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NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHA flutter of movement in the distance.” A mothercoyote is on her nightly hunt in a suburbanneighborhood to secure food for her family. Afterseveral unsuccessful pounces, she is successful justas dawn approaches. Full-color two-page spreadsprovide the cover of darkness and the new daydawning. Sharp, quick, action text keeps the readercheering for either the coyote or the intended prey.Coyote Facts are included.Daylight Starlight Wildlife. By Wendell Minor.Penguin, 2015. 32pp. ISBN 9780399246623.“The sun shines on Earth, bringing the light andwarmth of day. Do you know these daylightvisitors?” So begins the presentation of 23 animals:diurnals, nocturnals, and some are crepusculars.The text compares and contrasts these animals inMinor’s signature style: warm, detailed gouacheand watercolor illustrations. Fun Facts are in theappendix.present leaping lemurs, tumbling toads, jetpropelled jellyfish, and many more surprising waysthat animals move. The common names of theanimals appear in bold-face type alongside theillustration displaying the animal on the move. Theanimals are grouped by movement in the backmatter along with additional information abouteach animal. The movement grouping: walking,leaping, swimming, climbing, flying, rolling, andjetting.Feathers: Not Just For Flying By Melissa Stewart.(Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen.) Charlesbridge,2014. 32pp. ISBN 9781580894302.A concise main text highlights how feathers aren’tjust for flying. They can also protect a bird’s skin likesunscreen, attract attention like fancy jewelry, oreven distract a predator like a bullfighter’s cape.This title introduces young readers to sixteen birds,from the sleek Emperor penguin to the fluffed-upBlue jay and describes just how positively practicalfeathers can be. More curious readers are invited toexplore informative sidebars, which underscorespecific ways each bird uses its feathers for a varietyof practical purposes. Budding naturalists and birdwatchers will love this scrapbook-style picture bookintroduction to the many uses of feathers.Flying Frogs and Walking Fish: Leaping Lemurs,Tumbling Toads, Jet-propelled Jellyfish, and MoreSurprising Ways That Animals Move. By SteveJenkins and Robin Page. (Illus. by Steve Jenkins.)Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. 32pp. ISBN9780544630901The partner team of Jenkins and Page neverdisappoint. The torn- and cut-paper collagesFollow the Moon Home, A Tale of One Idea,Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles. ByPhilippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson. (Illus. byMeilo So.) Chronicle, 2016. np. ISBN9781452112411.Vivienne became an environmental activist in hercommunity. She started a new school on the daythe teacher began Class Project: Community Action.Similar to a scientist, the plan’s steps included:Identify, Plan, Take Action, Tell the Story, Reflect.She found her issue: Loggerhead baby sea turtlesand the project theme "lights out for loggerheads."“When baby sea turtles hatch, they follow thestrongest light they see [usually beach houses] So ifthey head away from the sea, they get dehydratedand die.” The watercolor, colored ink, and coloredpencil illustrations bring Viv and her classmates’story to life. A plethora of back matter makes for agreat teaching unit.381 SB&F November 2016

NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHGiant Squid. By Candace Fleming. (Illus. by EricRohmann.) Roaring Brook Press, 2016. np. ISBN9781596435995rock broke from its billion-year orbit to fall fromspace onto the trunk of a teenager's car, then toseveral natural history museums. This book detailsthe steps that brought a meteor from outer spaceacross the eastern United States to the roof of a carin Peekskill, New York, and was then verified,tested, and exhibited (police, firefighters,geologists, curator, cosmetologist) before it becamean exhibit at the American Museum of NaturalHistory. Illustrations are colorful, playful paintingsthat complement the engaging text. Back matterincludes information about the scientist who firstexamined the meteorite. Great read aloud.National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: Morethan 200 Poems with Photographs that Float,Zoom, and Bloom! Edited by J. Patrick Lewis.National Geographic, 2015. 