Synergy: Giant Panda

Giant Pandas are a black and white bear native to South Central China. They eat bamboo shoots and leaves. Governments and organizations have worked together to ensure this vulnerable species is able to survive in the wild and in captivity.

Read the recently published picture book then learn more at the website.

BEI BEI GOES HOME: A PANDA STORY by Cheryl Bardoe tells the true story of a rare giant panda born at the National Zoo in Washington DC. The fast-paced narrative incorporates full-color photos and side-bar panda facts to engage readers. The picture book concludes with additional information about pandas.

The GIANT PANDA CAM page from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo provides feeds from two video cameras. In addition, still and video images are also available.

To visit the live cams, go to https://s.si.edu/3CBHwwX.

ARC courtesy of Candlewick Entertainment, an imprint of Candlewick Press.

Book Review: Still a Gorilla

STILL A GORILLA by Kim Norman is a humorous picture book about a gorilla who imitates other animals at the zoo.

This rhyming, predictable story follows Willy the Gorilla as he explores the lives of animals at the zoo. Although he pretends to be many different animals, in the end he’s happy being a silly gorilla.

Librarians will find that the bright solid-colored illustrations appeal to younger children. Use the book to explore animal traits with pre-school and kindergarten students.

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

Published by Scholastic on July 26, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Website Review: Smithsonian Learning Lab

THE SMITHSONIAN LEARNING LAB provides access to digital resources across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo.

The project contains three major sections: discover, create, and share.

The Discover area provides easy access to the collections. Users can do a general search. Or, the search can be refined to include specific types of resources, exhibits, or resource providers. Details about each item can be viewed. In addition to the standard search, users can also select from surprises, what’s trending, and recent discoveries.

The Create section allows students and educators to build and customize their own collections including annotating and tagging objects. Teachers can create lessons and assignments to go with their collections. Resources including files and websites can be added.

The Share component allows users to share their collections, assignments, and projects with the global community. Teachers can assign particular collections or assignments using password access.

To use the system, teachers and students will need a login. This provides access to a Dashboard of options.

Librarians will find that this website provides an excellent entry point for building classroom collections, resources and activities with teachers across the curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://learninglab.si.edu/.

Book Review: Finding Winnie

FINDING WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS BEAR by Lindsay Mattick traces the remarkable life of the bear who inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

Told as a bedtime story by a mother to her young son Cole, the picture book follows a World War I soldier and his bear cub from Winnipeg Canada to a zoo in London, England. Christopher Robin Milne, son of the famous author, befriends Winnie at the zoo and names his stuffed bear Winnie-the-Pooh. In a wonderful conclusion, we learn that young Cole is the great-great-grandchild of the soldier that befriended the bear cub. The book concludes with an album of incredible primary source documents and photographs tracing the story.

The beautiful watercolor illustrations contribute to the appeal of this charming picture book.

Librarians will find this book to be a wonderful way to introduce a new generation to Winnie-the-Pooh. Consider a display that includes this picture book, the Winnie-the-Pooh chapter books, and related stuff animals. Also, use the book to introduce the idea of primary source documents and how they can help researchers better understand history.

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

Book Review: The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents... series

THE STRATFORD ZOO MIDNIGHT REVUE PRESENTS graphic novel series by Ian Lendler and Zack Giallongo is an engaging way to introduce youth to the works of Shakespeare.

Designed for the middle grades, Macbeth is the first book in this graphic novel series. A group of animals puts on plays for an animal audience at their zoo. Their first production is MacBeth. This child-friendly retelling includes the basic structure of the play along with hilarious comments from the audience during the performance. Although the most famous lines are evident, the play is shortened to focus on just the key elements.

Romeo and Juliet is the second book in this growing graphic novel series. In this fantasy adaptation of the famous play, animals are both the actors and the audience members. The brightly colored illustrations will draw young readers into the story and provide an engaging introduction Shakespeare for middle grade youth.

Librarians will find this series to be a wonderful way to introduce Shakespeare’s greatest works. Consider building literature circles that focus on each of Shakespeare’s key works.

To learn more about Ian Lendler, go to http://ianlendler.com/.
To learn more about Zack Giallongo, go to http://zackgiallongo.com/.

Published by FirstSecond, an imprint of Macmillan.

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.

Book Review: My Life Is A Zoo series

Looking for a fun way to spend your winter break? Read the charming new MY LIFE IS A ZOO series by Jess Keating. From the fear of public speaking to concerns about forming friendships, the authentic storylines bring humor to the real-world issues of growing up.

The series begins with HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED. Readers are introduced to Ana, her family, and friends. The combination of entertaining school stories with humorous zoo adventures is perfect for the target audience.

HOW TO OUTSWIM A SHARK WITHOUT A SNORKEL (available January 6, 2015) explores issues of friendship during a summer working at the family’s zoo.

Each chapter begins with animal wisdom and notes that draw readers into the story. Ana’s love of list-making adds to the fun. Witty words of pre-teen wisdom like “if something doesn’t fit, that’s the clothes’ fault. Not yours.” will have young readers anticipating the next book in this fun series.

Learn more about the author at http://jesskeating.com/.

NetGalley ARC used for review