Fact Friday: The Big One: the Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch

Happy Friday! The Wolf Moon was setting and its light was absolutely gorgeous when I had the dogs out earlier, but it's very cold! It's windy as well. Br-r. Real-feel was 3 degrees! Needless to say, it was a short walk for the hounds. I was layered and cold. Boo kept starting at the big winds.

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fact Friday features The Big One: the Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch. Earthquakes through the milennia were and remain a feared event. Unpredictable in timing and force, a quake can be a momentary tremor or can fell skyscapers. Until the 1960s, they were poorly understood by scientists. Thanks to this entry in the my favorite series, "The Scientist in the Field," readers can learn about the work of geologists who not only climb mountains, but also find ponds from which to extract core samples. The information gathered is helping scientists predict when and where earthquakes might happen.

The text is accessible and the plentiful full-color photos capture the work of teams of scientists that include undergraduate students. Back matter points budding scientists and researchers to sources and further reading. As usual, this series lives up to its reputation. Another first-purchase. 

Fact Friday: Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas, with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae

Image: Chicago Review Press

Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas, with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae. 144 p. Chicago Review Press, February, 2020. (Review of e-book borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it through another week! My students have a long weekend to look forward to. We teachers have a PD day on Monday.

Fact Friday features Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: her life and ideas with 21 activities and experiments by Rowena Rae. Rachel Carson was born in 1907 and was intensely curious about nature from her early years. Not only did she attend college when few women did, but she also studied science, specifically biology, which even fewer women did. She wrote eloquently about science and nature as well. Her intense observation and study of the natural world led her to the conclusion that pesticide use was adversely affecting animal life and the environment. She began to speak out against the use of pesticides in the 1950s and the 1962 publication of her book, Silent Spring, awakened the general public to these dangers to our environment.

This dual-use biography has activities and experiments that budding environmentalists can try. Although these activities were interesting - things like making bird seed cookies and building a worm farm, I found them intrusive to the flow of the narrative and would've preferred them to be grouped in a separate section, especially as they didn't directly connect to the text. There are plenty of photos to maintain interest and the back matter includes a timeline and glossary.

This biography serves as a fine introduction to the life and work of Rachel Carson.

Fact Friday: Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery. Photographs by Tianne Strombeck. 80 p. Scientists in the Field Series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July, 2020. 9780544816536. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! We made it! It's Friday! My students all continue to remain patient and flexible as 2020 continues to dish up challenges. Yesterday, we pivoted to all-virtual learning for the great snowstorm that wasn't. We had snow, about six inches, but not the foot to foot and a half that was promised. I felt sorry that students didn't get a snow day. Nothing boosts the spirits like a snow day. Oh well. With virtual learning platforms, the snow day may become obsolete. 

I look for ways to tell my student to pat yourself on the back and I offer a virtual high five. I'm am always thrilled when I see them doing so on my zoom screen. Three school days until break!

Fact Friday features Condor Comeback by Sy Montgomery. This is one of the newest entries in The Scientist in the Field series I write so often about. In 1982, there were just 12 California Condors left in the wild. What do conservation scientists do when an animal is on the brink of extinction? Ms. Montgomery, veteran science writer, informs us in captivating detail.

First, conservationists and zoos got together to start a breeding program. Next, the magnificent creatures had to be introduced to the wild and studied. Each year, the birds are captured and examined to check their health, especially to check for levels of lead. The terrain these scientists have to traverse is rough and there are other challenges, like holding a thrashing bird that is roughly the size of a large sofa still for examination!

As usual, there are plenty of fascinating full-color photographs as well as maps and charts to pore over. Additionally, the back matter contains suggestions for readers who'd like to learn more. This series is an auto-purchase for me. I happen to love science. I created a unit for seventh graders just so this series would get the readership it deserved.

Fact Friday: Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis with photographs by Amanda Cowan. 80 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, December, 2019. 9781328770967. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Happy Friday! Skies were clear last night, but I didn't see any sign of the aurora borealis. Bummer. Maybe some day. Let's turn our attention from the night sky to daylight. Fact Friday features Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow by Ilima Loomis with photographs by Amanda Cowan. Many of you know of my love for the Scientist in the Field series. Each well-researched book highlights the work of a scientific specialty with vivid writing and spectacular photographs and this book is a worthy addition to any collection.