192pp. ISBN9781426320941.The collaborative team of Fleming and CaldecottMedalist Rohmann are at it again. The giant squid isone of the most elusive creatures in the world. Youmay have seen the depiction of a giant squid inmovies (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, FindingDory). This title presents the real-life story of afascinating sea creature. It was only two years agothat a giant squid was filmed in its natural habitat.Fleming’s poetic words and Rohmann’s colorfulpaintings seduce the reader into the depth of theoceans into the habitat of the giant squid. Extensiveback matter provides a plethora of information,additional resources, etc.How the Meteorite Got to the Museum. By JessieHartland. Blue Apple, 2013. 36pp. ISBN9781609052522.A class field trip to the museum has budding youngscientists asking the questions like: How did thismeteor get here? This third entry in the awardwinning Got to the Museum series traces how aNature poetry is beautiful when it stands alone, butwhen paired with natural photographs a newstrength of poetry emerges. From trickling streamsto deafening thunderstorms to soaring mountains,discover majestic photography perfectly paired withcontemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (suchas Robert Frost), and never-before-published works.A great book to read a quick poem but especiallyduring April is Poetry Month. Literature and sciencecome together in this amazing collection of poems.Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature. BySarah C. Campbell. (Photographs by Sarah C.Campbell and Richard P. Campbell.) Boyd MillsPress, 2014. 30pp. ISBN 9781620916278.Nature's repeating patterns, better known asfractals, are beautiful, universal, and explain muchabout how things grow. A fractal is a shape that hassmaller parts that look like the whole shape.Fractals, identified in 1975 by scientist BenoitMandelbrot, can also be quantified mathematically.Here is an elegant introduction to fractals throughexamples that can be seen in parks, rivers, and thereader’s own backyards. The Campbells’ glossy,close-up photographs, definitively translate the textinto real life examples.382 SB&F November 2016

NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHPeeking under the City. By Esther Porter. (Illus. byAndres Lazano; from the What’s Beneath series.)Picture Window Books, 2016. np. ISBN9781479586653.with the plants. Scientific facts about eachillustrated plant are in More About Plants, Glossary,and More Information (books and websites) in theback matter.To share this book you have to rotate it 90 degrees.Children see the world of city from the ground up.What goes on below ground level is a lot! Power,water, travel, artifacts, burial grounds, pilings,drainage, and other interesting facts bring thebehind scenes of what makes a city. Theillustrations are mostly cross-cutting view of the cityabove and city below. Do You Know? factsthroughout the book provide interesting trivia. Aswith all Capstone titles, there is the ISBN code toenter at www.facthound.com for safe Internetresources.Raindrops Roll. By April Pulley Sayre. Beach LaneBooks, 2015. 40pp. ISBN 97811481420648.Pink is for Blobfish: Discovering the World’sPerfectly Pink Animals. By Jess Keating. (Illus. byDavid DeGrand.) Knopf, 2016. 48pp. ISBN9780553512274.In less than 100 words written on 36 pages, AprilSayre presents Mother Nature’s rain in all its glory.Close up photographs, most with two worddescriptions (“It thuds. Makes mud. Raindropssettle. They slip. They dot. They drip.”) give rain apersonal quality. Readers will revel in the wonder ofrain and how it does more than just come down. Agreat read aloud. A Splash of Science after the textprovides answers to common misconceptions aboutrain and also presents readers interestingobservations and facts about raindrops.A Rock Can Be. By Laura Purdie Salas. (Illus. byVioleta Dabija.) Millbrook, 2015. 32pp. ISBN9781467762977.Is the blobfish the world’s ugliest animal? Authorand zoologist Jess Keating presents the weird andwonderful seventeen of the most bizarre animalsthat have something in common—they are allshades of pink. Each two-page spread begins “Pinkis for ” and includes a dynamic photograph that byitself would capture your attention. With theaccompany text, cartoony illustrations, and quickfacts, though, it makes for a great exploration ofthese unique pink creatures. The end matterincludes a map of their locations along withadditional resources. Check out the YouTubepromotional videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v YKCGtE693T4Plants Can’t Sit Still. By Rebecca E. Hirsch. (Illus. byMia Posada.). Millbrook, 2016. np. ISBN9781467780315.Do plants really move? ABSOLUTELY!! You might besurprised by all the things plants can do: wiggle,reach, creep, slither, crawl, climb, walk up, hide,snap, and even sleep, nod, and fold. The cut papercollages and watercolors bring this book to life andactually make the reader feel like they are outdoors“A rock is a rock. It’s sand, pebble, stone. Each rocktells a story, a tale of its own.” A rock can be a tallmountain, or a lake skimmer or a seaside home plus20 other things. Readers are introduced to some ofthe various forms that rocks take in the naturalworld. Two words on each page are supported by383 SB&F November 2016

NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHcolorful, descriptive illustrations that make this titlea great earth science read aloud. More about Rocksin the end matter expands upon the two words oneach page. Glossary and Further Reading are alsoincluded.Scientists Ask Questions. By Ginger Garrett. (RookieRead About Science Series.) Scholastic, 2004. 31pp.ISBN 0516231648.“What does a scientist do?” Using photographs ofyoung children and scientists, this book introducesthe basis of science: asking questions. Take a quicktour of questions an inquisitive child might ask:“How do I get ketchup out of this plastic bottle?”Introduce this book along with What is Science?and What Is a Scientist?Sounds of the Savanna. By Terry Catasus Jennings.(Illus. by Phyllis Saroff.) Arbordale Publishing, 2015.32pp. ISBN 9781628556322.thrown in. There is plenty to discuss about what’sgoing on and what might happen next on nearlyevery page. In addition, the authors provideadditional material and activities about soundwaves, and an activity about predators and prey.The illustrations are adequate to provide support tothe text.To the STARS! The First American Woman to Walkin Space. By Carmella Van Fleet and Dr. KathySullivan. (Illus. by Nicole Wong.) Charlesbridge,2016. np. ISBN 9781580896443.What do you want to be when you grow up? KathySullivan was one of the first six women astronautsto train with NASA and the first American woman towalk in space. As a young child, she was encouragedto follow the traditional career path for a female:teacher, nurse, or mom. BUT Kathy was different.The watercolor and ink illustrations complementthe simple text and together provide a positive rolemodel for girls pursing their interest and passion.Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes. By NicolaDavies. (Illus. by Emily Sutton.) Candlewick, 2014.34pp. ISBN 9780763673154.This is not a storybook, as such, but a science bookrelating a series of incidents involving animals inAfrican savanna. The incidents illustrate animalpredator-prey relationships, animal communication,and social structure, with some physics of soundAll around the world—in the sea, in the soil, in theair, and in your body—there are living things so tinythat millions could fit on an ant's antenna. They'rebusy doing all sorts of things, from giving you a coldand making yogurt to eroding mountains andhelping to make the air we breathe. If you could seethem with your eye, you'd find that they all lookdifferent, and that they're really good at changingthings into something else and at making manymore microbes like themselves! Nicola Davies is azoologist as well as a writer. In Tiny Creatures,Davies tackles what is undoubtedly an uncommontopic for a children's picture book. In doing so, shedemonstrates how a conceptually difficult conceptcan be effectively introduced to the very young.Throughout the book, Davies focuses on the basicessentials of the concept "microbe” in a text that isperfectly complemented by Emily Sutton'sendearing illustrations. The combination makes thisimportant scientific subject engaging to theyoungest learners. Tiny Creatures was the winner in384 SB&F November 2016

NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHthe 2015 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence inScience Books in Children’s Science Picture Bookcategory.Tooth by Tooth: Comparing Fangs, Tusks, andChompers. By Sara Levine. (Illus. by T. SSpooktooth.). Millbrook, 2016. np. ISBN9781467752152.Open wide! Find out why teeth come in so manydifferent shapes and sizes. This picture book willkeep you guessing as you read about how humanteeth are like—and unlike—those of othermammals. The question and answer formatencourages the reader to think about how it wouldfeel to have the teeth of other animals. “What kindof mammal would be if you had ” begins theprocess. Exaggerated heads and teeth on thecharacters bring the topic home. The colorfulillustrations bring together science facts and fun.What in the World? Numbers in Nature. By NancyRaines Day. (Illus. by Kurt Cyrus.) Beach Lane Books,2015. 