educational – Page 2

What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest by Rachel Ignotofsky

5 stars Children’s Nonfiction

Wowza! This is a fantastic resource. Packed with lots of interesting and educational information, this book is a true gem. If you’re looking for specific information or just want to read about birds, this book is one that you should definitely pick up. A reader-friendly treasure, this nonfiction book speaks to the reader, pumping out information about these feathered friends from many different topics including but not limited to: their relationships, habitats, their anatomy, and it even covers all the different names of the feathers on their bodies.

I liked how the book laid out the information on the pages and how they used different fonts within the pages. There is a large selection of realistic birds drawn on the pages (with the bird’s name written beside it) and the book has a great flow to it. What might you learn:

How important the chalaza is to an egg.

The difference between an altricial and a precocial.

How do birds stay safe and communicate.

What are contour and flight feathers and their purpose.

Migration patterns for 6 different birds – did you know that 40% of birds migrate?

That birds have a special sense within them that helps them navigate.

What you can do to help birds.

I really enjoyed this book and think this is a fantastic book. This is one book that will be read repeatedly as there’s lots of information inside it. 5 stars

One Little Leaf by Molly Littleboy

5 stars Children’s Board Book – Nonfiction

There’s lots to explore and learn in this book for children and adults. Each two-page spread carries a theme from leaves to senses, to seeds and lots more. The pages are packed with information relating to those individual themes but also on these pages are many tabs on cutout items, that are to be lifted which contain more information to read.

On the Magic of Leaves pages, there are 15 different leaves featured from cedar, yew, horse chestnut, redwood, elder, oak, aspen and many others. On the fir, sycamore, and linden leaves, there are cut-outs for fingers to hook the cut-outs of these leaves so that you can lift them open to read more about how special leaves are. I liked that most of the two-page spreads have 4 or more tabs to open.

Did you know:

“Just one tree trunk can make 10,000 sheets of paper. Tiny pieces of wood are mixed with water to create pulp, which is pressed through a paper machine. We also use these tiny pieces of wood to make toilet paper.”

“Leaves have skeletons, just like humans!”

“Sap is a sticky liquid that helps carry water and nutrients from the soil to every part of the tree- just like blood does in our bodies.”

Great illustrations make this a great resource. I liked the variety of text fonts used in the book and I enjoyed all the different varieties of species that they included and how they also identified them in the book. The use of color and the attention to detail in the illustrations was wonderful. This is a great book for young children interested in nature and for those who are just learning about it. 5 stars

Walter’s Wonderful Web by Tim Hopgood

5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Walter just wants his spider webs to look just like his friends. His webs are always wibbly-wobbly and when the wind blows, they blow away while his friends webs are perfect, and they can withstand any wind condition. It’s not that Walter doesn’t try because boy, does he try! Walter construct web after web, creating this shape and that shape but when the wind blows, they all come tumbling down. Ahhh!

Finally, Walter decides to put all of the shapes that he has created into one huge web creating a masterpiece and it’s amazing! Circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and diamonds are woven into this beautiful work of art, but will it be strong enough for the wind?

What a fun, entertaining story about a determined spider and how he tries to solve his problem. I enjoyed how he used all the different shapes to construct his webs and how he continued to create the webs until he got the right combination. Walter is a big black spider, and you can see him smiling and his disappointment throughout the book.

In Walter’s final masterpiece, I had my grandson try to find all the different shapes Walter incorporated which was fun. Cute story and educational too. 5 stars

Whose Prints? by Kari Allen

5 stars Children’s Board Book

This is a great board book that has cut-outs of animal tracks that help children identify which track belongs to which animal. Follow along with a father and his child as they take a walk in the woods and notice the footprints in the newly fallen snow. There are about 4-6 tracks on each page which are cut-out on the page for the reader to identify. One page per animal and the reader is also given a short question about the animal before the reader turns the page to see the answer and an illustration of the animal. This is a super book for children and adults alike as it covers 7 different animals (including humans).

I like the beautiful peaceful illustrations. The text is simple and fun to read. This is a book that can be read repeatedly as the child examines the footprints and makes their guesses. They can apply this knowledge to their own world as they explore the great outdoors too. A gem of a book! 5 stars.

“Quick! Who scurried, then skittered around, over, and up?” There is a set of 5 small tracks on the page whose prints vary in length between them. Turning the page, you’ll see three squirrels up in the tree and the following answer printed on the page. (Answer: “Scurry, skitter. Up, up, up. A Squirrel!”)

