Bubonic Panic blog tour & GIVEAWAY

This is the last stop on the week-long blog tour ~ and I'm so pleased to present...

Bubonic Panic, When Plague Invaded America
by Gail Jarrow
196 pages; ages 10 & up
Calkins Creek, 2016

"The killer was a master of stealth. It moved undetected, sneaking from victim to victim and always catching its targets by surprise."

How can you resist reading on? In this, her third in a series of books on deadly diseases, Gail Jarrow skillfully blends medical mystery, history, and a dose of political nonsense.

Bubonic plague went by many names: The Pestilence; the Great Mortality; Black Death; and The Plague. It was marked with high fever, headaches, weakness, achiness, chills - sometimes nausea and diarrhea. Corpses piled high. Nobody knew who - or what- the killer was. Doctors tried their usual remedies, from bleeding with leeches (1600s) to sterilizing victim's homes - or burning them (1800s). By the 1894 outbreak in Hong Kong, doctors thought it might be germs, and they began looking for the culprit. Sure enough, it was a bacteria.

But identifying the deadly microbe was only part of the battle. Scientists and public health officials had no idea how it was transmitted- plague victims often caught the disease even though they had no contact with another victim. Could it be rats?

People living in rat-infested buildings got sick. But people who handled rats that were dead longer than a day didn't catch this disease. Could it be fleas, wondered scientists? And - in a world where ships traveled across the globe - how could health officials keep infected rats, fleas, and people from introducing plague into the local population?

It was only a matter of time until plague reached the shores of the US, in Hawaii and San Francisco. While doctors and scientists worked to learn more about the disease and develop vaccines, local politicians fought against quarantines. Shutting down ports was bad for business, and if word got out that there was plague in town then tourists wouldn't visit and the economy would suffer. When news finally did leak out, papers across the country ran headlines warning that tourists were fleeing "plague stricken" San Francisco. When quarantines were instituted, enterprising lawyers sued the town claiming discrimination. The quarantine barricade curved to include a Chinese grocery store but not the neighboring business owned by a white man, he said.

I caught up with author Gail Jarrow last week and asked her three questions about her book and the plague.

Sally: What inspires you to write?

Gail: I loved reading when I was a kid, and once I learned that I could put my thoughts on paper, I fell in love with writing.

Sally: Plague is still around - last year the media reported that a teen in Oregon was infected.

Gail: Yes, but plague is only found in the arid parts of the western US. It's not just found in rats, but also in other rodents - burrowing animals that live in colonies, like prairie dogs and ground squirrels. In shared burrows, fleas don't have to hop very far to get on a new host.

Sally: Why was it so hard to figure out how to treat Bubonic plague?

Gail: For many years people thought it was spread by a germ. The "germ theory" was fairly new, and when they cleaned up homes and burned seriously infected areas, they reduced the rat population. The resulting decrease in plague cases made it look like it was a germ that was the culprit.

Gail's other books in the "deadly diseases trilogy" are about Pellagra and Typhoid. Learn more about Gail and her projects at her website. As for her next project, it's about hoaxes and gullibility. "We need to be more skeptical about the news we hear and read," she says.

If you missed the other stops on the book tour, here they are:

On Monday, May 16 the Nonfiction Detectives hosted a post.
Tuesday, May 17 it was KidLit Frenzy
Wednesday, May 18 the tour stopped at Unleashing Readers
Thursday, May 19th's stop was at Teach Mentor Texts


GIVEAWAY RULES: If you'd like a chance to win a brand-new hot-off-the-press copy of Bubonic Panic, then please do both of these things:

1. Leave a comment on this blog, and
2. Send an email to me at sueheaven[at]gmail[dot]com. No email means no entry....

Giveaway ends on Thursday, May 26.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Review ARC provided by publisher.

The Prairie that Nature Built

Before I introduce my book of the day, I'd like to announce the book giveaway winner from last week: Merry won a copy of "Can I Come Too?". Congratulations, Merry, and now on to ...

  

  

 The Prairie that Nature Built
by Marybeth Lorbiecki; illus. by Cathy Morrison
32 pages; ages 4-10
 Dawn Publications, 2014

 Themes: nature, habitat, ecological relationships

"This is the prairie that nature built." Starting with the critters that worm and squirm under the prairie, and the diggers that burrow, to the plants and insects, birds and beasts... all playing essential roles in maintaining the prairie.