Shadia Habbal is an astronomer and solar physicist. She and her team travel the world in order to study solar eclipses. It's expensive to haul around the many computers, cameras and other equipment necessary to record eclipses. Sometimes the weather or other conditions do not cooperate. It might be too cloudy to see the eclipse or, in the case of one trip, wind kicked the desert sands up so much, visibility was decreased. Most of the book describes the team's work during the eclipse of August, 2017. Not only does Ms. Loomis vividly describe the actual eclipse, she also eloquently depicts the teamwork and collaboration on the part of the team.

There will be a full solar eclipse on December 14, but unless you're traveling to southern Africa, South America or Antarctica, you won't be able to view it. The next eclipse that will be viewable to those of us in North America will be on June 10, 2021. In the meanwhile, get your hands on this book to learn all about the work of the scientists who study the sun.

Picture Book Review: Dream Big, Little Scientists: a bedtime book by Michelle Schaub

Image: Charlesbridge

Dream Big, Little Scientists: a bedtime book by Michelle Schaub. Illustrated by Alice Potter. unpgd. Charlesbridge, February, 2020. 9781580899345. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

A diverse and bright-eyed bunch of budding scientists get ready for bed in this clever and colorful bedtime story that not only encourages sleepiness but an interest in science. The gently rolling rhyme pleasantly lulls. Each double-page spread features a young scientist in his or her science-themed bedroom. If young readers don't pick up on the visual clues, a page of thumbnail boxes identify the scientific fields each aspires to with the encouragement to be curious. But really, take some time to linger. The details are delightful. 

I just loved this book. Dream Big, Little Scientists definitely belongs in the bedtime reading rotation. Encourage curiosity! Nurture your little scientists!

Fact Friday: Tracking Pythons: the quest to catch an invasive predator and save an ecosystem by Kate Messner.

Image: Lerner Publishing Group

Tracking Pythons: the quest to catch an invasive predator and save an ecosystem by Kate Messner. 64 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, March, 2020. (Review of digital copy provided free through Junior Library Guild.)

Fact Friday features Tracking Pythons: the quest to catch an invasive predator and save an ecosystem by Kate Messner. Burmese pythons are not native to south Florida but they are imported as pets. It seems when interest wanes or the snakes become too big, owners release them into the wild where they breed. That's the theory behind the explosion of this apex predator that eats everything in sight. Ms. Messner explains the work of a group of scientists at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida as they attempt to track, capture and study these snakes. 

The book is beautifully designed and brimming with clear, full-color photos. Readers really get up close and personal with the scientists as well as the snakes. The work is absolutely fascinating! Plentiful back matter include an author's note, a timeline, a list of invasive species, a glossary, source notes, a bibliography, a list of books and websites for further reading/ research and an index. 

Click on this link to listen to the author talk about the book and read from the introduction. This is a great addition to any nonfiction collection and it fits perfectly into my seventh grade narrative nonfiction unit that is built around scientists and their work in the field. I can't wait to add the book to my cart! 

Fact Friday: Tornado Scientist: seeing inside severe storms by Mary Kay Carson.

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Tornado Scientist: seeing inside severe storms by Mary Kay Carson. Photographs by Tom Uhlman. Scientists in the Field series. 76 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March, 2019. 9780544965829. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Fact Friday features Tornado Scientist: seeing inside severe storms by Mary Kay Carson. This entry in the Scientist in the Field series sure does wow. Meteorologist Robin Tanamachi got hooked on tornados when she seven-years-old and the local news showed film of a tornado ripping through a local park. She told author Carson, "That was when I knew I wanted to be a research meteorologist studying severe weather." Tanamachi is a storm-chaser dedicated to studying tornadoes. In this photo-filled book readers learn about the project she headed, all about the two tornado corridors in the U.S., the physics and life-cycle of a tornado and more. There's even a list of storm-chaser slang in addition to a glossary, which explains many of the acronyms associated with the field. Other back matter includes websites, books, source notes and photo credits.

