What does a butterfly do at school all day? From art class to science, story time to lunchtime we follow swallowtail and her friends.

What I like about this book: I have to confess that I loved the lunch break the best – the butterflies zip and sip their way through the flowers. The luscious artwork supports lyrical prose as the words ask us to suspend reality and join a butterfly on a normal day at butterfly school.

Beyond the Books:

Go on a gall walk. You can find round galls on the stems of goldenrod, bumpy galls on leaves, and fluffy galls on leaves as well. Find out more about galls – and see some examples – here and here.

Birds aren’t the only animals to lay eggs. Find out what other animals lay eggs, and what kind of eggs they lay. 

If you were a butterfly, what sort of things would you learn at school? What might you do in art class? In science? At story time? At play time?

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.

More than Mushrooms: an author interview!

 Just a quick reminder that it's Pi Day (3.14) - and that Pie are round; cake are square. Now on to the wonderful book for today!

Fungi Are... More Than Mushrooms

by Alisha Gabriel; illus. by Vivien Sárkány 

36 pages; ages 4-8

Tielmour Press, 2025 

theme: nature, observation, fungi

Fungi are travelers.

Most people, when they think about fungi, think about the mushrooms on their pizza, or popping up in their lawn after a week of rain. But fungi are so much more. They recycle nutrients. They come in an amazing assortment of colors and shapes and sizes. And they don’t stay in one place! Sure, you’re not going to see a mushroom uproot itself and saunter over to the woodpile – but they do send their spores out into the world. And their hyphae are always spreading, spreading, spreading under our feet. In fact, its those hyphae that help hold the world together, author Alisha Gabriel points out.

What I like about this book: I like the structure: a main point followed by three specific examples. I like the layered text: simple concepts in large font with explanatory text below the illustrations. I like the soft feel to the illustrations. And I really like that there are a bunch of non-fungi things included in the illustrations – and a scavenger hunt-type list at the back challenging readers to find those items.

Full disclosure: Alisha and I co-authored a book for middle-grade readers called Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More (Chicago Review Press, 2022), and we are critique partners, so I’ve watched her new book grow from spore to fruiting body. 

Still, I had a few questions…

Me: What inspired this book?

Alisha: Do you remember the first walk we took when we met at Highlights? I must have stopped a dozen times to take photos of mushrooms. Even way back then, I knew I wanted to write a picture book about fungi. 

Me: Yeah – that was back in 2013 maybe? I remember some very cool fungi.

Alisha: Then almost a dozen years passed before you and I co-authored the award-winning Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More. When that book came out, I started giving presentations at schools, libraries, museums, and festivals. The age of my audience varied from 2 to 92, but Funky Fungi is aimed at middle grade readers. As I adjusted my presentation on the fly, I explored ways to share the information with a younger audience. I realized that I still wanted to write a picture book about fungi. Since there were already several beautiful picture books about fungi available, I knew that it would require a unique approach to capture an agent or editor’s attention. 

Me: How did you come to the structure and categories? (fungi are travelers, fungi are homes…)

Alisha: In late May and early June 2023, I jotted some notes in my journal about writing an expository picture book about fungi. I also read many, many books on a variety of topics, keeping a close eye on structure. Some of my journal entries from this time frame included whole sentences, but there were lists and lists of words. Nouns. Adjectives. Synonyms. There were late night scrawls that meandered diagonally across the page. One that stood out was, “Fungi become homes to animals and insects. They soften, cradle, and protect.” 

After exploring and contemplating different directions the text might take, I came back to that snippet. With a bit of tweaking, it became Fungi are homes. They soften, cradle, and protect. I had landed on my first layer text structure; a statement and three specific examples. The second layer would become a short explanation with a specific type of fungi. The writing went incredibly fast, from idea to final draft in one month. That was unusual for me, but I had been immersed in fungi research since 2020, so perhaps these ideas had been marinating and were ready to come together.

Me: I think letting ideas marinate helps them become more robust. Now that your book is out (well, as of tomorrow) what do you hope kids (and maybe adults) take away from reading it?