32pp. ISBN 9781481400602.Discover nature by the numbers in this questioncounting book. The natural world is full of sets ofnumbers: from birds' wings in twos and cloverleaves in threes to deer hooves in fours and octopusarms in eights. This book uses playful rhyming textto explore these numerical sets in vibrant detail,ending with the stars in the sky—a number set toobig to count! Each question is answered with simpletext accompanied by vivid, colorful, and detailedillustrations that highlight the nature number.Readers will be encouraged to look for numericalsets in the world around them.photographs depict children engaged in variousactivities that make up the scientific process. In thephotograph, a leading sentence presents the idea orquestion and the child’s answer explains theirobservation/result. A diversity of children is in thephotographs.What is Science? By Rebecca Kai Dotlich. (Illus. bySachiko Yoshikawa.) Henry Holt, 2006. 32pp. ISBN9780805073942.In answering this question asked by the title, over30 topics are cited in the rhymed text: “What isscience? So many things. The study of stars andSaturn’s rings . The study of soil, of oil and gas.”“We question, we wonder, we hunt and explore thesecret of caves, the dark ocean floor .What ISscience? So many things!” The bright cartoonyillustrations of children and the outdoors add to theappeal of the text. The reader can ask questionsabout the details in the pictures, getting the veryyoung children to identify objects. For children whocan read and write, have them draw on slips ofpaper with one of the thirty-odd science topicslisted in the book. They can do some research andgive an oral report to the class about the particulartopic.Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold. By JoyceSidman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. (Illus. byRick Allen.) 28pp. ISBN 9780547906508.What Is A Scientist? By Barbara Lehn. (Illus. by CarolKrauss.) Millbrook Press, 1998. 32pp. ISBN9780761312987.Don’t let the copyright date distract you. Just asscience has been around for eons so has theprocess of what a scientist does. This beginningSTEM book introduces the very young child to thework of a scientist. It begins with, "A scientist is aperson who asks questions and tries different waysto answer them." Simple text and full-colorIn this picture book collection of nature poems,children discover how some animals stay alive in385 SB&F November 2016

NOVEMBER IS STEM PICTURE BOOK MONTHthe winter and learn about their secret liveshappening under the snow. The poems are pairedwith stunning linoleum print illustrations by RickAllen that celebrate nature's beauty and power. Thepoems are coupled with descriptions of how eachevent occurs in the natural environment prove tobe an innovative and enlightening technique. Thepoems and their corresponding explanations revealhow animals are impacted by winter and what theymust endure to survive this arduous season.Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super-soaking Streamof Inventions. By Chris Barton. (Illus. by Don Tate.)Charlesbridge, 2016. np. ISBN 9781580892971.This picture book biography tells the story of theinventor of the Super Soaker and how it becameone of the top twenty toys of all time and it wasinvented entirely by accident. Trying to create anew cooling system for refrigerators and airconditioners, African-American inventor LonnieJohnson instead created the mechanics for theiconic toy. A love for rockets, robots, inventions,and a mind for scientific creativity began early in hislife. Lonnie’s persistence and a passion for problemsolving became the cornerstone for a career as anengineer and his work with NASA. But it is hisinvention of the Super Soaker water gun that hasmade his most memorable splash with kids andadults.ReferencesCaswell, L. J., & Duke, N. K. (1998). Non-narrative as a catalystfor literacy development. Language Arts,75, 108–117.Parents Can Do More To Foster Science Learning at Home: NewBayer 2016 Back-to-School Survey.http://www.bayer.us/en/article.php?id 123023. AccessedOctober 12, 2016.Terrence E. Young, Jr., M.Ed., MLS is chairperson of theSubaru/SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books for theChildren’s, Middle, and Hands-On categories. Contact him atbestman@att.net or on Twitter @bestmanNOLASB&F (Science Books & Films) is written for librarians, media specialists, curriculum supervisors, science teachers,and others responsible for recommending or purchasing science materials. SB&F provides critical reviews of thescientific accuracy and presentation of print, audiovisual, and electronic resources intended for use in science,technology, engineering, and mathematics education.SB&F is pub

In her dynamic poetic style, Jane Yolen shows how alligators hunt, keep warm, and care for their young. A colorful sidebar presents the science facts on which the poem is based. Stemple’s photographs are close-up and personal and reinforce both the content of Yolen’s poem and the scientific information. Back matter includes More Gator