If you're into weather, technology, science, or just the adrenaline rush of the chase, The Tornado Scientist is the book for you! This one might be my new favorite entry! Robin Tanamachi is bad-ass!

This book so would've appealed to my now adult son when he was young. He was obsessed with weather from an early age and began predicting it quite accurately without all the tools and gadgets that are available now. Even now, his interest in weather remains high and his his predictions (using the gadgets) are accurate! He did start college as a meteorology major but couldn't get past the second year of calculus.

Fact Friday: Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How science is helping the world's largest marsupial carnivore survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How science is helping the world's largest marsupial carnivore survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent.

Fact Friday features Saving the Tasmanian Devil: how science is helping the world's largest marsupial survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. It is often the fault of humans that species become threatened with extinction by way of poaching and/ or habitat loss. In 1995, scientists noted a severe drop in the numbers of Tasmanian Devils. They also observed horrifying facial tumors that seemed to be highly contagious and killed every infected devil so quickly that they feared the devil population would be wiped out within years. 

This edition of The Scientist in the Field series explains the work of four teams of scientists in their efforts to identify and cure the disease before these creatures are gone forever. As usual with this excellent series, the narrative is engaging and accompanied by plentiful full-color photos of the adorable, yet fierce marsupials as well as scientists at work. Back matter includes a glossary; one book and four websites for further reading; source notes and an index. My only criticism is the long and unwieldy title;-)

This series continues to be an auto-purchase for me. I highly recommend adding Saving the Tasmanian Devil! 

Fact Friday: Camp Panda: helping cubs return to the wild by Catherine Thimmesh

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fact Friday features Camp Panda: helping cubs return to the wild by Catherine Thimmesh. Just try and resist this Sibert Honor-winning book! One look at that cover should be enough. If not, then the engaging text and many crisp, clear full-color photos throughout should seal the deal!

An estimated 23,000 pandas roamed the wilds of China at one time. In the last 40 years, their population has been decimated by habitat loss, poaching and human overpopulation. Find out how scientists are attempting to help this endangered species. This includes wearing a panda suit and mask covered in panda urine and feces to mask the human smell. Scientists want the pandas to fear human contact. Baby pandas are not born with the instinct to survive. These skills are taught. The work is expensive and fascinating. Back matter includes source notes.

Camp Panda belongs in every collection. 

November is Picture Book Month! Review: Mario and the Hole in the Sky: how a chemist saved our planet by Elizabeth Rusch

November is Picture Book Month! Each November, I attempt to highlight/ review a picture book a day. Let's see how many days I can get this year!

Image: Charlesbridge

Mario and the Hole in the Sky: how a chemist saved our planet by Elizabeth Rusch. Illustrated by Teresa Martínez. unpgd. Charlesbridge, November 5, 2019. 9781580895811. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Regular readers of this blog know that one of my mottoes is, "One is never too old for picture books." Regular readers also know that I developed a picture book biography unit for my sixth graders. I believe a picture book biography is a terrific entry into the world of biography. Choosing a full-length biography to read as an assignment can be daunting. A well-researched picture book biography can give middle school readers a glimpse into the person before committing to a full-length biography. I am so happy to add Mario and the Hole in the Sky to the cart.

Mario Molina grew up in Mexico. He had an intense interest in science from an early age. This was supported and encouraged by his family, who gave him a microscope for his birthday as well as full access to chemicals and a rarely used bathroom. He just loved to experiment. His love for chemistry, especially, continued through boarding school in Switzerland and into college. Around the same time, new products were being introduced into the markets that contained chemicals that Mario knew could be harmful. Shortly after completing his PhD and moving to the U.S., Mario heard about harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and worked with a fellow scientist, F. Sherwood Rowland to find out how. Of course, no one believed them; but they persevered. 

The story is fascinating - direct and compelling. The vibrant illustrations featuring a big-eyed, big-headed Maria exude energy, humor and warmth. Useful back matter includes an epilogue, which includes a photo of the scientist; comparisons of the Ozone Hole and Global Warming; books and websites for further reading; tips for doing more to decrease greenhouse gases and an author's note. 