Alisha: I hope they understand that fungi are an incredibly important part of our world. Mushrooms have been popping up on everything from clothing, art, and interior design for a few years now, and it’s exciting that they’re having a renaissance in our culture. However, there’s more to fungi than the mushrooms we see, and I hope people will also continue learning about the less noticeable fungal relatives. 

Me: You’re published with Tielmour Press, in Canada. Can you share a bit about working with them? 

Alisha: It has been a wonderful experience working with Tielmour Press! They’re still a fairly new publisher, but have several books in the pipeline. Although some people might hold out for an offer from a BIG 5 publisher, there are certainly advantages to working with smaller companies. Everyone at Tielmour Press replies to emails quickly, each book receives individualized attention, and the company has a strong environmental vision. 

Me: The illustrations are so soft and inviting. Did you get to meet Vivien Sárkány ?

Alisha: Yes, her work is amazing! We’ve never spoken, but she did a remarkable job bringing the book to life. It was important to me that the fungi in the book resemble the real thing, and if the text mentioned a type of fungi, that it should be used on the page. She did this, and much, much more! I’d love to work with her again. Her signature style is gorgeous.

Me: I know you have another book under contract, and I can’t wait to see it. 

Alisha: I do have another nonfiction picture book under contract, but it hasn’t been announced yet. I can’t give specifics, but I can say that it’s nature-themed, on a completely different topic, and also uses a layered, expository style. Thank you so much for inviting me over to your blog to talk about Fungi are… More Than Mushrooms! 

You can find out more about Alisha and her books at her website alishagabriel.com

Beyond the Books:

Use mushrooms to make stamp art. Here’s how.

Yeast makes bread rise, but can it blow up a balloon? Try this easy experiment – you could experiment with recycling empty water bottles instead of the squeeze bottles. I remember doing this one waaay back in elementary school. Here's how.

Another fun yeast experiment is to make elephant toothpaste. You’ll need 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, yeast, a recycled water bottle, and a drop of dish soap. Here’s how.

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 author.

Explore Outdoors ~ Three Ways of Looking at a Dahlia

 There are so many ways to look at things: from the front, from above, from below. I happened to be visiting a friend who was trimming her dahlias earlier this month - so I got to look at the flowers close-up-and-personal.

 

This week, take some time to look at flowers

 or trees, leaves, lichens

from different points of view.

Small Science Expeditions

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions 

by Giselle Clarkson 
120 pages; ages 8-13
Gecko Press (Lerner), 2024

“An observologist is someone who makes scientific expeditions every day, albeit very small ones.” With that introduction you know this will be the perfect book to inspire a backyard study of small things: earthworms, caterpillars, fungi, slug eggs…. 

There are only two things you need to know if you’re going to be an observologist:

1. You’ll spend a lot of time looking at the ground (which is closer to you if you’re between the ages of 8-13 than if you’re an adult).
2. You need to be curious. Because being an observologist is like being a detective… looking for clues that lead to something cool and interesting.

After introducing the whats, hows, and whys of Observology the remainder of the book presents four potential expedition sites – and the sorts of things one might study/observe/examine while there. These are places accessible to any kid: a damp corner (perfect site for discovering more about centipedes and fungi); pavement (great habitat for ants and worms); weedy patches (insects galore!); and around the house.

What I like love about this book: I love the introductory section where Giselle Clarkson lays out such things as “principles of observology,” the reasons for scientific names, and the importance of drawing what you discover. I love the table of contents that exudes the feeling of being a field guide to adventure. Each section – er, expedition site – includes one to three spreads filled with details about the organisms one might discover. There’s even a spread devoted to “aural observology” for those who want to recognize insects by the sounds they make. 

“Not all buzzes are alike,” Giselle writes, “and you have to have very clever ears.”

For those using this book as a text, there is a final exam and a certificate at the back – plus a great index for quick reference to the organisms. Best of all, this book is suitable for parents, teachers, homeschoolers, grandparents, and scientifically minded extraterrestrials desiring to learn more about this planet. 

