Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us by Teresa Robeson, Illustrated by Diāna Renžina

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Clouds in Space: Nebulae, Stardust, and Us
Author: Teresa Robeson
Illustrator: Diāna Renžina
Published August 20th, 2024 by MIT Kids Press

Summary: Real space science meets beautiful images in this lyrical nonfiction introduction to one of the most alluring wonders of our universe—the nebula.

Nebula means “cloud” in Latin, but these little-known astronomical phenomena are different from Earth’s clouds. They can be the last breaths of supernovas, spreading the elements of life far and wide, or they can be star nurseries, swirling molecules together to form stars and planets. In this gorgeous nonfiction look into the cosmos, the nebula narrator invites young astronomers to learn more about these immense space clouds, from how they form to what they do. Readers will be entranced by the vibrant illustrations, which incorporate real photographs of nebulae, and the poetic text, which reveals that we are all grown from scattered stardust. Rich back matter provides details about nebulae and how people have studied them, the nebulae pictured in the illustrations (listed as the “cast”), and resources for further learning.

Praise: 

★“Lively language and gorgeous illustrations make this an excellent introduction to astronomy for a wide audience.” – School Library Journal (starred review)

“An eminently approachable introduction to an intriguing aspect of our universe.” – Booklist

About the Creators: 

Teresa Robeson has been an amateur astronomer since 1980, with a special interest in cosmology. She is the 2020 APALA Picture Book Award–winning author of Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom and other books on science and her own culture. She lives on a mini-farm in southern Indiana. To download a free curriculum guide, and to learn more, visit teresarobeson.com.

Diāna Renžina studied design and worked at several creative agencies before becoming a full-time illustrator and digital designer. She lives in Riga, Latvia, a city of cobbled streets, pine forest, Art Nouveau architecture, and the cold sea.

Instagram
Teresa Robeson: @tmrobeson
Diāna Renžina: @diana_renjina
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress, @candlewick_sl
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

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Teresa Robeson: @teresa.robeson
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @CandlewickPressBooks
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media

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Teresa Robeson: N/A
Diāna Renžina: N/A
MIT Kids Press / Candlewick Press: @candlewick
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Pinterest
Teresa Robeson: Teresa Ho Robeson

TikTok
MIT Kids Press/ Candlewick Press: @candlewickpress

Review: I am truly blown away by this picture book. I loved the idea of nebula speaking to a young girl and sharing secrets and the illustrations were as stellar and vase and beautiful as the idea of a nebula. The author’s informational text skills are on point, explaining quite complex concepts so well, and just so lyrical which makes the book a pleasure to read as well as informative. Just like the author mixed purposes, the illustrator did as well. The art in this book is edge to edge, full of color, and just embodies the ideas and lyricism of the book.

And then the backmatter goes even deeper for anyone interested in learning even more. The backmatter is accessible but also detailed.

Tools for Navigation: This book is built for a compare and contrast around clouds and nebula. What a perfect way to combine a reading comprehension skill and science!

Discussion Questions: 

  • How are nebula and clouds similar? Different?
  • Why were nebula’s named a word meaning cloud in the first place?
  • How did the illustration style add to the story?
  • Why do you think the author chose to have nebula be the narrator?
  • What else would you like to learn about nebulas?
  • Look at the nebulas in the backmatter. Are there any other animals you picture when looking at the images?
  • Although this book is mostly nonfiction, some may argue it is speculative because of magical realism. Why would they say that? What do you think?

Flagged Spreads: 

CLOUDS IN SPACE. Text copyright © 2024 by Teresa Robeson. Illustrations copyright  © 2024 by Diana Renžina. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

Read This If You Love: Space, Science

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!!**

The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World by Dean Robbins, Illustrated by Matt Tavares

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The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World
Author: Dean Robbins
Illustrator: Matt Tavares
Published August 20th, 2024 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary: How did the first people explore the land they lived on? How did civilizations expand their boundaries and chart courses into new lands? Learn about the history of cartography across cultures in this ode to mapmaking through the ages.

Join history’s first mapmakers as they explore the wonders of the world! In these pages, you’ll find the tools ancient people used to depict their surroundings, methods different cartographers developed to survey new lands, and how we’ve arrived at modern mapmaking today. Above all else, the thread that runs throughout thousands of years of civilization is the spirit of exploration that helps us measure the shape of things around us, the world we all share.