What I like about this book: it's fun to read. Everyone has a role: tunneling, rooting, providing food, hunting to keep the population in balance... every part is important to the whole. I also like the detailed illustrations, and the way Cathy Morrison uses the page. Sometimes you need to turn the book to get the full length of it all, from root to sky. I also like how, in the end, author Marybeth Lorbiecki brings the prairie home to us, as a place where a child and her dog could roam and explore.

As with all Dawn books, there is great back matter. This book ends with a "Prairie Primer" and some more detailed notes about the soil partners, grazers, flowers and other life essential to the prairie ecology. There's a page full of Prairie Fun activities, and some resources: books, websites and more.

Beyond the book - if you live near a prairie, get out and explore! What plants, animals, and bugs can you find? Take along your nature journal so you can sketch what you see. If you don't have a prairie nearby, see if there's a botanical garden nearby with some prairie grasses and flowers.

Plant some prairie seeds. Even if you don't live near a prairie, you can plant some prairie flowers in your yard - or in a paper cup. Here's a list of some of the flowers found on prairies: larkspur, purple coneflower, black-eyed susan, goldenrod, asters, anise hyssop, blue lobelia, milk vetch... you can find prairie seed mixes here and here. Fall is a good time to plant prairie seeds if you want to turn a patch of your back yard into a habitat for birds and butterflies. 

Read an interview with author Marybeth. She talks about growing up on the prairie, and her efforts to restore prairie landscape.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  

On Monday, we'll join the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copy provided by publisher.

Dandelion Seed Dreams

The Dandelion Seed's Big Dream
by Joseph Anthony; illus. by Chris Arbo
32 pages; ages 4-10
 Dawn Publications, 2014

 Theme: nature, life cycle

"Once a little seed took to the sky. It had a dream..."

The tiny seed soars, filled with possibilities. But the wind shifts, it nearly loses its fluffy parachute, and it ends up in the wrong place. But it would not let go of its dream

What I like about this book: While the text tells the universal story of hanging on to one's dream - a bit philosophical for any seed - the illustrations tell the "true" story of seed flight, overwintering, and germinating in the spring when conditions are just right. They also show the story of children and their adult friends coming together to clean up a bit of trash-strewn land and turn it into a community garden. I especially like the ending - and the underlying thought that dandelions are beautiful and have a place in our world.

There's also good information in the back: a detailed introduction to dandelion plant parts, and short discussion on "flower or weed" as well as some history, and some things to do.

Beyond the Book (activities and more)
Take a Sock Walk. Get a pair of old white socks that no one will miss - and that are big enough to fit over your shoes. Moth-eaten wool socks work well, too. Pull the socks on, and go for a walk through tall grass and weedy places. Seeds from dandelions and other plants may stick to your socks. When you come back home, gently pull off the socks. Take a close look at the seeds using a magnifying lens. Draw them. Can you figure out what plants they came from?

Turn your sock into a garden. National Wildlife Federation has great instructions for how to turn a seed-full sock into a living garden. Have fun!

How far do seeds travel? If you can find some parachute-topped seeds (asters, dandelions, milkweed) collect a few. Then release them and try to measure how far they float or ride the breeze. You might need a friend to help - and skip the ruler; use the length of your stride to estimate distances. Alternatively, you could use a stopwatch (or watch with a second hand) to determine how long a parachute-topped seed can stay aloft.

Check out this interview with author Joseph Anthony.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.

Geometry takes flight with the Wing Wing Brothers

The Wing Wing Brothers Geometry Palooza!
by Ethan Long
32 pages; ages 4-7
Holiday House, 2014

themes: math, humor

"Walter wheels out the Whammer. Here comes Wendell! Watch him whiz through the air!"

The Wing Wing Brothers are a family circus act of five wacky birds: Walter, Wendell, Willy, Wilmer, and Woody. They do their best to make math painless and fun. Using magic wands and feats of daring they whip those polygons into shape.

Their first amazing feat - Describing Relative Positions - opens with a blast, boom, splat! Their goal: Launch a human bird cannonball through a hoop of fire. Then, with a waggle of the wand - poof! Triangles! Squares! Rectangles! and more to amaze you! Of course there's the "sawing a person in the box" act... which turns out just the way you'd expect and requires special glue...

