Posts Tagged ‘junior non-fiction’

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What’s Up, Cupcake?

May 15, 2013

What’s Up, Cupcake?:

Creating Amazing Cupcakes

By Dana Meachen Rau

Want to create some super fabulous cupcakes?  This imaginative new book will teach you and your child how to make such fantastic treats as berry baskets (yum!) and fluffy bunny cupcakes.

Author Rau gives detailed instructions for you, and the pictures of these yummilicious sweets are so vivid that my mouth waters when I look at them! I especially appreciate the Decorator’s Toolbox pages that list all the tools you will need, and the Ingredients Glossary that gives a clear picture of each item you will need to make these absolutely adorable cupcakes.

These treats would be perfect to make at parties, or on a rainy day, but you really don’t need a reason… cupcake designing is loads of fun any time!

If this book sparks the creativity in your kiddos, be sure to check out these other cool and imaginative books:

Eye Candy:

Crafting Cool Candy Creations

 

 

Smart Cookie:

Designing Creative Cookies

 

 

 

Enjoy, and happy eating reading!

 

 

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Curious Chemistry Questions

May 3, 2013

whitemilkWhy is Milk White? & 200 Other Curious Chemistry Questions

by Alexa Coelho & Simon Quellen Field

Like many 11-year-olds, Alexa Coelho has a lot of questions.  Unlike many 11-year-olds, Alexa has a chemist neighbor, Simon Quellen Field, who likes to answer questions.  This book is the result.

Why is Milk White? & 200 Other Curious Chemistry Questions answers some common chemistry questions in a way that is accessible for children.  The questions and answers range from 1-2 pages and some include science experiments.  This is a great books for kids doing research for science fair projects.  I would recommend this book to scientifically curious 9-13 year-olds.

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Fun Fact File: Fierce Fish!

April 16, 2013

Fun Fact File:  Fierce Fish Series

 Looking for a fun and educational non-fiction series?  These books fit the bill perfectly. Learn 20 fun facts about stingrays, barracudas, moray eels, piranhas and more!

Here are a few fun fact examples:

A piranha feeding frenzy can make the water “boil”

 

Dentists in ancient Greece used stingray venom to ease pain

 

Moray eels have a second set of toothy jaws in their throat

 

A barracuda’s eyes are always open

 

Each page expands on its fact with additional information presented in an attention-grabbing format of varying font sizes, styles and colors to keep the reader engaged.

This series will entertain and inform elementary age children (perfect for grades 2-4).  The pictures are colorful, detailed and absolutely enthralling.  There are multitudes of fascinating things to learn about these fierce and beautiful fish.  I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do.  Happy reading!

Melanie (Parr Library)

Here are more in this series to enjoy!

20 Fun Facts about Lionfish (Fun Fact File) Cover

20 Fun Facts about Anglerfish (Fun Fact File) Cover

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Millions, Billions, & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers

April 5, 2013

millionsMillions, Billions & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers written by David Adler and illustrated by Edward Miller.

When you think of a million of anything you know it is a lot but this book explains the concept in concrete terms.  I like pizza so when the author uses the example of how many pizzas  you could buy with a million dollars- that makes an impression.  (2 pizzas a day for more than 68 years-yum!)

Trying to imagine a billion and a trillion is even more daunting.When children learn numbers, they often count the numbers. If you want to  count to a billion, the author has figured that “at the rate of one number per second without stopping, it would take you almost 32 years”.  That’s a lot of counting.

With colorful, cartoon-like illustrations and humorous examples used to represent large numbers, this book makes math fun for young children.

The MathStart series by Stuart Murphy is also great for introducing math concepts to young children.

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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City Chickens

March 26, 2013

City-Chickens-by-Christine-HeppermannCity Chickens by Christine Heppermann

Dogs, cats, parakeets and even lizards…but have you heard of keeping chickens as pets?!?  Follow the author as she visits Chicken Run Rescue in Minneapolis.  There, Mary Britton Clouse fosters and helps people adopt chickens that have been found wandering the city streets.  Some began their lives as chicks in a classroom incubator, some came from illegal cockfighting rings, and some have simply escaped from farming operations.  But all of them need help just like any dog or cat you might find at your local animal shelter.