About the Creators: 

Dean Robbins is a journalist and children’s book author. His previous books include, The Fastest Girl on Earth!Two Friends; Susan B. Anthony and Frederick DouglassMiss Paul and the President, and Margaret and the Moon. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his family. To learn more, visit https://deanrobbins.net/.

Matt Tavares is a New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of over twenty titles. His books have been featured in: ALA Notable, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, and twelve were chosen for the Society of Illustrators Original Art exhibit. His artwork has been exhibited at the Brandywine River Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, and the Mazza Museum. Matt lives in Maine with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters. Visit his website: matttavares.com.

Instagram:
Dean Robbins: @deanprobbins
Matt Tavares: @tavaresbooks
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook:
Dean Robbins: @deanrobbins
Matt Tavares: @tavaresbooks
Random House Children’s Books: Random House Children’s Books
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media

Twitter/X:
Dean Robbins: Dean Robbins
Matt Tavares:  Matt Tavares
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Review: The informational, yet lyrical text, by Dean Robbins mixed with Matt Tavares’s beautiful art brings this massive idea to a level that any reader can connect with, understand, and will find interest in. And man, is it a fascinating history, and it is wonderful how The Shape of Things does an introduction to the full history of cartography in a way that doesn’t seem overwhelming but is so informative. I also appreciate the sharing of different strategies of different cultures when mapmaking.

Tools for Navigation: While reading, I couldn’t help but think of all the ways social studies teachers could use this text. This text, in addition to being entertaining, is a summary of cartography through world history which makes it perfect for social studies to look at human history, exploration, and technology over time. And educators, don’t forget about the backmatter which includes even more information.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How did maps change over time?
  • How did technology change map making?
  • How did exploration change map making?
  • What different abilities does a cartographer need to have to accurately create maps?
  • Why is mapmaking essential to humanity?
  • What is the future of maps?
  • Why do you think the author included a timeline in the back of the book?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Maps, Geography, Cartography, History

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

Author Guest Post: “A Walk in Nature: Science for the Very Young” by Julie Downing, Author of Hello, Sun

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“A Walk in Nature: Science for the Very Young”

Hello, Sun celebrates a day in the life of a busy forest. From dawn to dusk, the forest is full of animals, birds and insects, waking up, playing, building a nest, and resting in the shade. When the sun goes down, the animals cuddle up and fall asleep. Hello, Sun teaches the youngest reader about diurnal animals in a simple and poetic way.

One of the powers of a picture book is the way facts can be conveyed. By looking closely at the illustrations, children learn as much from art as they do from words. As the author/ illustrator, I spent a great deal of time researching animal habits and what a “normal” day was like for each of the different characters. The challenge was thinking about how to present the information in a way that resonates with the youngest readers.

Some of the scientific facts appear in the text, and other information is shown in the illustrations. For example, I discovered that hummingbirds use spiderwebs to construct their nests. The text describes the nest:

Wisps of hay,

silky thread.

Sticky heat,

mossy bed.

On the other hand, some spreads show information in the art. For example, I learned that hummingbirds sleep upside down. The “Stars peek out”  as readers see the male hummingbird asleep on a nearby branch. Looking carefully at the art,  readers discover a bear habitat, which insects fly near a pond and come upon turtles sleeping in stacks.

Hello, Sun is a companion book to Hello, Moon, published in 2021.  Hello, Moon, shows the same forest at night. Hello, Moon is full of nocturnal animals and illustrates what happens while most of us are asleep. I didn’t really intend to do two books, but after Hello Moon came out, I thought about that same forest and what was different in the daylight. It took some time to find my way into the second book. Two things helped me. One July day, I took a walk in Marin. It was a VERY HOT day (of course for a San Franciscan anything over 65 is hot.)  The forest literally shimmered. I thought about how different the feeling was between the forest in the daytime and the same cool forest at night. I thought about what type of activities diurnal animals do throughout the day. As the temperature rises, animals slow down, nap, and keep cool in the shade.

What is the best way to show the difference? Color is one way to show time of day as well as changing temperature. Color became an important element in Hello, Sun. However, I discovered it was much easier for me to paint a forest at night. All the blues and purples are my colors.

It was challenging to shift my normal palate for Hello, Sun. One day, I was at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and discovered a painting by the artist, Richard Mayhew. He was an African American artist who painted the most beautiful landscape paintings. What struck me was his color palette. He did not paint a green tree against a blue sky but instead painted these amazing purple, rust, and turquoise trees against orange and yellow skies. His landscapes captured the feeling of a forest on a hot, sticky day. I realized that color was my way into this book. When I painted the art for Hello Sun, I literally had a book of the Richard Mayhew’s work on my desk and borrowed some of his palates, the intense yellow that runs throughout the book was inspired by Mayhew’s paintings.