What I like about this book: it's silly and a fun way to play with math - as long as kids don't try these stunts at home! The alliterative language is fun, too.

Beyond the book: The first thing I wanted to do after reading this book was see how many different shapes I could make using just triangles and squares. Easy to do - just cut a couple or three index cards into right triangles and a square and put them together.

Tangrams! A tangram is a puzzle of seven shapes that are put together to form specific shapes, such as a rabbit or a boat. The tans (pieces) are: two large right triangles, two small right triangles, one medium right triangle, a square and a parallelogram. If you don't have a tangram puzzle, you can make one - directions here (you might want to trace the pieces onto a cereal box so they last longer). Or you can play with the puzzle online here.

Go on a field trip to find shapes. The best place to hunt for triangles (and other straight-edged shapes) is around town: bridges, buildings, playgrounds.

Today is STEM Friday - head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are talking about in science. Review copy provided by publisher.

Gemina, The Crooked-Neck Giraffe & author interview

Gemina, The Crooked-Neck Giraffe
by Karen B. Winnick
40 pages; ages 4-8
Santa Barbara Zoo Press, 2013

Themes: animals, differences, nonfiction

"Gemina stood out from all the others at the Santa Barbara Zoo. She was the famous crooked-neck giraffe"

Gemina didn't always have a crooked neck. When she was born, she looked like all the other baby giraffes - wobbly-legged and nearly six-feet tall. But when she was three, a bump appeared on the side of her neck. It got bigger and bigger, and made Gemina's neck crooked. The zoo veterinarians took X-rays and examined her, but no one knew what caused the crook in her neck.

What I like about this book: Everyone accepts Gemina, from the other giraffes to the visitors at the zoo. Kids and parents and grandparents stand in line to offer her a special giraffe biscuit. "That giraffe has a bump like me," says a boy with scoliosis. Clearly, Gemina helped people feel better about themselves - and kids responded by sending her letters and drawings - some of which are featured on the endpapers.

Beyond the book: June is national Zoo & Aquarium month - a perfect time to head to your local zoo and do some giraffe-watching. Many zoos have elevated viewing platforms so you can say hello to the giraffes eye-to-eye. It's fun to watch how they eat - and take a good look at their tongues. What color are they? How long are they? How do they pick up food?

Spot Patterns. Spots help camouflage giraffes in the wild. The spots make it possible for giraffes to blend in with the dappled shade of trees, making it harder for predators to identify them as "dinner". Different species of giraffe have different spot patterns. Check out the different patterns of giraffe spots here - then draw a pattern that you would want if you were a giraffe.

New to the Zoo. What happens when a new giraffe is introduced into the zoo herd? Here's a video from the San Diego Zoo showing Leroy's first day with the other giraffes. Lower on the page you'll find lots of good information about life as a giraffe, from meals to nap time to the diversity of sounds giraffes make.

Three Questions

I recently had a chance to ask author Karen Winnick about her book. 

Sally: What inspired you to write about Gemina? 

Karen: On a visit to the Santa Barbara Zoo I met Gemina. I fed her biscuits and was struck by her gentle, friendly demeanor. Her crooked neck was very noticeable yet it didn't seem to bother her. She walked around with the other giraffes as part of the group. Gemina appeared comfortable with herself and her environment. I took a photo of her, framed it and continued to think about her. I thought about what an inspiration she was to me and to others. Later I contacted the Zoo and asked if I could write about her.

Sally: When she came to the Zoo, where there other young giraffes she could play with? What sort of "play" do giraffe kids engage in?

Karen:  As a young giraffe, Gemina was in the yard with other calves. She kicked out her legs and jumped and ran all over just as the others did. That's how giraffe calves play. Often they run back to their mother's side for protection. In the wild, young calves are left in a group, a giraffe "nursery" with one adult female watching over them while their mothers go off to feed.  

Sally: Zoos are more than places to see animals. Why are they important?

Karen:  I'm very involved with zoos and feel very strongly about their importance. Sadly, all over the world many animals are threatened with extinction. Their habitat is shrinking, even disappearing mostly due to human encroachment. Animals are being killed needlessly.

Today's zoos not only provide children and adults with the opportunity to see animals they might never have a chance to see, but zoos are also working hard to save species. Zoos that exhibit a species often contribute funds to help those animals in the wild. Zoos all over are breeding animals and sometimes, when possible, releasing them back into their natural habitat. Zoos are also educating young people about animals and their environment and about the importance of conservation. 

