Book Review: Brilliant Bats

BRILLIANT BATS by Laaren Brown is part of Scholastic’s “Icky Sticky Readers” series of young (Level 2) readers.

This short, informational chapter book provides basic information about bats, along with their habitats, characteristics, eating habits, and life cycle. The book also discussed ten particularly interesting bats. A glossary and index are also included.

The author’s use of interesting typography, up-close photos, and other illustrative elements add to the appeal.

Librarians know that anything with “icky sticky” in the title is likely to be popular. The level of ickiness is just right for first and second grade readers. Librarians need to be aware that this title includes stickers at the end of the book.

Other selections in this series include Deadly Dinosaurs, Super Sharks, and Scary Snakes.

Published by Scholastic on June 28, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Tech Review: National Pollinator Week

NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK is June 15-21, 2015. Pollinator Partnership is an informational website the promotes the health of pollinators that are critical to food and ecosystems. There’s also an app available called BeeSmart: Pollinator Gardener that guides users through the process of selecting plants for pollination.

Sponsored by dozens of government agencies, industries and corporations, non-profit organizations, and foundations, the website includes guides, helpful resources, and ways to get involved with protecting pollinators.

The “About Us” section explores information about the project’s mission, people, partners, and projects. The What Is Pollination? page answers FAQs about pollinators and pollination. Check out the Projects page for links to many ongoing activities related to pollination. The SHARE (Simply Have Areas Reserved for the Environment) page provides step-by-step instructions for how to plant for pollination. Users can even share their project online.

The “Planting Guides” section provides free information and guides for selecting plants based on your ecoregion by zip code.

The “Useful Resources” section links to dozens of websites focusing on topics such as bees, education, farming/ranching, gardens, hunting/fishing, monarchs, medicinal plants, and more.

The “Get Involved” section explores many ways that individuals can have a positive impact by making a difference in the lives of bees, birds, butterflies, and bats. The page includes PDFs on pollinators that can be downloaded and printed, activities for kids, and other resources.

The 2015 “They Don’t Eat Their Pollinators” infographic focuses on carnivorous plants of North America and their pollinators. This poster would be excellent as part of a display featuring books and other materials about the importance of pollination.

To visit the website, go to http://www.pollinator.org.

For resources associated with Pollinator Week, go to http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2015.htm.

Download the 2015 poster at http://www.pollinator.org/poster2015_ab.

To download the BeeSmart app, go tohttp://www.pollinator.org/beesmartapp.htm

Book Review: The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats

THE CASE OF THE VANISHING LITTLE BROWN BATS: A SCIENTIFIC MYSTERY by Sandra Markle follows a group of scientists as they investigate the disappearance of the beloved brown bat population. This engaging mystery combines a well-researched narrative with high-quality color photographs.

Like her award-winning scientific mysteries focusing on golden frogs and honeybees in “The Case of the Vanishing…” series, this book focuses on a real-world investigation. The scientific aspects are made accessible through clear explanations and authentic examples.

The book’s layout will appeal to youth readers. Annotated photographs are useful for children who wish to skim the book before reading. Maps and labeled diagrams help readers visualize key concepts. Interesting questions are used as headings and subheadings to guide reading.

Additional resources provided by the author will be of particular interest to teachers and librarians. These include an author’s note, local/global efforts, glossary, digging deep information, and an index. In addition, the exemplary informational text would be useful in addressing the Common Core Curriculum.

While many library collections already have many “fact books” about bats, this book provides a unique, fresh perspective on the topic.

The combination of fascinating science with an engaging mystery are perfect of the target youth audience.

Learn more about Sandra Markle and her books at her blog at http://sandra-markle.blogspot.com/.

NetGalley ARC used for review