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.

More books for Nature Exploration

Last week I featured a couple books for curious young naturalists. This week I've got two more.

theme: plants, animals, observation

Nature Spy Guide 

Words & photos by Shelley Rotner 

32 pages; ages 4-8

 Millbrook Press, 2024

Anyone can be a nature SPY. Here’s how. First you have to GO OUTSIDE.

Because, being a nature spy means you’ve got to see, smell, touch, and hear things close-up and in-person. In this book, Shelley Rotner asks readers to look up, look down, look all around. To breathe in the air and smell the flowers. Look closer, she says. Use your ears.

What I like about this book: Shelley uses simple text and photos of kids in nature to introduce basic observation skills. She reminds nature spies to use all their senses, to observe things both near and far, and most of all, to not give up – because some animals like to hide. I like the back matter, too. She includes a simple plant and animal identification list for things most kids in North America might see. And – even more important for parents looking for ways to incorporate nature spying into daily life – she provides a dozen activities. My fave is “deer ears” with cloud-watching coming in a fast second.

Backyard Bugs (Shine-A-Light) 

by Carron Brown; illustrated by Wesley Robins 

36 pages; ages 4-8

Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2023    

Did you know you can find amazing animals close to home? Just step outside…

Yay! another book that invites children to head outdoors to discover nature around them. In this case, bugs. From lady bugs to painted ladies, dragonflies to fireflies, this book celebrates arthropods – and a couple of their non-arthropod neighbors.

Beyond the Books: Go outside this week and be a Nature SPY! 

• Look. Listen. Touch. Smell. 
• Draw pictures of what you see. 
• Write notes in your Official Nature Spy Notebook. (If you don’t have an ONSN, they you can make one by folding paper and stapling or sewing it into a notebook.)
• Watch clouds. 
• Watch squirrel antics. 
• Follow ant and snail trails. 
• Smell the roses. 
• Feel the shade on your face. 
• Listen to what the birds and bugs are saying. 
• Use your imagination. 
• And have fun spying on the critters living around you.

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.

Explore Outdoors ~ Patterns in Nature

Today is a great day for patterns! Over at the GROG blog, Christy Mihaly is chatting with Lisa Perron about her new book, Patterns Everywhere. Meanwhile over here, we're going on a Pattern Walk!

One of the patterns people find frequently in nature is a spiral. Ammonites (extinct marine mollusks) had a coiled external shell. Perhaps you know some other mollusks with coiled shells? You can find spirals hidden in many plants: in the uncurling fern leaves, head of a sunflower, and curling dried leaves of grass.

This week, head out on a Pattern Walk. In addition to spirals, you might find lines and stripes...

 

 

or spots and dots. 

 

Explore Outdoors ~ Thistles

 

I've always liked thistles. Sure, they're sharp and prickly - and you wouldn't want to step on them with bare feet. But they are also soft and fluffy. Butterflies and bees visit the flowers, and goldfinches snack on their seeds. 

So this week let's take a closer look at thistles you find in your neighborhood. They're opportunistic, so you'll probably find them growing in "weedy areas" or along roadsides, old fields, or (in my case) the un-mowed back bit of the yard.

• What color is your thistle? And does it have a fragrance?
• What does the flower feel like?
• Where do you find spines and prickles on your thistle? 
• How long are the spines?
• What insects do you find on the thistle flower?
• Are there any insects on the leaves or stem?
• What kind of seeds do thistles produce?
• Dig one up. What sort of root does it have? (you may want to wear thick gloves for this!)

Where Does a Walk Around the Block Take You?

One of the things I like about my daily walks is that there’s always something to see. Sometimes it’s flies clustered around just-opened willow flowers. Sometimes it’s the way a Virginia creeper spirals up the trunk of a tree. After a wind storm it might be treasures blown down from the treetops: twigs with interesting lichens, bird nests, seeds with helicopter rotors attached…

Recently I’ve been reading the stories Spike Carlsen tells in his book, Walk Around the Block (HarperCollins, 2020). He’s an urban walker, in Minnesota. So he writes about snow. He also writes about manhole covers, recycling bins, bike lanes, crosswalks, and how water gets to his house – and where it goes after it slurks down the drain.