You can find out more about Karen and her books at her website.

Drop by STEM Friday to see what other science books and resources bloggers are sharing. Today's review is also part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by Blue Slip Media.

Strange & Wonderful Scorpions!

Scorpions! Strange and Wonderful
by Laurence Pringle; illus by Meryl Henderson
32 pages; ages 8-10
Boyds Mills Press, 2013

"It is twilight in the desert," writes Pringle. A lizard scurries to the safety of the rocks when, "Suddenly it is grabbed by a scorpion's powerful claws. The lizard struggles. It tries to break free..."

But we know what is going to happen. That lizard is toast... or at least dinner. There are almost two thousand different species of scorpions, and they live in a diversity of habitats: tropical forests, seashores, deserts, high mountains, and even in deep dark caves. Four hundred million years ago scorpions measured three feet long... modern scorpions are not quite so large.

By the time you get to the end of the book you know how many legs and eyes scorpions have, how their mouths are designed for ripping apart prey, and how desert scorpions can move across hot sand. Pringle shares a list of things they eat (anything that moves, including other scorpions) and gives us a glimpse of family life. Scorpions have courtship dances, exchange scorpion kisses, and give birth to live babies. Yes, baby scorpions don't hatch from eggs like other arachnids. they even ride around on their mom's back for a short time while their cuticle hardens. But then it's time to scatter and hunt on their own.

"Real scorpions," writes Pringle, "...are fascinating creatures, vital in their natural habitats, and full of secrets yet to be discovered."

Today is STEM Friday - head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are talking about in science. Don't step on any scorpions on your way! Review copy provided by publisher.

How to Eat Like a Bear

Eat Like a Bear
by April Pulley Sayre; illus. by Steve Jenkins
32 Pages; ages 4 - 8
Henry Holt & Co, 2013

The bears in our neck of the woods love to eat sunflower seeds and suet. They'll rip the covers off the honeybee hives, swipe the can of birdseed right off the porch, and have no qualms about riffling through the garbage cans for left over lo mein.

But that's not the way they eat in the natural world. April Pulley Sayre shows a year of seasonal bear meals, beginning in April when bears wake up hungry. What's for breakfast?
"Bushes? Bare. No berries there." So where will bear find food? Green stems growing above the snow; the carcass of a bison or deer that died in winter. In May it's dandelions, sedges, slugs and ants. In June it's trout... and July maybe some roots.

The brown bear wanders through the months, digging in, digging down with paw and claw. By fall it's time to fatten up and find a den before the snows come.

The illustrations - torn and cut paper - add texture... you can almost feel the shaggy fur of the brown bear. The back pages are filled with additional information about bears, the food they eat, hibernation, and scientists who study bears.

Today is STEM Friday - head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are talking about in science. But watch out for hungry bears! Review copy provided by publisher.

Becoming a Rocket Man

Rocket Man: The Mercury Adventure of John Glenn
by Ruth Ashby
105 pages; ages 9 and up
Peachtree Publishers, 2004

There were too many clouds in the sky for me to see the solar eclipse earlier this month, so I dug into my reading basket for something about space. Rocket Man is the story of the first of many of my space heroes - John Glenn.

Glenn wasn't the first man to go into space, but he was the first US astronaut to orbit the earth. And he's the one I remember... watching the tiny black and white TV set up in the school auditorium to see the blast-off and, later, wondering whether he would make it safely back to earth. A couple years later we'd be watching Captain Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise... but in the real world, space exploration was just beginning.

Rocket Man follows John Glenn through his Navy pilot training and into the astronaut training program. He was one of the "Mercury Seven", pioneers of manned space flight. Ruth Ashby describes the tough training programs and some of the disappointments of the early years: rockets exploding, the Soviets sending a cosmonaut into orbit first... would the American space program get off the launchpad?

When Glenn finally did get into space - in a Mercury capsule so small that it was barely big enough for one person and the instrumentation. Things were tense for awhile when Mission Control wasn't sure the heat shield was OK, but Glenn managed to make it back through the atmosphere for a splashdown without burning up.