Ten Little Rabbits by Maurice Sendak

4.5 stars Children’s Picture Book

I think this book will be a hit or miss with children. I really enjoyed it and one of my grandsons did also. We read it a couple times and like me, he was adding his own words to the story as we flipped through the book together.

My other grandson read the story and he wasn’t as thrilled with the book. My grandsons are both 4 years old.

It’s an almost wordless picture book, that like the title implies, is about 10 rabbits and a little magician that makes them appear and disappear. I liked the simple, clear illustration on each page, and I liked that there wasn’t any other busy coloring or action taking place on the page. I think this is a good counting book for 1-10. 4.5 stars

Being You: a First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison

4 stars Nonfiction Children’s

Finally, a book by Megan that doesn’t go negative. This is my third book of Megan’s that I have read in this series, and this is one that I finally liked. Megan addresses how everyone has some of the same body parts (belly buttons, elbows, etc.) and then, males and females each have something different.

Megan does use specific terms for those body parts, so be prepared for that. The book moves into growing up and how individuals keep the gender they are born with, or they change them. For some individuals, they don’t know what gender they are.

The main point here is that whatever a person is feeling is what’s important and they can use pronouns to describe themselves. The author addresses history and even though the rules may state that girls can do this, and boys can do that, there are feminists who are working to change these rules so anyone can do anything that they want.

Even the reader can be an active participant. They can “work together” with others to make things fair because the “things we say and do matter” and make the “world better for everybody.”

A more positive book and it didn’t get off the main topic. It showed the reader that they can do something to help the situation instead of creating more hostility or anger. 4 stars

Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race by Megan Madison

1 star Children’s Picture Book

Wow, that went straight to racism. What started off as a positive children’s book about accepting individuals of all colors went straight into racism. Yes, we all have different colored skin. Yes, no matter what color your skin is, you are “beautiful, strong, and important just the way it is.” But the last half of the book was packing a punch which to me was just hateful. Do I want to read a book to a child that promotes hate? No. Do I want to read a book promoting hate? No.

I understand addressing racism in this book, but the author went off again in her negativity and this positive-feel-good book went downhill. When we live in a world where we’re working to equalize the playing field, this book fails in my world.

According to this book, white people made up the concept of race, a long time ago.

The author then gives us pages (yes, pages) of examples of racism: “someone says only friends with white skin can play,” “thinking princesses only have blond hair,” “like how there aren’t as many books written about people of color,” “calling a person of color a mean name because of their skin color,”

Another examples shows a picture of the white, blond girl wearing a superhero cape tying a green mask on a black boy who looks sad and defeated. Do those examples look diverse?

If you were a child, what would you think? I think not. Again, you make your own decision but I’m trying to teach acceptance, not create more hostility and division. I think that the first half of the book was worth reading as it was informative, it dealt with a variety of issues, and it gave off a positive energy, but the second half was just the opposite. It felt preachy and negative and not a good way to end a book. I’m not a fan. 1 star

History Smashers: The Titanic by Kate Messner

5 stars Children’s Chapter/ Middle School – any one really!!

This is the second History Smasher book that I have had the pleasure to read and yep, this 50+ year old Nana enjoyed every minute of it! I wasn’t one who enjoyed history in school, yet I liked learning about important events. When I learned about the Titanic in school, I didn’t recall learning much except the basic facts and over the years, I have picked up a great deal of information about how this event came about (thank you, social media). I’m one who likes to learn quirky and interesting details and I want to know the truth about something. I don’t want to know what “someone thinks,” as we all have an opinion and whether it’s right or wrong depends on the individual. When I read about this series of children’s books, I knew that they might be something that I would like as they’re straight to the point, fun and entertaining reading, lots of illustrations and pictures, and I loved the way the author presents the information.