Mario and the Hole in the Sky is a first-purchase. It belongs in a variety of teaching situations - from STEM classes to a read aloud to model resilience and perseverance. 

Fact Friday: Backyard Bears: conservation, habitat changes and the rise of urban wildlife by Amy Cherrix

Image: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Backyard Bears: conservation, habitat changes and the rise of urban wildlife by Amy Cherrix. 80 p. The Scientists in the Field series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October, 2019. 9781328858689. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Fact Friday features Backyard Bears: conservation, habitat changes and the rise of urban wildlife by Amy Cherrix. Cherrix brings us another fascinating entry in the "Scientists in the Field" series. My love for this series is no secret. The entries are consistently excellent. They make for excellent reading on their own; but are perfect for meeting the "Careers in Science" standard. 

Conservation efforts began in Asheville, North Carolina in the 1970s when the bear population there reached a critical low. Now, the bears are thriving, perhaps a bit too well. The author followed a team of scientists involved in a five-year study of Ashville's bear population. Her storytelling is engaging and includes side bars with interviews of the scientists. Plentiful photos depict the work of the scientists as they track previously collared bears in order to assess their health. Additional chapters also highlight other animals around the world who have adapted to urban environs. 

Backmatter includes tips on becoming "bearwise," as the residents of Asheville have done so well. It is admirable that they have bought into cohabiting peacefully with the bears.

There's a glossary, source notes and an index as well. This is a first-purchase as well as a must-read!

Fact Friday: The Orca Scientists by Kim Perez Valice

The Orca Scientists by Kim Perez Valice. With photographs by Andy Comins and the Center for Whale Research. Scientist in the Field series. 80 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July, 2018. 9780544898264. (Review of purchased finished copy.)

Orcas, like hyenas, (see last Friday's Fact Friday) suffer from a bit of a bum rap. Viewed as "killers," these whales, actually, the largest porpoises, are not a menace to humans but devoted pod members who care for each other, teach the young and hunt together. Scientists are studying two pod groups in the Pacific Northwest and their numbers are dangerously declining due to overfishing and water pollution.

The photos are the stars in this entry. Crisp, clear, full-color photos show just how impressive these creatures are! The prose is not as fluid as other books in the series. There were a few occasions where the narrative was difficult to follow, requiring backtracking to reread, and the jargon was not explained. Still, The Orca Scientists is a wonderful resource to get young ecologists excited about saving this magnificent species. I just read in the Times the other day that the pod of orcas featured prominently in this book continues to decline. I still read actual papers; here's a link to the article online. 

Backmatter includes how one can get involved in conservation efforts, glossary, suggestions for further reading, source notes and an index. Definitely a title to add to any collection.

Fact Friday: The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery

The Hyena Scientist by Sy Montgomery. Photographed by Nic Bishop. 70 p. Scientists in the Field series. May, 2018.9780544635111. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows of my love for this series. Certainly my seventh graders do as the series is a huge part of the selection of scientists at work books they have to choose from for a unit on narrative non-fiction. Sy Montgomery has written quite a few of the books and Nic Bishop has photographed quite of few of them as well. They have outdone themselves here. 

Montgomery was the morning keynote at SLJ Basecamp in Boston this past August, where attendees received copies of the newly published book. I never thought I would come to appreciate hyenas, but did first after hearing her speak and then again reading this superb book. 

The reader gets up close and personal not only with the hyenas but with the team of scientists, led by Kay Holekamp, who has studied spotted hyenas in Kenya for thirty years. Each scientist who works at camp observing and recording data about the hyenas gets a page of biography. Montgomery and Bishop got to go out on observations and Montgomery even got to tend to a male hyena who was darted in order to be tagged and studied! The photos Bishop took reveal hyenas in all their glory as well as other animals in the ecosystem. 

Backmatter includes fast facts about spotted hyenas, books and websites for further reading, acknowledgments and an index. I expect to hear it winning something come January as it has garnered three starred reviews, popped up on many year-end best lists and was named a CYBILS Middle Grade Non-fiction Finalist on January 1.

The Hyena Scientist is a first-purchase addition to any library collection! 