Ashby ends the book with information about the space program and provides resources for curious space cadets. Space exploration has changes over the past 50 years, with an international space station and astronauts who tweet and send videos back to students on earth. Check out my post about another astronaut over at Archimedes Notebook. And check out STEM Friday to see what other folks are reading. Review copy provided by publisher.

Shark Babies in the Ocean!

Shark Baby

By Ann Downer; illustrated by Shennen Bersani

32 pages; ages 4-8

Sylvan Dell, 2013

Shark Baby lives in a works of “stripes and shadows, where seahorses played,” writes Ann Downer. He’s impatient to get out of his egg case and see the wide blue ocean. Then, even before he hatches, a storm snaps the egg case free of its attachment to kelp, The current bounces him off rough coral and drags him along the bottom of the sea. All that tumbling rips a hole in the egg case and Shark Baby can see spots. 

“What are you?” asks Shark Baby. The spotted shark answers that he’s a horn shark. “Maybe I’m a horn shark, too, says Shark Baby. 

But horn sharks have spiral egg cases, and Shark Baby’s is a flat “mermaid’s purse”.  When he sees a striped pajama shark he thinks he might belong to that sort of family. Then he’s advised by a wise octopus to seek the mermaid; she will have the answers. Shark Baby meets other sea creatures and eventually makes it home where he hatches and learns what kind of shark he is. 

Though the story is fanciful, it’s backed up with four pages of shark information, fun facts, and a comparison of different kinds of shark egg cases. 

 

 This is part of the STEM Friday round-up. Check out the other science books and resources reviewed this week. Review copy provided by publisher.

Penguins!

About Penguins (revised)
by Cathryn Sill; illus by John Sill
48 pages, ages 3-7
Peachtree Publishers, 2013

Whenever I go to a zoo, I always look for the penguin house. Who can resist watching the antics of these tuxedo-clad seabirds? They may not fly, but they move with such grace and precision beneath the water.

About Penguins is a new, revised version with updated material and an overview of seventeen species of these amazing birds. Each double-page spread features simple text and an illustration featuring one of the species. Cathryn gives us the science while John manages to capture great expressions on the birds' faces. Take the Royal Penguin (South Pacific) - in addition to the crown of yellow feathers, he manages to catch their most regal expression.

Readers learn the basic facts: penguins have special waterproof feathers; they can change direction quickly to avoid predators (at least while swimming underwater); and some eat squid. They don't all nest on ice - some build their nests in forests, in caves, or in burrows. And they don't all live in cold places - the Galapagos penguin lives in the tropics!

As with other books in the series, there is excellent material at the back: six pages of detailed notes that expand on each illustrated spread, plus a glossary and suggested books and websites.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday round-up. Check out the other science books and resources reviewed this week. Review copy provided by the publisher.

In the Trees, Honey Bees

In the Trees, Honey Bees
by Lori Mortensen; illustrated by Chris Arbo
32 pages; ages 3-8
Dawn Publications, 2009

Theme: insects; animal families and social relationships; ecological value of bees

Opening:  "Morning light. Warm and bright. In the trees, honey bees."

With simple, clear language, Lori Mortensen leads children into the daily lives of honey bees. Rhyming text in large fonts tells the bones of the story: when the sun comes out, the bees head out to collect nectar and pollen. Back at the nest - and it is a nest built inside a tree hollow - other bees are busy with housekeeping chores. Then there's the bear to contend with, and a thunderstorm.

Supplemental text at the bottom of the pages give more details about honey bee lives. There are cool facts, too. Did you know that the average colony can have as many as 50,000 worker bees but only a single queen? And did you know that, in addition to collecting nectar and pollen, bees gather sticky sap from trees? They use it as glue in their nests.

Why I like love this book: It's fun to read! The language is lively, and gets the facts across in short, accurate statements. It sings! Also, there's lots of good info at the back for parents and teachers - and kids who want to read further: details about the bee life cycle, how bees pollinate flowers, how honey is gathered, and lots of resources for further study. I'm not the only one who loves this book - it has won at least ten awards.

Beyond the Book: Head outside on a bee hike. Right now, the bees are busy stocking up on winter stores. We find lots of honey bees and native bees on the goldenrod and asters. How many bees do you find?

Do a Bee Dance. In the book, the returning scout bees do a waggle dance to let the other bees know where the flowers are. By the way they orient, and the number of waggles, they communicate direction, distance and quality of nectar and pollen. You can do a "traditional" bee dance, or make up your own to communicate where the "good stuff" is in your house.

