Synergy: Science Songs

SCIENCE SONGS are tunes with lyrics that feature science-related facts and stories.

Read the recently published nonfiction picture books for children, then learn more at the websites:

Author Susan Lendroth and illustrator Bob Kolar have teamed for a series of sing-a-long science picture books for young readers. Now available in board book format, HERE WE GO DIGGING FOR DINOSAUR BONES and HEY-HO, TO MARS WE’LL GO are the latest installments that began with OLD MANHATTAN HAS SOME FARMS.  These books are a fun way to introduce science occupations to young children using motivating and familiar tunes.

STORY TIME FROM SPACE is a YouTube channel that reads (and sings) picture books from the International Space Station. Listen to astronaut Christina Koch read Hey-Ho from space! To watch the video, go to https://youtu.be/7dtzMJipiuA.

SCRATCH GARDEN is a YouTube channel that specializes in fun and educational videos for children including STEM songs. To visit the channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/@ScratchGarden.

ARC courtesy of Charlesbridge, and imprint of Penguin Random House.

Synergy: Dinosaurs

DINOSAURS are reptiles that lived primarily during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Over 1,000 species of these enormous creatures have been identified. Dinosaur fossils have been found around the globe.

Read the recently published nonfiction reference atlases, then learn more at the website:

DINOSAUR ATLAS: A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME TO THE PREHISTORIC WORLD written by Tom Jackson and illustrated by Maggie Li uses simple color illustrations and engaging short text blocks to explore dozens of well-known and lesser known dinosaurs. The atlas begins with background information and concludes with what happened after dinosaurs reigned. Excellent for reading or browsing. 

ARC courtesy of Quarto Publishing Group. 

DINOSAUR ATLAS from National Geographic Kids takes young paleontologists on an adventure through time to explore the Mesozoic world of dinosaurs. Large text, a variety of illustrations, and open-space on each page will attract rather than overwhelm young readers. After an introduction, the readers explore three time periods and dozens of spotlight locations around the globe. The atlas concludes with what happened after extinction, a dictionary, glossary and additional information. Of particular note is the newly interpreted dinosaur information and stunning, full-color illustrations including artwork, photographs, and maps. 

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

DINOSAURS from the American Museum of Natural History web page features articles, exhibits, collections, and educational materials related to dinosaurs. Of particular interest is the PaleontOlogy section designed for children.

To visit AMNH, go to https://www.amnh.org/dinosaurs.

Synergy: Paleontology

Paleontology is the study of ancient life including dinosaurs and prehistoric plants and animals. Scientists use fossil evidence to learn about how these organisms have evolved over time.

1000 FACTS ABOUT DINOSAURS, FOSSILS and PREHISTORIC LIFE by Patricia Daniels is filled with fascinating information for budding paleontologists. Each two-page spread focuses on a specific theme and provides facts, photographs or illustrations to bring the information to life for young readers.

The American Museum of Natural History Paleontology for Kids website contains games, stories, hands-on activities, and videos for youth interested in science and specifically paleontology.

American Museum of Natural History Paleontology for Kids
https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/paleontology

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Synergy: Tyrannosaurus rex

The Tyrannosaurus rex is a bipedal carnivore with powerful legs and short forelimbs. This popular dinosaur lived during the Cretaceous Period.

Read the recently published children's book, then learn more at the website:

WHEN SUE FOUND SUE by Toni Buzzeo is a picture book telling the story of Sue Hendrickson and how she discovered a T-Rex in South Dakota now housed at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

The Field Museum houses Sue the T. Rex from the picture book. Read a blog entry at their website about the dinosaur’s history at the museum.

The Field Museum Blog https://bit.ly/2DMHmaf

ARC courtesy of Abrams for Young Readers.

Book: Absolute Expert

ABSOLUTE EXPERT is a new, high interest series from National Geographic Kids.

From animals to sports, each title in the ABSOLUTE EXPERT series explores tips, tricks, and fascinating facts straight from experts in the field.

ABSOLUTE EXPERT SOCCER focuses on playing the game, origins of soccer, soccer around the world, and soccer in North America. Each colorful and highly illustrated chapter features expert information, suggestions, terminology, and quizzes to engage readers. Filled with photos, maps, charts, diagrams, and other visuals along with short text passages, this book is sure to connect with young soccer fans.

ABSOLUTE EXPERT DOLPHINS examines the world of dolphins, their habitat, and their connection with humans. Featuring expert advise from a marine biologist, the book uses short text passages, photographs, maps, diagrams, and infographics to convey facts about these popular sea creatures.

Other titles include ABSOLUTE EXPERT: DINOSAURS and ABSOLUTE EXPERT: VOLCANOES.

Librarians will find a high demand for this new series. National Geographic Kids knows what topics will be popular with young readers. Feature this series in a display promoting career exploration. Each book contains four chapters that would work well for a nonfiction book discussion.

Published by National Geographic Kids in May 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: I Wanna Be a Great Big Dinosaur

I WANNA BE A GREAT BIG DINOSAUR by Heath McKenzie is an adorable picture book featuring a boy and an imaginary T Rex.

A young boy enjoys pretending he’s a dinosaur. When a T Rex shows up, the boy learns all about being a dinosaur. In turn, the boy shares his life as a human. Together they decide they can be whatever they want to be.