Children are naturally curious and eager to learn, and picture books are the perfect way to connect to the world around them. I hope Hello, Sun and Hello, Moon inspire families to take their own nature walks and think about the animals that share their space. Are they asleep? Are they awake? What might you see, hear or feel if you took the same walk at a different time of day?

Published April 16th, 2024 by Neal Porter Books

About the Book: Follow the sun and the creatures it shines on from dawn to nightfall in this companion to Hello, Moon, from Parent’s Choice Award Winner Julie Downing.

Hello, sun!
Goodbye, night!
Sunrise chill,
pale dawn light.

Julie Downing’s signature artwork washes each page in a symphony of blue, green and purple foliage; the sky shifts from amber to pink, buttercup-yellow, or darkest indigo. Sleepy bears, rabbits, deer, and other animals rise from cozy dens and burrows to greet the day.

From the award-winning creator of Hello, Moon and Night in the City , Hello, Sun features short and simple sentences perfect for a bedtime story or for children building confidence in reading on their own. Whether you’re starting the day or ending it, don’t miss this engrossing walk with the sun and the creatures it shines on.

About the Author: Julie Downing is the illustrator of more than forty-five picture books and a professor of watercolor and children’s book illustration. She lives in California.

Thank you, Julie, for this reminder to play into the curiousness of children!

Author Guest Post: “Integrating Storytelling with Science Education” by Serene Chia, Author of Mommy, Mommy, Where is the Moon?

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“Integrating Storytelling with Science Education”

How do we use children’s picture books to spark our kid’s interest in science? As a children’s author and a fan of kids’ books, I’ve discovered that storytelling can be a magical tool to engage young minds. Combining stories with science is a great way to keep little ones excited about learning.

Here are 3 ways to start their scientific journey through the power of stories and child-led inquiry.

  • Making Science Simple. Science doesn’t have to be complicated. Stories can make tricky ideas easy for kids to understand. In Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure, Charlotte’s journey to find out what is making the animals sick captures children’s interest and teaches them about the scientific method to ask questions and form a hypothesis. Charlotte’s determination and problem-solving skills are depicted in a way that children can easily grasp.
  • Encouraging Curiosity. One of the best ways to teach science is through student-led inquiry. Encourage your students to ask questions and explore answers. In Ada Twist, Scientist, Ada’s relentless curiosity to find out what is causing a smelly smell drives the story, prompting kids to ask their own questions and seek answers. This book is fantastic for teaching children the value of persistence and inquiry in science.

    Similarly, in If I Built a School, Jack’s imaginative ideas about what a school could look like encourage students to think creatively and ask “what if” questions. Jack’s wild ideas, like a library where books come alive, can inspire kids to dream big and explore how their own creative solutions could be realized. These books collectively show that curiosity is the starting point for scientific exploration.

  • Mixing Different Subjects. Stories can seamlessly blend different subjects like science and reading. In Over and Under the Pond, the narrative combines scientific facts with beautiful storytelling, helping kids improve their reading while learning about nature. This multidisciplinary approach makes learning more interesting and helps kids see the connections between different subjects. It encourages them to think critically and creatively, integrating knowledge from various fields.

Recommended Books for Starting Children on Their Scientific Journey

Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure by Camille Andros

The story emphasizes the importance of family support in scientific endeavors, with Grandpa Bunny telling Charlotte, “Charlotte, you are going to make a real difference in the world.” My 3-year-old son loved the bunny family and the grandpa who wasn’t well, while my 6-year-old daughter was fascinated by finding out what was making all the animals sick. She learned new words like quarantine and experiment.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

This book encourages kids to start asking questions when they encounter problems. Ada’s journey to discover what was causing a stink in her house shows how persistent inquiry can lead to scientific discovery. The story highlights the importance of family support in encouraging curiosity and problem-solving.

Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner

The book paints a beautiful picture of an afternoon spent exploring the ecosystem of a pond. Living in Singapore, we learned about animals we don’t have here, like the mink, moose, and American goldfinch. The illustrations, such as a view from above the trees looking down at the mother and son rowing their boat, add an immersive visual element that helps kids learn about different species and their habitats.