City Chickens takes a thoughtful look at these smart, gentle and friendly animals, and talks about both the ups and downs of keeping them as a part of your family.  The City of Plano does not allow “urban chickens,” but this book still serves as a great educational tool about animal welfare and a different sort of pet!

 

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Out of Sight

March 5, 2013

00000247565Out of Sight by Francesco Pittau & Bernadette Gervais

Out of Sight is literally a big book standing over 15 inches tall and 11 inches wide.  This lift-the-flap book is filled with animal trivia from cover to cover.  Before lifting each flap, you can try to identify the featured creature by the skin pattern, partial silhouette, paw prints, tails, legs, or other body parts printed.  Once the flap is lifted, you will uncover the identity of the animal and a specific fact about that animal.  Did you know that goats can climb trees?  Do you know what a camel stores in its hump?  Did you say water?  Think again!  How can you tell the difference between a cheetah and a jaguar?  Do you know what armadillo means?  Find out the answers to these questions and learn more animal trivia by reading Out of Sight by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais.  You’ll amaze your friends with your new found knowledge.  You’ll find the book in the oversized junior nonfiction section.

Recommended for grades K-2

Sharon (Haggard Library)

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From the Good Mountain

March 1, 2013

The good mountain

From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World by James Rumford

The detail and the care that went into the first typeset book is wondrously depicted in this picture book biography. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the end papers are revealing, as the images morph from gold leaf to circuit board, leaving the reader with the question how will the book evolve as we go forward?

With deep respect for the past but an open mind to the future, this book struck a chord with me.

-Ramarie (Haggard library)

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Timeless Thomas: How Thomas Edison Changed Our Lives

February 19, 2013

 Timeless Thomas by Gene Barretta introduces a young audience to the variety of inventions Thomas Edison created that are still making a difference in our lives today.  Opening the story with Edison as a boy makes children aware that the curiosity leading to discovery starts in childhood.  Several anecdotes relate that Edison failed many times on the way to his successes- a valuable lesson in perseverance.  One example shows that Edison’s failure to invent one thing led to the invention of something else. 

The exaggerated illustrations are sure to add interest for the intended audience.  Each turn of the page brings a present day object paired with the invention from Edison’s lab that started it all.

Similar titles about inventors by the same author/illustrator are Now & Ben: the Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin and Neo Leo: the Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci .

Recommended for grades 2-5

Donna C (Schimelpfenig Library)

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ABC Zooborns

February 1, 2013

 

ABC Zooborns!

                                  ABC  Zooborns!

                                  Andrew Bleiman

In this charming read, the baby animals on each page help your little one learn their ABCs.  If you like alphabet books and adorable zoo babies (and who doesn’t?), then this is a great book for you.  The photos are vivid and beautiful, and what could be better than learning the letters of the alphabet with such delightful animals?

 The ‘get to know the Zooborns’ section on the back pages tells each animal’s species, home and conservation status, and also gives additional information about the animals. I had never heard of several of these babies, so this was quite educational for me.  This book is great family fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Happy reading!

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Leave Your Sleep

January 7, 2013

Leave Your Sleep by Natalie Merchant

A collection of  fun, nonsensical and silly poems accompanied by music…what could be more fun? Singer-songwriter Merchant sings the poems in the book using an eclectic mix of musical sounds.  Illustrator Barbara McClintock’s sepia-toned, nostalgic illustrations are a perfect match for the poems.  The  book with CD included, features poems by Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky and ee cummings, among others.  One of my favorites is Bleezer’s Ice Cream–the crazy list of ice cream flavors and singing them would be a big challenge!

Merchant was inspired to write the music after sharing the poems with her young daughter.  In the Introduction, she notes that she wanted to pass on to her daughter that “speech could be the most delightful toy in her possession and that her mother tongue is rich with musical rhythms and rhymes.”  Indeed!  English is a deep, pleasurable language and I treasure it.

A lovely book to read aloud, listen to, and share with children preschool to elementary age.

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