Librarians will find a huge audience for this picture book among young dinosaur lovers. Teachers will connect with the “be yourself” themes. The humorous, fast-paced story is perfect for story time and discussions. There are endless opportunities for imaginative play and art activities associated with the story.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.heathmck.com/.

Published by Sourcebook Jabberwocky on May 17, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Are We There Yet?

ARE WE THERE YET? by Dan Santat is an inventive picture book that explores the age old question “are we there yet?”.

When a young boy becomes bored on a long road trip to his grandmother’s birthday party, he imagines that time goes so slow that it begin flowing backwards. Along the way he sees pirates, knights, camels, and even dinosaurs. However, soon the story shifts to the future.

Careful readers will spot QR codes that can be read by electronic devices. These codes lead to secret messages. Young readers will also notice small things like the way the parent’s clothing changes and his dad’s beard grows as time flies. Children will also enjoy the play on the word “present” at the end of the story.

Librarians will find that the illustrator’s use of upside down pages will be a hit with children. Buy multiple copies of this book because it will fly off the shelves.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.dantat.com/

Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint go Hachette. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Living Fossils

LIVING FOSSILS: CLUES TO THE PAST by Caroline Arnold is a fascinating informational picture book for children.

From dragonflies to horseshoe crabs, living fossils are plants or animals that resemble their ancient relatives. The author weaves together a nonfiction narrative that introduces readers to six examples comparing the world now and then. Inset boxes provide details about adaptations and how these species survived.

The book concludes with a timeline, descriptions, a glossary, and resources.

Librarians will find that fans of fossils, dinosaurs, and science will be drawn to this fascinating work of nonfiction. Andrew Plant’s high-quality illustrations add to the appeal.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.carolinearnoldbooks.com/.

Published by Charlesbridge on February 2, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night: A Very Messy Adventure

WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID LAST NIGHT: A VERY MESSY ADVENTURE by Refe Ruma and Susan Tuma describes the chaos that ensues when toy dinosaurs come to life.

Told through cleverly staged photographs, the narrator speaks directly at readers describing what happens in one home when the plastic dinosaurs come out at night. From raiding the refrigerator to painting the walls, the dinosaurs wreak havoc. When everything returns to normal, readers are told not to be fooled.

A note at the end of the book explains the origin of the idea and how it became an international sensation known as Dinovember, the month when plastic dinosaurs come to life.

Librarians will have a blast working with youth to create their own dinosaur adventures in the library. Get out the digital cameras and have some fun!

To enjoy many more plastic dinosaur photos, go to http://dinovember.tumblr.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/dinovember/.

Published by Little Brown, an imprint of Hachette on October 20, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: American Museum of Natural History YouTube Channel

The AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY YouTube channel contains hundreds of fascinating videos on a wide range of topics.

Dozens of playlists feature video collections of interest to students such as Kid Science, Nature’s Fury, Bison, Dinosaurs, Space, and more.

The videos range from very short clips to longer viewing experiences. Some of the videos provide an inside looking into how museum exhibits are created and the science behind the exhibits.

Use the search tool to seek out topics of interest within the AMNH YouTube channel.

Librarians will want to mine the channel for videos that can be directly connected to the science curriculum. Also, seek out STEAM related videos such as those related to science, math and origami.

To learn more, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/AMNHorg.

App Review: Smithsonian's Prehistoric Pals

SMITHSONIAN’S PREHISTORIC PALS is a series of engaging interactive book apps exploring dinosaurs and the prehistoric world.

While these e-books are short and lack some of the interaction of some other apps, they provide excellent reading experiences for young children. Designed for ages 3-8, users choose from the standard read-to-me, read-it-myself, and autoplay modes. Each screen contains a colorful picture along with a couple sentences of text. New vocabulary and pictures are clickable and provide additional information. An option is provided for students to record and share their own voice reading.

The books are all based on traditional paper books published by Smithsonian. Titles include It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex, Saber-Tooth Trap, Mosasaurus, Pteranodon Soars, and others.

Oceanhouse Media is known for their high-quality apps for youth. A collection of 10 books is available in a bundle.

For a complete list, go to http://www.oceanhousemedia.com/products/smithsonian/.

App Review: American Museum of Natural History

The AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH) is known for their great website, however they also have a growing number of quality, free apps.

THE POWER OF POISON: BE A DETECTIVE is a 2014 Webby Award Nominee. The app involves students in exploring three different cases of accidental poisoning in animals. Through a series of animations, participants must determine which of the 18 suspects is to blame.

PTEROSAURS: FLIGHT IN THE AGE OF DINOSAURS is an app that provides an in-depth look at flying reptiles and the latest fossil discoveries. Animations, interactives, video interviews, and exciting activities immerse youth in the world of dinosaurs. PTEROSAURS: THE CARD GAME and DINOSAURS are two other apps based on the AMNH special exhibit.

The CREATURES OF LIGHT app provides animations, photo galleries, and videos related to bioluminescence.

The BERNARD FAMILY HALL OF NORTH AMERICAN MAMMALS app provides information about the museum’s mammal collection including interviews, photos, and commentary from the curator.

COSMIC DISCOVERIES is an app containing 1000 astronomical images from the AMNH’s image collection.

These free apps are a wonderful way to expose youth to the wonders of science and the importance of museums.

Go to the AMNH Apps page at http://www.amnh.org/apps.

Or, go directly to iTurns at https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/american-museum-natural-history/id351849240.