If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen

This imaginative book follows a boy named Jack with the wildest imagination as he describes to his teacher, Miss Jane, how he would design a school. His ideas include puppies, a zoo, a robot that makes lunches, and hover desks that glide around. My kids especially loved the part where the library had books that came alive, like Jack and the Beanstalk, with a beanstalk that grew when you opened the book. This story sparks interesting discussions and encourages kids to think creatively about their learning environment.

Conclusion. Storytelling is a powerful tool for teaching science. It makes learning easy, fun, and engaging. You don’t need complicated setups to spark curiosity in your students. Use storytelling to create a rich, engaging learning environment. Books like Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure, Ada Twist, Scientist, Over and Under the Pond, and If I Built a School are excellent starting points. By incorporating these stories into your lessons, you can inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers!

Mommy, Mommy, Where is the Moon?
Author: Serene Chia
Illustrator: Sinem Kilic Rabito
Published June 3rd, 2022

About the Book: Few things in life are as precious as the bond shared between a mother and her daughter.

Kaitlyn loves spending her nights lying beside her mother as they search the sky for the Moon. Sometimes they find it. Sometimes they don’t! That doesn’t stop them from laughing and talking about cool moon facts like why it changes shape and hides sometimes. Like Neil Armstrong, Kaitlyn believes she can also fly to the Moon!

Beautifully illustrated and filled with inspiration, Mommy, Mommy, Where is the Moon is a must-read for every child.

Parents and educators, this book is great for:

IMPROVING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP – Engage your child and improve the parent-child relationship.

INTRODUCING SCIENCE AND STEM CONCEPTS – Introduce your child to science and STEM concepts in a fun and easy-to-understand way.

ENCOURAGING IMAGINATION – Encourages your child to dream big and use their imagination.

For a free lesson plan and activity sheets for preschoolers, visit serenechia.com/moon

About the Author: As a children’s author, Serene Chia has always been passionate about creating stories that educate and inspire young minds. Her book, Mommy, Mommy, Where is the Moon?, was inspired by her daughter’s fascination with the moon. One of their favorite things to do was to spend time looking for the moon every night. Sometimes they found it, other times they didn’t. Along the way, they pick up cool moon facts like why the moon changes shape and sometimes hides.

This book combines the warmth of a mother-daughter bond with bits of science sprinkled within. It also comes with a lesson plan for 6-year-olds, a read-aloud video, and coloring sheets that make it easy to incorporate into your home or classroom lessons. Visit serenechia.com/moon.

Website: serenechia.com
Instagram: instagram.com/serenechiaauthor

Thank you, Serene, for these science-focused activities and books!

When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation by Kristen Tracy, Illustrated by Luisa Uribe

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When Beavers Flew: An Incredible True Story of Rescue and Relocation
Author: Kristen Tracy
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Published July 23rd, 2024 by Random House Studio

Summary: This fascinating picture book tells the unique, quirky, and true story of how one man in Idaho saved 76 beavers from destroying a town by parachuting them into uninhabited wetlands.

In 1948, the town of McCall, Idaho was growing rapidly. World War II was over, and the little town tucked away in the mountains began to boom. There was only one problem. As the town expanded, they found beavers everywhere. A beaver here, a beaver there, and it didn’t take long to realize that humans and beavers weren’t great cohabitators. But one clever and resourceful Fish and Game Warden named Elmo Heter had an idea.

Heter knew that the beavers were integral to the wetlands, so keeping the well-being of the beavers in mind he set out to find a way to relocate them. After a few failed attempts, he finally landed on a wild idea… parachutes. Using a surplus of parachutes left over from WWII and creating a special box with air holes designed to pop open when it hit the ground, Heter devised a way to parachute the beavers into Idaho’s backcountry, an area that beavers hadn’t inhabited in decades.

Kirsten Tracy’s fascinating and playful nonfiction text pairs beautifully with Luisa Uribe’s detailed illustrations to bring this compelling true story to life.

“A celebration of an early environmental success.”—Kirkus Reviews

About the Creators: 

Kristen Tracy grew up in a tiny town in Idaho near Yellowstone Park surrounded by untamed and fascinating animals. She is a poet and YA author and has recently started writing picture books. Her debut picture book A Cub Story was published in 2021. Kristen Tracy young adult novels include Lost ItCamille McPhee Fell Under the BusHung Up, and Project Unpopular. She won the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation for her collection Half-Hazard. To learn more, visit kristentracy.com.