Fact Friday and Review: Eavesdropping on Elephants by Patricia Newman

Eavesdropping on Elephants: how listening helps conservation by Patricia Newman. 56 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, August 1, 2018. 9781541515710. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Science writer supreme, Patricia Newman's latest book brings to life the work of Katy Payne, who started Cornell University Elephant Listening Project back in 1984. After working for fifteen years studying whale sounds, she turned her attention to deciphering elephant sounds. "Katy wondered if African elephants also used infrasound. Biologists who study them had always marveled that elephant families separated by miles seem to stay in touch with one another." (p. 11) After studying Asian elephants in the Washington Park Zoo, Katy and her team spent five years recording savanna elephants in Zimbabwe. Eventually, she teamed up with an elephant researcher named Andrea Turkalo to explore these questions; "Could acoustic eavesdropping uncover more about forest elephants' habits? Could it help protect them? And could the combination of sound and behavior help scientists decode what elephants are saying to one another?" (P. 14)

With her usual narrative flair, Newman's accessible prose sifts years of complicated research into manageable bites of information accompanied by at least one full-color, well-captioned photos on every page. As usual, the publisher's design team found cool colors and design elements to tie the pages together. In this case, backgrounds in green tones and sound waves pulsing from one page to the next. There are maps to orient the reader and text boxes with charts to explain concepts. There are also elephant-shaped QR codes that readers can scan to watch videos and listen to sound clips! For those without a QR code app, there is a url for access. This extra content adds punch.

Newman always encourages young readers to be proactive in her books by providing tips for environmental stewardship. Backmatter includes a spotlight on Taegen Yardley, who as a middle school student, was inspired by the documentary, Battle for the Elephants, to advocate for elephant conservation and protection against poachers. There are two pages of source notes; a glossary and two pages of books and websites recommended for further reading, making this a great source for student research. 

Eavesdropping on Elephants is a spectacular STEM addition to any school, classroom or public library. It does double duty, as most of Newman's books do, to not only advocate for conservation efforts but highlights real scientists and their work in the field. 

Fact Friday: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: how Maria Merian's art changed science by Joyce Sidman

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: how Maria Merian's art changed science by Joyce Sidman. 240 p. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, February, 2018. 9780544717138. (Review from purchased copy.)

Scientists in the late 1600s had little to no formal training and were nearly exclusively male. Indeed, a woman who expressed an interest in science and the natural world could be persecuted as a witch. Maria Merian's father died when she was three. Her mother then married an still life artist and young Maria was his assistant. He would send her into the garden to collect insects and inquisitive Maria would wonder where they came from. She also needed to learn skills from her mother about running a household. Still, she managed her chores for both parents and still found time to meticulously observe and record her insect collections. 

This informative biography is gorgeous in every way from its design through its illustration and writing. The book has heft. The cover and end-pages are lovely. Each page includes at least one illustration, whether Merian's art, engravings and other paintings from the time, maps or photographs. Each chapter is named for a phase in of insect development and there is a poem written by the author to introduce each chapter. 

Back-matter is extensive and includes a timeline, author's note, quote sources, a bibliography, suggestions for further reading, image credits and an index. 

Maria Merian's story is absolutely fascinating. This biography is a first-purchase for any library. 

Review: Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman

Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman. Photographs by Annie Crawley. 64 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, October 28, 2017. 9781512415711. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

I don't know about you, but I've been to a zoo or two. I remember childhood trips to the Bronx Zoo with my five siblings, entering darkened halls to peer through iron bars and wrinkling my nose against the smells. I took my own four to a variety of zoos over the years, large and far flung, small and local. Zoos have changed a lot since my childhood. Most, if not all having designed natural spaces where the animals have a bit more room than a cage, but caged, nonetheless. If I ever thought beyond the exhibits to the people behind them, my thoughts were of zoo keepers and vets with little thought given over to their education or training.

