Pollinators ~ books for emerging readers

 Since it's the end of Earth Week (Earth Day was Wednesday), I thought I'd feature a new series of nonfiction for emergent readers. The new series focuses on pollination, and is a "First Step Nonfiction" series published by Lerner just this year. The author is Jennifer Boothroyd, and two additional titles include "Self Pollination" and "Parts of a Flower".

theme: nonfiction, insects, animals, plants

opening (from Insect Pollinators): "This bee is busy. It is gathering food."

The books in this series show the connections between plants and animals as they depend on each other for survival. Insects and animals need the pollen and nectar from plants, and the plants depend on the animals to move pollen from one plant to another.

What I like: The photography is awesome. The text is just right for kids beginning to read, and text boxes include simple explanations. For example: on one page the main text says that an insect crawls on a flower and pollen sticks to the insect. The photo shows a monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower, but we can't see the pollen. So in a text box we read this: "Pollen often sticks to an insect's back, legs, or head."

Lest you think bees and butterflies are the only insects pollinating flowers, there are pages showing beetles, moths, and even a fly. Animal pollinators show bats, birds, and even lizards moving pollen.

These books are short - 24 pages - and small enough to tuck inside a folder or pocket of a kid's backpack. The close-up photos are bright and colorful, sure to engage a kid's attention and imagination. And there's even one section that shows humans pollinating plants - something an adventurous kid might try. (hint: it's not as hard as you might think)

Beyond the book: Pollinators are important. Without them we wouldn't have apples, pears, pumpkin pie, chocolate, blueberries... And Earth Week is a good time to think about them, because we can help pollinators out by making sure they have habitat and water and nectar sources. So, how can we do all this?

Follow a pollinator. Next time you're outside and you see a butterfly or bumblebee, follow it around to see what flowers it lands on. How far does it have to fly to find flowers? Go on a walk through your neighborhood. Are there certain areas where there are a lot of bees and butterflies? Why do you suppose the pollinators hang out there?

Make your yard pollinator friendly. You can do that by joining the Great Pollinator Habitat Challenge (while you're there, check out the rest of the site)

What would your shopping cart look like without pollinators? A food market decided to take all the insect-pollinated foods off their produce shelves to see what it would look like. They ended up taking 52% of the produce off the shelves! You can see their before and after photos here. Go on a field trip to your local grocery store and see what you normally buy that is dependent on insects for pollination. How would it change the way you eat if those foods weren't available?

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 from the 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.

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.

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.

Out on the Prairie

Out on the Prairie

By Donna M. Bateman; illus. by Susan Swan

32 pages, ages 4 - 7

Charlesbridge, 2012

Donna Bateman takes readers to Badlands National Park where baby animals and their mothers wallow, run, slither, hop, and scurry from dawn to dusk. From birds to bugs, reptiles to mammals, she shares the secret lives of prairie animals.

“Out on the prairie where the sky is crystal blue, lived a speedy mother pronghorn and her little fawns two.” This is just plain fun to read – and just as fun to sing, if you’re game.

I particularly like Susan Swan’s illustrations – a mix of painted paper and found objects put together in collages. They’re bright and fun to explore… and I just love the expressions on the frog faces!

There’s lots of back matter: ten pages of fauna and flora facts that will make you want to head to the nearest prairie to go check out the wildlife. Bateman dishes out the true lives of howdy owls and coyotes, explains grama grass and gives a good prairie ecology lesson. This is one book you’ll want to tuck in the crate with the field guides if you’re heading anywhere near the Badlands, the Flint Hills or anywhere that tall grass grows and buffalo roam.

 

 This is part of the Nonfiction Monday round-up. Check out other great nonfiction resources today at Apples With Many Seeds. Review copy provided by the publisher.