Carlsen asks questions: what happened to the front porch? It used to be the place where neighbors would pull up a rocking chair or milk crate and chit chat. He takes readers on tours through a power plant, a sewer, a trash museum, even the inner-workings of a post office. How does the mail get from there to here? He opens our eyes to appreciate the natural side of things as well… things like pigeons, squirrels – even roadkill.

This is the sort of book that makes you want to walk slow enough that you can inspect the weeds pushing between the cracks in the sidewalk. This is the sort of book that inspires you to head outside before the sun dries the dew so you can look at spiderwebs on the fence. 

This is the sort of book that makes you wonder: if I walk around the block today, what will I find? And leads one to ask: does it matter how I walk around the block? If I go in a counter-clockwise direction, will I see things differently? What if I play hopscotch with the fallen walnuts and hickory nuts? Walk at a snail’s pace? 

A Dozen Walks to take Around Your Block

1. Walk sideways, like a crab
2. Walk with a child
3. Skip part of the way
4. Walk backward (when you’re in a safe place)
5. Look at all the flowers on your route
6. Listen to the birds
7. Notice people working ~ what are they doing?
8. Walk at first light
9. Walk after dark
10. Look at doorways
11. Examine things growing in the sidewalk
12. Stop and smell the _______.

Writing Begins with a Question ~ by Roberta Gibson

What does it take to write STEAM books for children?

First, it takes curiosity. 

Almost every day, a question pops into my head. Can you grow the seeds inside a kiwi fruit you buy in the grocery store? Do ant larvae make sounds to call to the workers inside the dark nest? What causes iridescent clouds?

Then it takes effort.

Many times other people have had the same question and the answer is a mouse click or trip to the library away. For example, iridescent clouds — which glow with pastel colors like the surface of a soap bubble —show up when clouds are full of small, uniform ice crystals or water drops that diffract light waves. 

eventually one may sprout!

Sometimes the answers aren’t clear, but the questions are too expensive or time consuming to investigate. I recently found a scientific article about Myrmica ant pupae that can make noise by stridulating. At this moment, however, I’m not in the position to test whether the larvae different kinds of ants can stridulate. Perhaps someday I’ll interest an expert in this question. 

The lucky few are questions that beg for an experiment or test. If you are curious about kiwi seeds, save some seeds from a kiwi fruit and try to germinate them. If that doesn’t work out, get some commercial seeds —for a control to show that your method works— and design an experiment. 

I wondered recently what happens when you drop bird feathers one by one from the second floor. Do tail feathers sail differently from wing feathers than soft down feathers? Turns out that wing feathers tend to helicopter. Cool!

I absolutely love this hands-on fiddling aspect of STEAM and youngsters do, too.  

Now here’s the secret sauce:  keep a journal. 

Every time you have an idea, or do an experiment, write it down. Draw illustrations to help you remember what you did and what happened, plus take tons and tons of photographs. 

When the question or idea leads to more and more questions, and if the topic just won’t go away, then the journal entries may grow into a book. 

 

Nothing is better than that.

 

Thank you for joining us today, Roberta.  Last year I reviewed Roberta's picture book, How to Build an Insect. We also got together to chat about bugs over on the GROG Blog. You can visit  Roberta's website here and make sure to drop by her wonderful blog, Growing with Science.

The Poetry of Nature

 

Step gently out,

be still, 

and watch

a single blade

of grass.

 

So begins one of my favorite nature poems, which is also this book, written by Helen Frost and filled with the luscious close-up photography of Rick Lieder. It is a perfect go-to for Earth Day, or any time this Earth Day month. Or even any month of the year.

 

Going from page to page is like meandering slowly through a meadow filled with wildflowers. I feel like I can almost hear the bumblebees, feel the breeze, smell the fresh tang of spring soil. 

