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.

Explore Outdoors ~ Be a Flake-Watcher

 

Some people watch birds at the feeder. I watch snowflakes. It's a lot cheaper, as I don't have to buy bags of sunflower and thistle seeds. And, during a snowstorm, I can look at flakes everywhere. I can stand by a window, or walk out into my yard, or walk to the neighbor's house, or watch flakes falling at the park. 

I've been a flake-watcher since kindergarten, when our teacher took us outside and let us look at snowflakes through a magnifying glass. So this winter, check out snowflakes. 

• How big are the flakes? Are they like feathers or like tiny balls of ice?
• How fast are they falling? The average snowflake falls at a speed of 1 to 6 feet per second.
• Do falling flakes behave the same out in the open as they do near a building?
• Chill some dark paper in the freezer. Then catch a snowflake on it and use a magnifying glass to observe your flake.
• Snowflakes have 6 arms (or sides). Does yours?
• Create a paper snowflake. Here's how.

Go, Lee, GO!

 

A.I.: How Patterns Helped Artificial Intelligence Defeat World Champion Lee Sedol 

by Darcy Pattison; illus. by Peter Willis

32 pages; ages 7-10

Mims House, 2021

Some folks meet at high noon in the middle of the street between the sheriff’s office and Miss Kitty’s. But for Lee Sedol, the world’s best GO player, the showdown happened in a hotel. The date was March 9, 2016. The weapons: computer keyboards. The stakes: a rivalry between man and machine.

This book, the latest in Darcy Pattison’s “Moments in Science” series, chronicles the events leading up to and surrounding this high-stakes competition. After introducing the game of GO (the oldest game in the world), Darcy introduces the opponents, Lee and AlphaGo, a computer program. Lee gained his GO cred by placing stones on a grid, game after game. AlphaGo had an entire team of programmers teaching it how to play. Should they teach rules? Or teach it to learn from patterns?

What I like about this book: I like the way Darcy integrates the tension of competition into the story. Game day. Will man or machine win? Nope, score goes to machine. Day two – score goes to machine. Day three – score goes to machine. By day 4 we are down to the nail-biting end, and Lee steps up to his laptop… we know how this story ends. But still. 

I also like the back matter: a timeline of games pitting man against computers (everything from checkers to Texas Hold’em). There’s more info about the players, the programmers, and even a challenge to write your own rules to help an A.I. learn something. Want to watch AlphaGo in action? 

I emailed Darcy a couple weeks ago and she had time to answer One Question

Me: In your book you distinguish between learning by "rules" and learning by "patterns". How would you characterize the way you learn new things?

Darcy: I tend to learn by patterns because it’s easier. As the scientists found out, if you try to write rules, there are too many exceptions. It's hard to be specific enough to cover everything. Instead, if you look at patterns, it’s easier to learn almost anything.

Darcy is a member of #STEAMTeam2021. You can find out more about her and the books she writes at her website. You can also read a review of an earlier book in the series here. Review copy provided by the publisher.