Luisa Uribe is the illustrator of Areli is a Dreamer, which was named a best book of the year from Kirkus, NYPL and Booklist, and My Brother is Away that received three starred reviews and was a Charlotte Huck honor book and a Charlotte Zolotow honor book. She lives in Bogotá, Colombia, with her partner and two cats.

Instagram:
Kristen Tracy: N/A
Luisa Uribe: @lupencita
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Facebook:
Kristen Tracy: N/A
Luisa Uribe: N/A
Random House Children’s Books: Random House Children’s Books
Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media

Twitter:
Kristen Tracy: @kristen_tracy
Luisa Uribe: @lupencita
Random House Children’s Books: @randomhousekids
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Review: This is such a fascinating story. Too often, animals “in the way” of humans are killed or relocated with no thought, so I was so happy to read this story about Elmo Heter and all the thoughtfulness he put into the beavers in Idaho and the success of his endeavor. I think this story allows for the reader to see that there can be successes in these incidences; however, it also shows how humans impact is negative on animals/the environment. It is going to be a great conversation book and a new aspect of history to most.

The full page illustrations are the cherry on the sundae of this book for me. Uribe’s additions bring the story to life and shows the reader important aspects that would be missed without their inclusion. I, personally, really liked that additions of the aspects of the scientific method that are shared in the illustrations. It makes it clear that Heter had a hypothesis, asked questions, did research, until he figured out a conclusion to be successful. 

Tools for Navigation: This book will be a perfect read aloud to cross disciplines when discussion ecology and the environment or animals/humans impact.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How did humans cause the situation that they and the beavers were in?
  • How does human expansion affect the animals and environment?
  • Why did the location where the beavers were relocated to work? What could have caused a relocation like this not to work?
  • How did relocating 75 beavers help with the success of the relocation?
  • How to beavers help out ecology and the environment?
  • We don’t learn much about Elmo Heter as a person but we see his actions. What do these actions tell you about him?
  • What type of questions did Heter ask when he was determining how to relocate the beavers?
  • How did Heter use the scientific method when planning his rescue and relocation?
  • How did the illustrator utilize illustrations to add to the narrative?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Beavers, the Environment, Ecology, National Parks

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall 

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Illustrated by Melodie Stacey

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Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep
Author: Jeanne Walker Harvey
Illustrator: Melodie Stacey
Published June 4th, 2024 by Cameron Kids

Summary: Else B. in the Sea is a poetic picture book biography about a daring and pioneering woman artist that combines themes of art and science from author Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrator Melodie Stacey.

Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda. It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface—fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! Flashy silverfish, puckering blue parrotfish, iridescent jellyfish.

Else painted under the sea! She painted what she saw with her own eyes, and, back on land, she painted the never-before-seen deep-sea creatures described by world-renowned scientist William Beebe on his momentous 1930s bathysphere expeditions for the New York Zoological Society’s Department of Tropical Research. It was a daring and glamorous adventure and a dream come true for Else B., who shared this new, unfathomable world with humankind.

About the Creators: 

Jeanne Walker Harvey is the author of many picture books, including Boats on the Bay, as well as the well-received picture book biographies Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas (winner of the 2022 Northern California Book Awards – Children’s Literature Younger Readers and Jane Addams Children’s Book Award finalist), Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head, and Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines (a NSTA Best STEM Book of the Year). She lives in Sonoma, California. For free downloadable activities and more, visit her website,  jeanneharvey.com.

Melodie Stacey is a fine artist and illustrator whose work can be found in the picture book Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made. She lives in Brighton, UK.

Instagram
Jeanne Walker Harvey: @jeannewharvey
Melodie Stacey: @melodiestacey
Cameron Kids/ABRAMS Kids: @cameron_kids and @abramskids
Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media

Twitter/X
Jeanne Walker Harvey: @JeanneWHarvey
Melodie Stacey: @Melodiestacey
Cameron Kids/ABRAMS Kids: @abramskids
Blue Slip Media: @blueslipper & @barbfisch

Pinterest
Jeanne Walker Harvey: @JeanneWalkerHarvey

Review: I love learning about new people (to me) from history that expand my knowledge of the world. Else is such a cool character and to know she is a real person makes it even more intriguing and amazing. Else is definitely a person whose story should have already been told, and I am so glad that Harvey and Stacey are telling it now.

Like Harvey has done in all of her picture book biographies that I’ve read by her, she expertly mixes narrative and nonfiction to ensure the book not only teaches the reader about the person but also entertains and keeps attention along the way. This is so important to ensure that readers will gravitate towards hearing this story with a side effect of learning about an amazing person, in this case Else.