Make a candle. Here's some simple directions. All you need is a sheet of beeswax and some wick.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday round-up. Check out the other science books and resources reviewed this week. We're also joining PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. 

Review copy borrowed from a library.

Hide-and-Seek Science: Animal Camouflage

Hide-and-Seek Science: Animal Camouflage
by Emma Stevenson
32 pages; ages 6 - 10
Holiday House, 2013

Children play hide-and-seek for fun. But for animals, it's not just a game. For some, writes Emma Stevenson, it's a matter of life and death.

Why do animals need to hide? Some hide from predators that want to eat them. Predators hide so they can sneak up on their prey. In her book, Stevenson includes 293 animals hiding in diverse habitats. Your challenge, should you decide to accept it, is to find them.

Stevenson shows how animals use camouflage in seven different ecosystems: the Florida Everglades; the Sahara desert in North Africa; the Amazon rainforest in South America; an East African savanna;  an English forest; the Arctic; and Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Each ecosystem receives a full spread and is crowded with animals one might see in that place - if they weren't well hidden!

Fortunately, she follows each spread with a picture-key that shows where each animal is, and how it uses camouflage to blend in with its environment. The Everglades swamp, for example: Alligators' eyes and nostrils are high on their heads so they can hide underwater. You have to look closely to find all four in the picture.

Animals in a deciduous forest blend in with the greens and browns, while those living in the Arctic have to blend in with the frozen landscape. Even zebras, with their black-and-white stripes that look so obvious when you see them in a zoo, blend in with their grassland habitat.

This is a fun way to sharpen skills of observation, learn about animals, and gain an appreciation for the ecological diversity on our planet.

This is part of the STEM Friday round-up. Check out the other science books and resources reviewed this week.

Then, on Monday, find us celebrating Nonfiction Monday with a round-up of reviews over at Wendie's Wanderings. Review f&g provided by publisher.

Jo MacDonald Hiked in the Woods

Jo MacDonald Hiked in the Woods
by Mary Quattlebaum; illus. by Laura J. Bryant
32 pages, ages 3-8
Dawn Publishing, 2013

We know about the farm, and the animals, and the E-I-E-I-O. But what about a walk in the woods? There are plenty of things to hear and so much to see. And that's what Mary Quattlebaum's new book is all about: exploring forest sounds and the creatures that make them.

"Jo MacDonald hiked in the woods, E-I-E-I-O." Yes, your kids will want to sing along. "And in those woods she heard a woodpecker... with a rat-tat here and a rat-tat there...." It's not spring, so you might be wondering: do woodpeckers make all that racket in the woods when they're not drumming love songs? They are in our neck of the woods!

Jo and her grandpa hear a great many sounds in the woods: squirrels, turkeys, and something padding in the dried leaves. At the end of the book there are four info-packed pages with notes about the plants and animals that make up a forest community and the secret lives of trees. There are suggestions for indoor activities that connect kids with the book and with nature, and a section on "How to Be a Naturalist". Step one: make observations - draw or write or photograph the things you see and hear. There are also links to citizen-science opportunities for children and families and downloadable activities for teachers and parents.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up.  Review copy provided by publisher.

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries

Animal Helpers: Sanctuaries
by Jennifer Keats Curtis
32 pages, ages 4-9
Sylvan Dell, 2013

Some people own wild animals as pets or as part of a performing act. But those cute, cuddly babies grow into big adults with big appetites, and some owners find they can't afford their "exotic pets".

What happens to these animals? They can't survive in the wild because they are too used to people taking care of them. "Luckily, there are sanctuaries, rescue zoos, and even care farms that rescue these animals and provide safe, permanent homes," writes Jennifer Curtis. She dedicates the pages of this book to the stories about animal rescuers and the animals they save.

There's Lilly and Titan, tigers rescued by the Wildcat Sanctuary. And Kiki, a Canadian lynx that no longer has her claws. Not only that, her owners filed her teeth so they wouldn't be sharp. Without teeth and claws, how's a lynx to survive in the wild? Fortunately she's found a home in a rescue zoo.

Curtis shows the different kinds of care that rescue sanctuaries offer, from medical treatment to games and fun. She also shows the many kinds of jobs that people do at animal sanctuaries. At the end of the book she includes four pages of activities, including "enrichment" activities for bored animals in a cage.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up and, on Monday, part of the Nonfiction Monday round-up over at Perogies & Goyza.  Review copy provided by publisher.

