Early Book Review: Mysterious, Marvelous Octopus by Paige Towler
Early Book Review: Famous Finds and Finders: Searching for the Past by Tom Velcovsky; Stepanka Sekaninova; Adam Wolf
Famous Finds and Finders: Searching for the Past, written by Tom Velcovsky and Stepanka Sekaninova, illustrated by Adam Wolf, is currently scheduled for release on November 28 2023. In this book young readers are taken on an journey back through time as they learn about the field of archeology and its role in uncovering the secrets of our past. Emphasizing the importance of preserving and recording moments in history, it encourages children to consider their own place in the ongoing story of humanity. Readers can also learn about the tools and techniques (from crude to state-of-the-art) that archeologists and paleontologists use, as well as about the challenges they face in uncovering fragments of the past buried in the ground or under the ocean. This book highlights some of the most significant archeological discoveries of all time, introducing young readers to some of the key figures in the field. It provides a fun and engaging way for children to learn about historical discoveries and the people who made them, and will inspire them to continue exploring the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity.
Famous Finds and Finders is an informative read, with a great deal of well organized information. I wish I had found this book when I was a young reader, as I would have loved getting a real look at the discoveries made, tools used, and maps detailing pertinent information. I do think that this is best suited for readers that already have some interest in the subject matter, as it is a great deal of information on each page. Those that are not already curious might be discouraged by that and not be fully engaged. As someone that has always been interested in archeology, I found the flow of text, images, maps, and other things to be engaging and kept me turning pages.
Early Book Review: Anatomical Oddities: The Otherworldly Realms Hidden within Our Bodies by Alice Roberts
Early Book Review: Mysterious Glowing Mammals: An Unexpected Discovery Sparks a Scientific Investigation by Maria Parrott-Ryan
Book Review: Do Other Earths Exist?: Mysteries of Space by Jennifer Lombardo
Early Book Review: The World's Most Atrocious Animals by Philip Bunting
The World's Most Atrocious Animals is the third title in the series from Philip Bunting. It is currently scheduled for release on July 11 2023 and is filled with facts about some of the scariest creatures in the natural world. Meet the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, Africa's hungry but deadly hippos and some truly shocking electric eels, among many more truly scary creatures! The antagonist voice (speaking though cheeky annotations) points out the most frightening aspects of each creature's characteristics, while the narrator's voice describes engaging, factual information about each animal's seemingly scary characteristics. Are they really as scary as they seem? With humorous text and bright illustrations, this guide to terrifying animals contains funny labelled diagrams and fabulous facts. It will help teach kids about the animals we fear and whether their gruesome reputation is deserved!
The World's Most Atrocious Animals is another great addition to this series. There is a great balance of humor and information. While there was a good deal of information that I knew, I still learned a good deal. The illustrations are fun, and accurate while still maintaining the humorous tone of the book. There is a wide range of creatures covered here- with plenty of interesting information about each of them. The only things I would have liked to see here that I didn't, is some sources for further reading in the endmatter of the book and some kind of organization for the order of creatures in the book. If there was a reason for the order I missed it, but organizing them by something would have been nice; location, habitat, alphabetically, anything at all would have been helpful to me personally but no one else might be bothered by this at all. Fans of the previous books in this series will not be disappointed, either will readers that like a little fun along side their information.
Book Review: Sheepology: The Ultimate Encyclopedia by Ilaria Demonti, Camilla Pintonato
Early Book Review: indiscernible elements: Calcium by Korynn Newville
Early Book Review: Strange Animals by Tom Jackson
Early Book Review: The Genius Kid's Guide to Mythical Creatures by Sara Novak
Early Book Review: Search for a Giant Squid by Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser
Search for a Giant Squid, written by Amy Seto Forrester and illustrated by Andy Chou Musser, is a children's book currently scheduled for release on April 25 2023. An exciting ocean-themed choose-your-path STEM adventure for emerging readers! Take a journey to the ocean's twilight zone in Search for a Giant Squid ! An exciting mixture of action and nonfiction, this choose-your-own-adventure-style story allows readers to take on the mantle of a teuthologist looking for a giant squid in its natural habitat. Once readers pick their submersible, pilot, and dive site, the adventure begins!
Search for a Giant Squid is a combination of adventure and nonfiction. I liked the amount of information shared about the people that study and work in the ocean, and study specific aspects and creatures of the ocean. I learned a few new things, and I think most young readers will learn a great deal. I loved that the fact the scientists are still learning, still asking questions, and still looking to better understand things. Helping kids see that the adults are still looking to answer questions makes them feel a little better when they do not know the answer, even when they think they should. I thought making the story interactive was a great idea, giving young readers the ability to make the choices, and see the consequences of those choices in a book is safe and low stakes. I like that the readers are encouraged to try different paths, and see what else they can discover. I also like that they are encouraged to check the glossary if they see a word they do not understand. The inclusion of suggestions for further research, the sources used, and some additional fun facts at the end were a perfect addition.
Search for a Giant Squid is a wonderful book for curious young readers, especially for those with interest in animals or the sciences in general.
Early Book Review: Nobody Likes Frogs: A Book of Toadally Fun Facts by Barbara Davis-Pyles, Liz Wong
Early Book Review: Animal FACTopia!: Follow the Trail of 400 Beastly Facts by Julie Beer, Andy Smith, Britannica Group
Audiobook Review: Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory by Andrew E. Budson, MD; Elizabeth A. Kensinger, PhD and Narrated by Elise Arsenault
Early Book Review: Hidden Creature Features by Jane Park
Book Review: The Moon Tonight: Our Moon's Journey Around Earth by Jung Chang-hoon, Jang Ho
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon's Journey Around Earth, written by astronomer Jung Chang-hoon and illustrated by Jang Ho, is a children's nonfiction book translated into English by Paige Morris. Everyone on Earth can look up and marvel at our moon in the night sky. It is an experience we share across cultures and continents. As our closest celestial neighbor, the moon touches on many aspects of our lives and has inspired interest from people across centuries. In The Moon Tonight, you can share that same sense of wonder with your child through the eyes of a father-daughter duo as they learn the science behind the twenty-nine-day lunar cycle and the moon’s four phases: crescent, quarter, full, and new. With age-appropriate and easy-to-follow scientific explanations this picture book offers families a reading experience that is both poetic and educational.
The Moon Tonight: Our Moon's Journey Around Earth is a wonderful book for a young reader to explore alone, or to share with an adult. There is a great deal of information about the moon, its cycles, and how it effects our oceans. I thought the text was straightforward and easy to understand and follow, with no moments of condescension that is sometimes found in nonfiction books for children. Credit for this can go to the author and the translator- since they both had a hand in the English version of the book working as well as it did. I thought the illustrations were lovely and added a great deal to the read. I also loved learning a few new proverbs and lore that relate to the moon. I thought I could remember all my moon facts from my school days when I took astronomy, but this children's book reminded me of information long forgotten and/or taught me a few new things.