Aliens and Energy

Aliens and Energyis another entry in the Monster Science series.

Agnieszka Biskup chose aliens as a method to teach children about energy. The book begins by introducing the readers to the relationship between matter and energy. The author uses illustrations to help children access the vocabulary and concepts. I do prefer when the the characters are more integrated into telling the story, but I've come to accept that some in this series are only going to use the characters as illustrations, not as storytellers.

The story continues by defining the types of energy for readers. I was impressed by the explanation of kinetic vs potential energy. The explanations were clear and the illustrations added provided humor and more ways for students to access the material. Sound, light, and electrical energy are also addressed.

Changing energy is lightly covered. I thought the best part of this section was the explanation that energy can be changed but it isn't created or destroyed. The examples are less consistent. I found some were good in this section, others less strong.

The end was the weakest when it discusses energy conservation and renewable sources of energy. It lacked the consistency of the previous sections.

Yogi Bear's Guide to Bugs

Yogi Bear's Guide to Bugs (Yogi Bear's Guide to the Great Outdoors)is a great introduction for primary readers to the vocabulary associated with bugs and insects using Yogi and Boo Boo to entertain and engage the students.

As I write this I can only find the book published in a library binding. Since it is a recent series I'm hoping it will soon be available in paperback soon as I think they'd make great birthday and Christmas gifts for certain younger readers in my family.

In this volume Yogi and Boo Boo take on the challenge of bugs vs. insects. I thought the author did a good job of providing age appropriate definitions and examples to help them understand the differences between bugs and insects. The book gives a brief definition of the life cycle of an insect, explaining that bugs may have a slightly different cycle. The book also covers the eating habits of bugs and insects identifying the main types of food that insects eat.

This is clearly meant to be an introduction to the topic. However, I like the fact that the book focuses on teaching children the vocabulary, basic scientific concepts, and engaging children in a manner that will encourage them to explore more about the topic.

Yogi Bear's Guide to Rocks

As I was researching the Monster Science series I came across Yogi Bear's Guide to Rocks (Yogi Bear's Guide to the Great Outdoors)and decided to see if the author had extended his talent to a different series.

I am so excited by these new series of science books that are making science vocabulary accessible and fun for younger kids. This series is written for a younger audience than the Monster Science series. The book still uses accurate vocabulary, but there is less of it. The author focuses on the basics of the topic for younger readers. It is a great introduction to the topic for an elementary level reader who might need some motivation to read non-fiction material.

While out for a walk through Jellystone Park, Yogi teaches his friend, Boo Boo about the basics of rocks and minerals. One of the reasons I love these comic series is they provide kids with access to accurate scientific information and vocabulary in an engaging manner. If you've ever encountered a child who can recite more facts about dinosaurs then you ever realized existed, you know children can absorb quite a bit of challenging vocabulary and information if they are engaged with the topic. These books help engage children in a variety of topics.

Yogi covers the basics of the rock cycle, types of rocks, and specifics of each type of rock. It is an introduction to the topic, but I'm always excited about finding ways to engage students with material that educates and entertains.

This is one of the newer cartoon series and as of this writing is not yet available in paperback. Hopefully that will be happening soon.

Ghosts and Atoms

Ghosts and Atomsis another addition to the Monster Science series this one written by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen PhD.

I was very pleased that this book returned to the flavor of Zombies and Forces and Motion that made me start exploring the series.

The book uses ghosts as a theme to help children explore atoms. It begins with the history of scientists exploring matter and how theories and knowledge evolved to our current understanding of what atoms are and how they function. The book then moves on to defining an atom, describing what atoms are made of, explained positive and negative electrons, how liquids, gasses and liquids are formed, molecule formations, and several other topics.

I was pleased to see a fairly complex subject broken down with the help of the ghosts into language that is accessible to children. As I've said about this series in the past, the scientific language is kept intact, but the explanations are creative in helping make that language more user friendly.

This book does a great job of holding children's attentions and engaging them in a rather complicated topic. Just as you could see a child losing interest the author engages the ghosts to provide humor and reengages the child's attention. This is on my Christmas list for this year.

Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Energy

Smash!: Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Simple Machines (Wile E. Coyote, Physical Science Genius) helps kids explore the types of energy with fun examples, illustrations, and age appropriate science vocabulary and concepts.

The books is divided into chapters, energy in motion, electrical and chemical energy, heat energy, and renewable source energy. In each chapter Wile E. Coyote ends up badly abused in his efforts to use the various types of energy to attack the Road Runner, who makes fewer appearances in this graphic picture book.

One of the strongest examples was the explanation of springs and coils. The author doesn't just entertain with the characters, he uses them to explain the concepts in a clear and concise manner.

The Berenstain Bears Dinosaur Dig

The Berenstain Bears' Dinosaur Digis a more science focused book in the Berenstain Bear series.

In this story the Bear children begin researching dinosaurs at the local library, move on to the Bearsonian Museum where they meet Professor Actual Factual who invites the family to visit a local dinosaur dig.

I discovered this book when I reviewed The Berenstain Bears Under the Seareleased this year.

These two books are a slightly different direction for the Berenstain series. The books remind me more of the Magic School Bus with the Bears exploring scientific topics in an age appropriate manner for young readers. This book encourages readers to use the library, explore the museum, and introduces where the museums get the dinosaur bones they display. The author provides phonetic pronunciations to help adults and children to tackle to long names of the creatures that often fascinate young children.

While I realize science isn't the focus of the series, I am hopeful the writers and publishers continue to include new science titles in the series. It is a great way to encourage fans of the series to move into non-fiction reading.

The Berenstain Bears Under the Sea

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Berenstain Bears Under the Seawhen I saw the title. I've been familiar with the Berenstain Bears through several family members, but this title seemed like it was going in a slightly different direction for them.

I was correct. While they use a sub, not a bus, the premise is similar to the Magic School Bus series. While visiting the local aquarium the family is invited to take a trip on a submarine to see the creatures in their natural environment. The book shows readers what types of creatures are encountered as the Bears head to the bottom of the ocean. Along the path the professor educates the Bear family about the animals, what they eat, and where you find them.

I thought this was an great way to get fans of the Berenstain Bear series to engage with non-fiction material. There is another one recently published about a Dinosaur dig as well. I'm hoping they continue embedding non-fiction material in their fantasy series.