Noisy Bug Sing-Along!

Noisy Bug Sing-Along
by John Himmelman
32 pages; ages 3 - 8
Dawn Publications, 2013

One thing about summer - it's NOISY! There are chirps and buzzes and squee's and thrums.... and a lot if it is those NOISY Bugs! They sing all day; they sing all night. Some sing softly and others sing so loud you head off looking for earplugs.

"Field crickets sing from beneath leaves," writes John Himmelman. "CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP"
Tree crickets sing like telephone rings and mole crickets sing from deep in the ground.

Beetles, moths, mosquitoes - everyone joins into one huge concert of sound - all illustrated with Himmelman's bold and life-like drawings. At the back, Himmelman shows what the sound waves look like for all of those noisy bugs - and you can listen to them here. He explains what sound waves are, and how you can imitate the sounds of some of those bugs. And he includes a short bio-note for each bug in the book.

An all around fun book to take outside - I can't wait until Noisy Frog Sing -Along comes out! This post is part of STEM Friday round-up and also the Nonfiction Monday round up found this week at Shelf-Employed.  Review copy provided by publisher.

Too Hot? Too Cold?

Too Hot? Too Cold? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right
by Caroline Arnold; illus by Annie Patterson
32 pages; ages 6-9
Charlesbridge 2013

It's summer here in the northern hemisphere, and that means hot, hot, HOT days. But south of the equator it's winter, and that means cold, cold, COLD days. So while we're peeling off layers to keep cool, kids on the other half of the earth are pulling on parkas and mittens to keep warm. That's how we humans adjust our temperature.

But what do animals do when they need to cool down or warm up? That's what Caroline Arnold explores through the pages of this book. She talks about "warm-blooded" animals and "cold-blooded" animals and shivers and sweat. She talks about fur and feathers and blubber and goosebumps and finding a cool breeze on a hot day.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up. And on Monday, we're celebrating Nonfiction Monday right here! Just post a title and link for the book you're reviewing in comments below.  Review copy provided by publisher.

Welcome to Nonfiction Monday! See what other people are reading & add your links for reviews in the comments - I'll add books and links throughout the day.

Jeff has a review of Alphabet Trucks over at NC Teacher Stuff.

Christy has a great review of T is for Territories over at Christy's Houseful of Chaos

Jennifer has a dead-on review of Deadly! over at Jean Little Library.

Check out the great review of Bone by Bone at Bibliolinks.

Oops! Power was out for a few hours - but it's back now so I can add some more titles in today's review round-up. I'll check back before dinner to pick up any stragglers.

Roberta's got a review of No Monkeys, No Chocolate over at Wrapped in Foil. This is one book I absolutely must read (as I am overly fond of chocolate).

This is a new title in the Scientist in the Field series - an awesome collection of well-written books for curious kids. Eruption! is reviewed over at proseandkahn.

Alex posted a review of Brick by Brick over at Randomly Reading.

Janet reviews Bubbles Float, Bubbles Pop over at All About the Books.

Looking for some hard, cold cash? Check out Anastasia's review of Follow Your Money at Booktalking.

Take Flight with Bats

Bats: Biggest! Littlest!
by Sandra Markle
32 pages; ages 5 - 7
Boyds Mills Press 2013

This is the newest addition to Sandra Markle's "Biggest! Littlest! series. In this book Sandra explores the diversity of bats - from the Bumblebee bat that weighs as much as a penny to the Gray-headed Flying Fox with a 3-foot wingspan.

Being big is great if you want to carry food any distance, but there's some advantages to being small, too. For one thing, you can eat food other animals find "too little to bother with".

Markle mentions vampire bats, fruit bats, bats with huge eyes and bats with huge ears. She shows fishing bats and nectar-sipping bats - enough bats to drive even the most science-loving kid just a little bit... batty.

This post is part of STEM Friday round-up, where you can find all sorts of science resources. Review copy provided by publisher.

Sally's Bookshelf is going to relax a bit this summer with Summer Reading! So for the rest of July and August, you'll find something fun to read here on Fridays. Check out cool summer reading programs at your local library - and don't forget to drop by on Fridays to see what Sally's reading.