Recommended Children's Science Literature - Book Reviews
April 22, 2008
The month of April celebrates National Library Week (April 13-19)! To celebrate, I will post Book reviews of Children's Science Literature.
I am featuring two books, companion books actually, both published by Scholastic , 2007 as a part of their Undersea Encounters Series.
Synopsis from B&N:
Experience an underwater adventure! From sea dragons and octopuses to coral reefs and kelp forests, Undersea Encounters takes young readers to the ocean depths like never before. Featuring stunning close-up pictures by award-winning National Geographic photographer David Hall, each book has an eye-catching design for maximum kid appeal. Also included are quick facts and sidebars, table of contents, glossary, index, and books and websites for further reading. More than any other series, Undersea Encounters paints a complete and fascinating picture of the marine environment.
Predators of the Sea
by Mary Jo Rhodes, and David Hall,(Photographer)
This Trade book provided great descriptions of the predatory behavior of several species. Everything is covered from the brute strength of starfish to the cleverness of scorpion fish, this book introduces young readers to the variety of tactics different sea animals use to catch dinner. The book is filled with excellent color photos that are sure to engage students. Plus, the book is very easy to read.
Survival Secrets of of Sea Animals by Mary Jo Rhodes, and David Hall, (Photographer)
This book is great. I loved it. As a companion to Predators, it explains all of the ways different sea animals avoid and wriggle their ways out the clutches of the most clever sea predators. The photos are excellent and the text is engaging. I highly recommend this book for young readers and environmental educators, too.
These books are a great way to introduce the ecological concept of predator-prey dynamics to students in intermediate grades (3-5). It's a perfect way to get students apply and evaluate what they comprehend. Students can compare and contrast the adaptations and behavioral tactics of these sea "foes".
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Comments
Broadening the scope of the recommendations
April 22, 2008 by Fred Bortz, 1 year 30 weeks ago
Comment id: 29183
I thank dnlee for this contribution and would like to broaden it. I'll toot my own horn, but i'll also go beyond that.
I would say that these recommendations fall into the "nature" end of the "science and nature" category.
My books are more toward the physical science and astronomy end of things.
For the middle grades (grades 4-6), my
Astrobiology provides an interesting look at what I call "the truth about space aliens." This is part of Lerner's very successful "Cool Science" series.
For slightly older readers (grades 5-8), I offer
Beyond Jupiter: The Story of Planetary Astronomer Heidi Hammel. That book is part of the "Women's Adventures in Science" series published by the Joseph Henry Press imprint of the National Academies Press and Scholastic Library Publishing.
Rather than relying on dnlee or me to recommend children's science books, I suggest that you visit your local bookstores and children's libraries and encourage them to broaden their selection in that area. It's a highly competitive arena, and too few of the buyers are aware of the wonderful variety of interesting and--yes--entertaining science books for young readers.
Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)