Patricia Newman introduces three scientists presently working in three American Zoos on projects to protect three species of animals as well as educating the public about them. Readers step behind the scenes with Newman to meet Meredith Bastion of the National Zoo in Washington D.C., Jeff Baughman of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO and Rachel Santymire of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Each scientist receives a chapter in which Newman cogently explains about the animal, its natural habitat and the threats to them. Fact boxes with scientific information and a clear full-page, full-color photo opens each chapter as well. Readers also learn a bit about each scientist and how them came to specialize in each job. A final chapter recaps a brief history of zoos from collections to entertain, amuse or intimidate to the present emphasis on conservation. There's a practical list of eight ways any reader can work toward conservation efforts in addition to other work that scientists are doing to save wildlife.

The book is colorfully  and pleasingly designed. Each page features at least one well-captioned photograph, chart or map. Two pages of source notes, a glossary, selected bibliography, along with recommended books and websites and an index round out this must-purchase book. Display it prominently. Your fact hounds will love it and your science teachers will too. They will find multiple ways to use it in their classrooms from meeting career readiness standards to Next-gen science standards.

ETA: Here's a link to a terrific YouTube video about Zoo Scientists to the Rescue. Thank you Patricia Newman!

Fact Friday: Birds vs. Blades? Offshore wind power and the race to protect seabirds by Rebecca E. Hirsch

Birds vs. Blades? Offshore wind power and the race to protect seabirds by Rebecca E. Hirsch. 48 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, August, 2016. 9781467795203. (Purchased.)

One might think that harnessing the wind a couple of miles out the Atlantic Ocean is a good thing what with the quest for clean, renewable energy resources. But the Atlantic Ocean is not just a blank space. In addition to the sea life under the water, it is a flyway for lots of migrating sea birds. What effect would towering windmills have on relatively tiny winged creatures?

A team of scientists that specialize in sea birds set about netting gannets, red-throated loons and surf scoters in order to discover more about their migratory paths. Teams would set out nightly in a small boat braving cold weather, fog and choppy seas to scoop up birds, return to shore, fit them with transmitters and return them to sea before the stress of capture would hurt the animals. 

It's a beautiful book. That cover image is so intriguing! It's bound to draw readers in. Six chapters are filled with lots of color photos, maps and charts. Tight writing captures and keeps the reader's interest. The concluding chapter suggess ways students might become stewards of the environment. Backmatter includes author's note, source notes, glossary, and suggestions for further reading. 

I have been on the lookout for books that focus on the work that real scientists do in the field ever since the seventh grade science teacher and I collaborated to create a careers in science unit some eight or nine years ago. The project was more or less scrapped with changes in my schedule and Next Gen science standards, but I have a new class and plan on using these types of books as the basis for a research project. This is a perfect addition to any library and fits nicely into more than just a STEM/ science curriculum. Let your language arts and social studies teachers know about the title as well. 

Non-Fiction Monday: The Search for Olinguito: discovering a new species by Sandra Markle

The Search for Olinguito: discovering a new species by Sandra Markle. 40 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, January, 2017. 9781512410150. (Review from purchased copy.)

I'm a great fan of Sandra Markle's work. She not only writes accessibly but beautifully about her subjects, but they are always unique and fascinating. (Great Leopard Rescue, The Great Monkey Rescue, The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats, to name but a few.)

This short book highlights and celebrates scientific curiosity. What is science, after all, but the work of curious people? People who are careful observers who also have open minds, and, in many cases in the past, a good deal of courage and commitment. (Galileo springs to mind as does Semmelweis.)

In The Search for Olinguito, scientist Kristofer Helgen, who worked for the Smithsonian and was in charge of its mammal collection, noticed that a pelt of an animal classified as an olingo looked rather different than the rest of the olingo pelts. Olingos are mammals that are related to raccoons. They live in Central and South America. (p.7) He wondered if this was just a case of specimens from different regions or whether it was a different species. Museums around the world house olingo specimens as researchers have been studying them for over a hundred years. Thus he set out on what would be a ten-plus year quest to establish the fact that there indeed was a new species in the raccoon family tree!

The storytelling is compelling here as Markle deftly explains the science; folds in past research and not only connects all the dots in Helgen's work, but brings the scientist to life. His work required a load of patience, lots of travel as well as a campout in the cloud forest in Ecuador.