 

Reading this long, languid poem is good for the soul. So, too, is writing poetry.

At least that’s what I read somewhere. And being outside in nature is good for your health, too. I also read that somewhere. Writing poetry can also be a kind of meditation, because you need to take a moment or two to tap into what you are seeing, feeling, and experiencing.

This month is a perfect time to get outside and write some nature poetry. All you need is a pencil and a notebook. 

Find a place in nature that feels comfortable. Maybe it is a warm rock near a pond. Or maybe it’s a nice shady place beneath a tree in a park. It could be a trail or an overgrown hayfield, the bank of a stream or a garden.

Sit (or stand) quietly for a few minutes. Breathe in the fresh air. Listen to the sounds around you. Look at the environment as a whole. Then look at individual plants, insects, birds, stones, and other things that are in the environment.

 

List four or five things you observe about something. Maybe you are looking at a flower, or a worm. What do you notice? Write about what you feel, smell, hear.

Create a poem based on your observations. It can be a short poem or a long poem. It doesn’t have to rhyme, but it can. These small poems were written by my kids when they were about 8 or 9 years old.

Once you've written your poem, put it in your pocket so you can carry it around and share it with other people.

Looking for more Poetry Month ideas? Check out Christy Mihaly's wonderful post over at the GROG blog.

Explore Outdoors ~ End of Winter

 

This is how winter leaves:

bit by bit

one patch at a time

melting into a puddle

soaking into the soil

leaving mud on my boots

and the smell of spring in the air

What's in Your Pocket?

 My dad is a rock collector. I remember so many summer outings spent at a fossil dig or hiking up a mountain to find one particular kind of stone. Camping adventures were involved. And once home, the rocks were put in boxes or jars and stacked on shelves in his study. So when I heard about this book, I knew I had to check it out. 

What's in Your Pocket?: Collecting Nature's Treasures

by Heather L. Montgomery; illus. by Maribel Lechuga 

48 pages; ages 4-8

Charlesbridge, 2021

theme: curiosity, STEM, biography

When you explore the great outdoors and find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket?

Scientists do. Scientists collect things so they can observe them more closely. They sort and classify their collections ~ and some of continue collecting through their adult live, haring off on expeditions to add to their – and our - knowledge. In this book, Heather Montgomery shares the stories of nine scientists who, as kids, explored the great outdoors and collected all sorts of treasures, from seedpods to fossils to worms and more!

We meet George Washington Carver, William Beebe, Jane Goodall, and Charles Darwin. We explore alongside a canopy scientist, a herpetologist, an entomologist. Remember Mary Anning? She’s in this book, as is Bonnie Lei, possibly the youngest of the contemporary scientists included.

What I like about this book: I like how Heather begins with something we all have done as kids ~ put something in our pocket to bring home. A treasure to remind us of our day at the beach, a pinecone, nut, stone, flower ... a mouse skull that we want to learn more about. I like how she expands that into a collection, showing how scientists learn through studying collections. And how collecting something might inspire questions that lead to discovery.

I also like the back matter. Maribel Lechuga shares the importance of observation for both scientists and illustrators. And Heather explains more about collecting and offers some guidelines on how to respect nature while collecting samples to study. 

It’s always fun to talk to Heather. But this time I had only One Question for her:

me: What sorts of things have you been carrying about in your pockets lately?

Heather: These are things I've carried in my pockets most recently: 

Twisty twigs

Squishy seed pods

Rocks that roll

It might not be easy to see a pattern in those objects until you learn that I have four young cats. My eyes are seeking things to keep curious cats busy.

I’m also collecting photos and journal drawings of figs and forests and waterfalls. And every once in a while, there’s a bizarre body part that I just have to harvest from a poor animal who lost its life on the side of the road.

Beyond the Books:

What sorts of things from nature do you bring home in your pockets? 

Do you have a collection of shells or rocks or leaves or insects? How might you go about sorting them? Here’s something Heather wrote about creating a sorting key.

Here are some other ways of “collecting” things from nature without bringing them home:

• taking photos

• drawing pictures

• writing detailed notes

• making a recording of sounds 

 You can find out more about Heather  at her website.

