Sorting Through Life's Lessons: Science Picture books

Showing posts with label Science Picture books. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2016

Fred Flintstone's Adventures with Wedges

Fred Flintstone's Adventures with Wedgesis part of a Simple Machine series starring the Flintstone's characters.

This series breaks down the individual components of simple machines into separate books. The focus is for younger readers and the text, dialogue and pictures are designed to introduce, define, and provide examples of wedges. The book does a great job introducing the concept and provides some interesting examples to help young readers understand what a wedge is and how to identify one.

Fred discusses door wedges, wheel chocks, axes, nails, chisels, darts, knives, and teeth. Each is illustrated and the characters explain why these fit the definition of a wedge.

My one question about this series is name recognition. I loved the Flintstone's as a child. However, talking to my niece's boys they don't seem to know much about them. Parents might enjoy sharing their memories of the series with their kids. I'm just not sure if the connection will be the same if there isn't a connection to the cartoon.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

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.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Freddy the Frogcaster

I'm always looking for age appropriate weather books and decided to check out Freddy the Frogcasteras the first book in a weather series.

In this book we meet Freddy a young frog who is very interested in weather forecasting. He watches and learns about weather forecasting from his local weather forecaster and builds his own weather station at home to practice forecasting the weather. He gains confidence by comparing his own forecasts to those of a very accurate local weather forecaster. When she leaves on maternity leave Freddy is excited to meet the new forecaster. However, the new forecaster is not as dedicated to the work and her information lacks the quality of her predecessor.

This becomes an issue for Freddy and his friends when an outdoor event is planned and no warning is given about an upcoming storm. Freddy and the former forecaster run their own data and set out to warn the town so they can plan a safe outing for the citizens.

This was an introduction to weather forecasting targeting young children. I would be interested in reading some of the other books in the series to see if they go any deeper than this one or if they stay on the surface. As I've demonstrated with Dr. Suess' science series and Bel the Weather Girl one can embed quite a bit of content in the context of a children's picture book. There is a healthy balance. I thought this book was a little light on content. The book will entertain and encourage children to explore more about weather.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Smash! Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Simple Machines

Smash!: Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Simple Machines (Wile E. Coyote, Physical Science Genius) is a great introduction to simple machines for kids. While cartoon stories sometimes depend too much on the cartoons and not enough on the science, this book doesn't disappoint.

For those familiar with the Road Runner and Coyote episodes this book will have a predictable feel. Each chapter explores a different simple machine having Wile Coyote attempt to use that machine to attack the Road Runner. In keeping with the cartoon theme Road Runner escapes unharmed in each instance, but a valuable lesson is learned about simple machines.

Wile Coyote's story is a good fit for simple machines as he's always using different methods to attack his nemesis. The author does a good job in staying with the Coyote traditional story line and embedding the science vocabulary and concepts around the story without losing the continuity of the story.

This is actually one of the best simple machine children's books I've read to date. The language is accurate and detailed. Children who come to this story knowing little about simple machines will learn the names of the simple machines and discover more about how each is used while being entertained. For children who have been introduced to simple machines, this provides more information and a great funny review of the material.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Raindrops on a Roller Coaster Hail

I was unfamiliar with the Bel the Weather Girl series so I decided to borrow Raindrops on a Roller Coaster: Hail (Bel the Weather Girl) from the library.

I like children's science picture books that tackle topics accurately, but make the topic accessible. That is a tough balance. There are a few series that have found the right balance, but others are either too technical or too simplified to be useful. While this is only the first book I've read in the series I thought it struck a good balance in providing accurate information about hail, how it's formed, the dangers of hail, and how it comes down to earth using accurate science, but making it approachable for young readers.

The story begins with Bel and her cousin Dylan outside playing when storm clouds darken the sky. As the daughter of a meteorologist, Bel is not afraid, but aware of the cautions she should take and escorts her cousin and the family dog into the house. The story continues with Bel educating her cousin about hail, introducing children to vocabulary and concepts associated with hail.

Along with finding a book that teaches about science, I also liked that it addressed the child Dylan's fears about hail. Weather events can be frightening to children and adults, but adults have more access to information to educate themselves about dangerous weather and how to cope with the challenges of it. When I had family with young kids living in tornado alley, I struggled to find books that would educate but also comfort the kids with information about what was happening, but also how to stay safe. I will be looking for other books in the series to see if the books are consistent across the series.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Science Books for Kids