The book begins with the building of the Titanic, and it ends with current events of the Titanic. There’s a wonderful section of Rumors in which they address different rumors associated with the ship, there’s a Titanic Timeline, and a fantastic index. The author’s notes at the end of the book lists additional books and websites about the Titanic. The bibliography is massive, and the author includes a couple pages from History Smashers: The Mayflower and History Smashers: Pearl Harbor in the final pages. Yes, I highly recommend this book for any age if you’re interested in the Titanic. Grab yourself a copy! 5 stars

Some interesting facts I learned:

There were 254 official accidents recorded while building the Titanic which included at least 8 deaths.
The Titanic received multiple warnings about “icebergs and field ice” in the path but yet, they never slowed down. Why? Were they trying to meet their deadlines?
The Californian Ship was closer to the disabled Titanic, yet the Carpathia Ship was the one that helped the victims of the Titanic. It was interesting to learn why.
The Titanic was only required to carry 16 lifeboats onboard. That was not enough for all the passengers. Reading why they were only “legally required” to carry 16 and how this law has now changed.
The water temperature was 28 degrees F. How long do you think you could survive in that type of water with a cork life vest?
Thomas Andrews, a ship builder, remained on board while the ship sank, throwing chairs and anything that he thought would float to the individuals in the water.
The tours to the wreckage were interesting to read about and now there are hopes of another private company starting up operations to resumes these tours. I just heard that they want to halt these tours as they want the Titanic’s resting stop to be recorded as a burial site. The wreckage is deteriorating, what is the future of this famous event.
Items have been taken from the wreckage of the Titanic, but they have now been released into the hands of a group of investors.

83 Days in Mariupol by Dan Brown

5 stars Graphic Novel Children’s/ Middle School

Don Brown…Don Brown…your books just keep on getting better. I’ve been reading his books for a while now and I love how he drives deep into the subject matter and tells it, like it is. Nothing is sugar coated but the subject matter is softened for his target audience. It’s important to know something about the people of Mariupol and where this city is located.

A war broke out battling to gain control of it. If I said Ukraine, I’m sure the picture of Mariupol becomes clearer and now, you’re wondering how this city played a part in this war.

Mariupol was like other cities in Ukraine during the war. They would be under attack.

This city was special though. Comprised of 400,000 citizens, they were the first ones to come under attack from Russia because of their uniqueness. Mariupol was a port city, the gateway to the Sea of Azov which was important to the agriculture and financial sector of Ukraine but would also be a great benefit to Russia.

Brown takes us there, to where the action is. In the Prologue, he explains the history of the area yet we’re not ready for what is coming. February 24,2022 is the date that Vladimir Putin decides to invade Ukraine and that’s the date this story begins. Reflected in black and white graphic novel boxes, the story is told in dateline format which is perfect.

The story is not a happy one as the citizens and the Ukrainian Soldiers try to take cover and they’re fighting back against an army who are relentless. The war tears up the book.

The citizens who are trying to stay safe as running out of options. Too many battles and destruction is everywhere.

The number of casualties is rising, and the fighting continues. My adrenaline was rising, and I caught myself sitting on the edge of my seat as the action intensified. Yes Brown, you did it again, you brought this event right into my home. 5 stars

History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner

5 stars Nonfiction Middle School/Children’s Chapter

What a fun way to learn history! I’ll be honest and tell you that I didn’t make it all the way through this book, it was due back to the library before I got to finish it. I did make it through most of the book and what I read was amazing! I’m not into history but I really wish I was. In school, I hated history but that was many, many years ago. Now, with all the amazing books that they have available, I think I would love to learn about history. History is now presented in a fun, entertaining way yet when I was learning about it, it seemed like it was all dates and facts. I had heard about these History Smashers books, and I found the Mayflower edition at my local library, so I checked it out. It’s crazy the information I learned in these pages!

I loved the language of this book and how this book felt as if, it was talking to me.

The author was explaining the information to me in a fun and informative way. Engaging the reader, the author addresses the many notions and beliefs that surround the Mayflower and lead me on a path of discovery.

I liked this way of learning vs. being told the facts of this important event, for I felt more engaged and receptive of what they were trying to communicate. With the accompanying black and white pictures, this book kept my attention and it moved along quickly. Using cartoon drawings, actual photographs and diagrams, the book’s illustrations are a great addition to this book.

I was also impressed with how many different topics they cover. There is so much to love about this book. Be ready to submerge yourself in the Mayflower when you pick up this book, as you’ll be amazed at what you’ll discover about this famous voyage. Definitely a 5-star read.

“Paintings like this one make it easy for people to assume that Pilgrims walked around in black clothes all the time. But historical documents tell a different story.”

“So, what would you have eaten during the trip if you’d been on board the Mayflower? Biscuits – But these weren’t the nice, soft, fluffy biscuits we eat with gravy today. They were hard and dry, so they wouldn’t get moldy. And after a while, they became infested with little bugs called weevils. (But look on the bright side! At least that added some protein….)” (There were other food/drink items listed too).