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

Explore Outdoors ~ Who is Hiding in the Bok Choy?

 

 

A couple weeks ago I was weeding the garden and I noticed a web across the top of the bok choy. A funnel web - you can see the opening of the web forming a funnel down the curvature of the leaf. The spider hides inside the funnel. When an insect lands on the web, the spider will run out and check to see if it's prey. If it is, the spider bites it and the fast-acting venom kills the insect within a couple seconds. Then the spider drags the prey down the funnel before eating. Not only does the funnel affords protection for the spider, but dining indoors prevents other insects from recognizing potential danger.

Funnel spiders are shy, so if you want to get a good look here's how: stand so that the sun is in front of you - you don't want your shadow to scare the spider; and look closely without touching the web.

You can find out more about funnel web weavers here at the Bug Guide. You can find their webs on grass, along hedges, and in the garden. Do you have any in your neighborhood?

Explore Outdoors ~ Watching the Season Change

 

Last week I noticed a splash of red on my lawn (well, the mix of plantain and clovers and grass that pass for a lawn). It was ... gasp! a RED leaf!

Wait! It's too early for fall to come! And then I looked up at the trees. This was not the only leaf shedding its summer greens. The next morning a flock of geese honked loudly as they flew overhead, further punctuating the certain demise of summer.

Over the next two weeks, take a moment to notice what changes are happening in nature around you as Earth tilts towards the autumnal equinox.

• have the daytime and night temperatures changed?
• what do you notice about the bird songs you're hearing?
• what color are the flowers along roadsides and edges of parks?
• does the air smell different?
• check for a new constellation in the sky.
• do you see flocks of birds or butterflies heading south?
  

A Walk in the Woods

 theme: nature, STEAM, observation

This month I’m reviewing books that explore different habitats and biomes. Today we’re off to the woods.

Look What I Found in the Woods 

by Moira Butterfield; illus. by Jesus Verona 

32 pages; ages 2-5

Nosy Crow (Candlewick), 2021

Follow me. I know the way.

We’re walking through the woods today.

Look what I found!

This is such a fun book to read before you head of on a walk through the woods. And maybe to carry along with you. It’s part field guide and part treasure hunt. Some spreads invite you to look for specific things: a signpost, wild strawberries, beetles. 

 Other spreads explain how to identify things, such as what kind of snail shell you’ve found, and how to tell a tree by its leaves or needles.

What I like about this book: It’s fun! I love the die-cut cover, and the scavenger-hunt type lists of things to find. I love that this book is all about observations, and the questions support visual literacy. And that the author asks young naturalists to be thoughtful while exploring, and only collect things they find on the ground (if you’re going to use items in art or to study).

If I gave stars, this book would get some.

Beyond the book:

Collect seeds from trees and observe them. Take them apart and learn more about how those trees grow. Try planting some seeds. I once planted a maple seed, and it grew! And every spring I find baby oaks growing from acorns that squirrels have buried in my garden.

Make some rubbings of tree bark. Put paper against a tree and rub the side of the crayon against the paper. The design of the bark will show. Now compare your rubbing to the tree’s bark. Are there some details your crayon couldn’t pick up?

Draw a picture of something you see on your walk in the woods. It could be a mushroom or a bird or a flower… Then give it to a friend and tell them where to find it. 

Go on a woodland scavenger hike – but instead of collecting items, take photos or draw pictures. Here's a place to find a woods walk printable scavenger hunt.

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.

Explore Outdoors ~ Looking at a Flower

 

What do you notice when you look at a flower?

Its color, for sure. Maybe the way the petals are shaped, and how many there are.

Its center. The way it catches the light, and creates shadows.

How the blossoms look before they open, all curled into a bud.

Tiny hairs on the stem and leaves. And the shape of the leaves.

And, if you're very lucky, the bees and flies and butterflies that visit the flower.

For more looking-at-a-flower ideas, check out the GROG BLOG today, where we're taking a nature break.