Website Review: Habitats

HABITATS is a science learning game from Smithsonian Education.

Designed for grades three through six, this life science game asks students to match the animal with their habitat. Users drag animals into a habitat and are given feedback about the accuracy of their answers.

Librarians will find this interactive game to be an effective way to introduce children to animal habitats. Use the game to jump-start a science unit. Ask students to work in small groups and learn more about the animals in a particular habitat (i.e., desert, coral reefs, jungle, marsh). Build a learning display that includes books about the animals featured in the game.

To play the game, go to https://ssec.si.edu/habitats.

Book Review: Bird Guide of North America

BIRD GUIDE OF NORTH AMERICA by Jonathan Alderfer is a useful companion to National Geographic’s field guide.

Unlike the field guide, this bird book isn’t simply a listing of birds for use in identification. Instead, it features key birds specific regions and habitats including eastern and western backyard birds, city street and parks, farms and fields, beach and bay, southern swamps and bayou, river and marsh, prairie and plains, deserts, and western mountains. Each chapter explores the habitat, features several birds, and provides mini-profiles of a few more. Chapters also focus on birds in peril and rock star birds. The book also contains a useful map and information about attracting birds such as building a bird feeder.

Librarians will find this book useful for youth doing reports on particular regions or habitats. Younger students will appreciate the focus on just a few birds in each area, while older youth may seek out more comprehensive bird guides for added bird varieties and details. Children who enjoy browsing nonfiction books will appreciate the colorful photographs and other illustrations.

Published on March 1, 2018 by National Geographic Kids. ARC courtesy of the publishers.

Book Review: Hey, Baby!

HEY, BABY! by Stephanie Warren Drimmer introduces children to a collection of pictures, poems, and stories exploring animal babies.

From mountains and plains to oceans and seas, each of the eight chapters explores animal babies from a different region of the world. Anecdotes and short stories are told through poems, folktales, short narratives, and descriptive passages along with fact boxes and high-quality photographs. The book concludes with a map, additional resources, and an index.

Librarians will find this adorable collection to be popular with children of all ages. Parents would find this coffee-table sized book useful for short, bedtime reading, while teachers could use excerpts for information reading activities. The index provides easy access to particular animals for students doing reports on animal babies.

Published by National Geographic Children’s Books, an imprint of Random House on November 14, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Technology Review: Listening to Nature

LISTENING TO NATURE is audio-rich nature exploration of California.

Sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California, this short online project presents users with an interactive map of California. Students can choose a region and learn about the natural world in that area.

Librarians will find that the combination of text, images, and audio keep readers interested. This website would be useful for an activity related to habitats.

To visit the website, go to http://explore.museumca.org/naturalsounds/.

Book Review: Ocean Animals

OCEAN ANIMALS: WHO’S WHO IN THE DEEP BLUE by Johnna Rizzo explores all aspects of marine life while also featuring key conservation ideas.

This colorful work of nonfiction begins with an overview of oceans, layers of life, and coral reefs. Next, the book features different categories of marine life. The text concludes with information about habitats and conservation topics. A glossary and index are also provided.

Rather than overwhelming readers with information, this book provides large photographs and small blocks of text making it useful for youth who are resistance to text-heavy books.

Featuring amazing color photographs and easy-to-read blocks of text, librarians will find this fact-filled informational book to be popular with children who enjoy reading about marine life. The book is organized well for students working on research projects related to specific aspects of ocean life.

Published by National Geographic Kids on May 17, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Gorillas Up Close

GORILLAS UP CLOSE by Christena Nippert-Eng is an amazing, informational book exploring all aspects of the gorilla world.

Designed for middle grade readers, the book contains dozens of short chapters examining the lives of gorillas both in the wild and living in zoos. While learning facts about these creatures, readers will also enjoy getting to know individual gorillas by name. The book concludes with tips, additional resources, an author’s note, and index.

From the adorable cover photograph to the attractive layout, librarians will find readers immediately engaged in this impressive work of nonfiction. Photos, maps, diagrams, and fact boxes will also draw in readers. The book will be of interest to readers who enjoy nonfiction narrative as well as those who are seeking a title useful in research projects.

Published by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan on April 19, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

App Review: MarcoPolo Ocean

MARCOPOLO OCEAN is an engaging learning app for budding young scientists.

Designed for preschool and early primary grades, the app provides an immersive environment for young children to explore ocean habitats and creatures.

Choosing an item from the Puzzle icon menu introduces a learning activity such as building a boat or creating an underwater habitat for octopi. Oral directions are provided along with visual assistance for young users. Each of the six activities reinforces vocabulary and ocean concepts.

Choosing an item from the Fish icon menu allows uses to add elements such as divers and sea creatures to the ocean and explore life under the sea.

Librarians will find this app to be a highly visual way to introduce the ocean to young learners. Create a display that includes books about ocean creatures found in the app. The app would be particularly useful for children with special needs.

Part of the Discovery Series, related apps include Arctic and Weather.

To learn more about MarcoPolo, go to http://gomarcopolo.com/

To download the app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/marcopolo-ocean/id797157312

Book Review: Mr. Postmouse's Rounds

MR. POSTMOUSE’S ROUNDS by Marianne Dubuc is the charming story of a mouse postman who delivers mail to a variety of interesting creatures.

This adorable picture book takes readers from house to house as Mr. Postmouse makes his rounds. Each creature’s living space is displayed as a cross-section. Children will be delighted by the funny situations and fascinating variety of habitats.

Dubuc’s amazing illustrations will appeal to readers of all ages. The many tiny details found in each drawing will encourage re-reading and provide lots of opportunities for I-spy games.

Librarians will enjoy exploring each page with children. Pair this book with nonfiction works showing cross-sections. Or, seek out other picture books that explore life below ground or animal homes. Teachers will discover endless ideas for writing activities such as selecting a house from the book and writing about a day in the life of the creature that lives there.

Published by Kids Can Press on August 1, 2015. ARC from NetGalley.

Website Review: Smithsonian National Zoological Park

The SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK website is a fun way to learn about animals and science.

Start your website exploration with the “Zoo News”. These press releases contain text, images, and sometimes video associated with a news item such as the birth of an animal or a new scientific discovery. They’re great for informational reading or for current events activities.

The “Meet Our Animals” section of the website is likely to be the most popular area with children. The Animal Index provides images and in some cases information about hundreds of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish in the collection. If you can’t visit the zoo in person, you can still enjoy the animals live on the zoo cams. In addition, users can explore groups of animals and exhibits. Many of these pages contains information and activities. The “National Zoo E-Cards” page provides access to animal images and the opportunity to write a message and send it through email.

The “Science” section of the website explores the conservation activities of the zoo. These research initiatives, laboratories, and centers are a great way for youth to learn about the scientists who work behind-the-scenes at the zoo and in the field. These projects would be a effective way to jump-start student science projects.

The “Conservation Central” online habitat education program is a fun way for youth to learn about the animals of temperate forest habitats. This section includes curriculum materials along with online interactives.

The “Smithsonian Biodiversity Science in the Classroom” materials provide videos and lessons plans for upper elementary students.

The website is available at http://nationalzoo.si.edu. To extend the experience, be sure to check out their social media presence including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Instagram sites to keep up on the latest news and information about the zoo and its animals.

In addition to the website, an app is available from both the App Store and Google Play at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/SmithsonianNationalZooApp/. While the app includes features such as an interactive map and schedules for zoo visitors, it also provides lots of useful information such as an animal index and live animal cams for those not able to visit in person.