Stacey’s illustrations take Harvey’s words and make them sing off the page with illustrations that range from full page to small additions, keeping the eyes from ever wanting to stop exploring the art, just like Else explored the sea.

Tools for Navigation: There is so much to do in conjunction with this book in the classroom! After reading the book aloud, I would then make sure to read the author’s note and dive deeper into:

  • Deep sea creatures and what has changed in our knowledge of them since Else’s time.
  • How color changes when light is removed, including the underwater color spectrums.
  • Why women scientists were excluded normally during Else’s time and how including them affected how others viewed the expeditions that Else was part of.
  • How paint and salt water interact and trying to paint under water!
  • Other woman who took first steps that need to have their story told.
  • The science behind bioluminescence.
  • The math of the ocean.

Discussion Questions: 

  • How do you think Else’s childhood and roadblocks early in her life affect her?
  • What does Else’s idea to practice painting the “ocean firsthand” and “descending as far as she could by herself” tell you about the type of person Else was? How about her ability to learn to paint underwater?
  • How has scuba gear changed over time?
  • Why did William Beebe have to kill animals to allow them to be studied/painted? What are your thoughts on this?
  • How did Else’s paintings of Beebe’s discoveries give “people a way to escape their worries”?
  • Why do you think Harvey wanted to tell Else’s story?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Picture book biographies, Science, Ocean creatures

Recommended For: 

classroomlibrarybuttonsmall  

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**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing a copy for review!**

The Dinosaur in the Garden by Deb Pilutti

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The Dinosaur in the Garden
Author & Illustrator: Deb Pilutti
Published May 21st, 2024 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Summary: After waiting millions of years, a T Rex thinks a curious girl might just find the clues he left behind, making his story part of hers.

It’s been millions of years since this dinosaur has been so excited. There’s a girl—a curious girl—exploring the land right where he used to live!

Will she be the one to find the clues he left millions of years ago?

Could she be the one to bring his story back to life?!

This lyrical picture book captures the vastness of geologic time while also showing how close the traces of the distant past can be—as long as we are curious enough to look.

Praise: “The author of 2020’s clever and engaging Old Rock (Is Not Boring) tackles the theme of geologic time from another angle. . . [The book] ends with an enticing invitation to join in dinosaur research and study. . . An engaging suggestion that hints of the past are there for the finding, if we will but look.” —Kirkus

About the Author: Deb Pilutti wrote and illustrated Old Rock (is not boring)Ten Rules of Being a SuperheroBear and Squirrel Are Friends, and The Secrets of Ninja School, and illustrated Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt. Deb lives with her husband and their border collie, Wilson, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Follow her on Twitter @dpilutti.

Review: Deb Pilutti, like she did in Old Rock, does a great job giving voice to things that may not usually be heard. I think we often hear from dinosaurs living in their own time, but not often do we hear from a dinosaur from the past; this is how the creator takes her book to the next level–this isn’t just another dino book! She also is great at creating really entertaining picture books with a scientific element, and although the messages of the book are clear, she does this without turning the book into a didactic narrative. Another really fun read by Deb Pilutti!

Tools for Navigation: This is a wonderful interdisciplinary text! It will make a great read aloud and will lend itself to amazing visual literacy analysis, but it also is a jumping off point for a lesson about dinosaurs!

First, I would use the book to have students look at different characteristics of the dinosaurs introduced and why the characteristics are what they are.

Second, I would have the students see if all of the dinos included are from the same time period and make a timeline of when they lived.

Third, I would change the conversation to talking about fossils and paleontology, utilizing some of the author’s notes in the back. (Also, it would be fun to look at if there are any fossils that have been found in your area!)

Fourth, I would would use our unnamed protagonist to start a conversation about what each student wants to be when they grow up (and maybe have them find a book connected to that career).

Discussion Questions: 

  • How does the creator show you in the images when the dinosaur is alive versus when it is not?
  • What other clues do you pick up in the images that aren’t in the words?
  • Which dinosaur in the book is your favorite?
  • How are the dinosaurs the same? Different?
  • How did the dinosaurs become extinct?
  • How did the fossil in her backyard influence our protagonist?

Flagged Spreads: 

Read This If You Love: Dinosaurs, science

Recommended For: 

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**Thank you to Aubrey at Penguin Young Readers for providing a copy for review!**