Plenty of full-color photos and maps illustrate the story of scientific sleuthing in action. This is perfect for any science class or career-readyness unit and is just the ticket for getting students excited about science. Backmatter includes an author note, source notes, tips for being a science detective, a glossary and three websites and a book for further reading. The book is beautifully designed as well, with green backgrounds decorated with green leaves lending a color to the already vibrant text. 

I do have one question though - why is it that while it was the reddish fur that first attracted Helgen's attention (photo, p. 9), subsequent photos of the olinguito(s) they found in the cloud forest do not appear to have that distinctive red coat?

Happy Book Birthday! Non-fiction Monday: Sea Otter Heroes: the predators that saved an ecosystem by Patricia Newman

Sea Otter Heroes: the predators that saved an ecosystem by Patricia Newman. 56 p. Millbrook Press/ Lerner Publishing Group, January 28, 2017. 9781512426311. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

I will put this right out there - Sea Otter Heroes is a first purchase! The adorable sea otter who appears to be looking directly at the camera will lure your patrons/ students and the author's storytelling skills will keep them interested. Newman delivers another cogent, superb and influential book. The work of scientists is not a rusty, dusty litany of facts, figures and tedious lab experiments. Thanks to writers like Newman, Sy Montgomery, Pamela S. Turner, and more, young people can get up close and personal with real scientists and learn about a variety of careers in science. 

Sea Otter Heroes tells the story of a science mystery and the scientist who worked to solve it. Elkhorn Slough (pronounced slew), is an inlet that sits between Monterey and Santa Cruz in California. Farms surround the estuary and dump tons of pesticides and fertilizer into the waters. This practice has nearly decimated the growth of sea grass, an important plant in the marine ecosystem. The run-off is known as nutrient pollution and allows algae to thrive. This overpopulation of algae prevents photosynthesis and causes the death of sea grass. This, in turn decimates the population of sea animals that rely on sea grass for food and shelter. It also impacts humans in the form of coastal erosion. For some reason, the sea grass population in Elkhorn Slough has recovered and marine biologist Brent Hughes set about studying why this happened. Just how do otters fit into this remarkable recovery? Read Sea Otter Heroes to find out.

Thanks to the publisher/ art department for the beautiful design of this volume. There's plenty of "white" space. It's actually pleasing shades of blues with watery borders. There is at least one full-color photograph, map, or diagram on each page. Pages are also broken up by inserts like "Otterisms: Built to Hunt," which convey easily digestible facts about the otter or "Seagrass Science: What is a Trophic Cascade?"

A double-page spread entitled, "Rethink Your Relationship with Wildlife" offers suggestions for young readers that are easy to start the minute they close the book. Pages containing source notes and a glossary are followed with a two-page selected bibliography. A page with books and websites that young readers might explore and an index round out this important book.

I have mentioned that this is a first-purchase book already. Now, more than ever, we need to nurture young readers' fascination with animals and nature. There is so much at stake. We need to educate and inspire our students to be curious critical thinkers and champions of the environment and more. 

Non-Fiction Monday: The Call of the Osprey by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

The Call of the Osprey by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Photographs by William Muñoz. 80 p. Scientists in the Field series. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, June, 2015. 9780544232686. (Purchased)

Ospreys are birds of prey that live along rivers and bodies of water because their main prey are fish. They return to the same nest (and mate) year after year. These nests are often high up in dead trees and telephone poles. The human population tends to remove dead trees and telephone poles can be deadly, so conservation folks, power companies and landowners have been cooperatively constructing nesting platforms. Their population was declining during the 1960s due mostly to the spraying of DDT. Scientists at the Montana Osprey Project have been studying the effects of pollution on the osprey population in a large Superfund clean-up sight along the Clark Fork River. This team spends a great deal of time each nesting season observing, counting, tagging fledglings and drawing blood samples. Then, they spend the fall and winter analyzing. 


Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Muñoz teamed up to tag along and observe/ record the work of these dedicated wildlife biologists and students. Patent's cogent writing and Muñoz's amazing photos are equally gorgeous and engaging. There is so much packed into these eighty pages. There's an overview of osprey habits and habitats, osprey mating and fledging, and osprey migration. Another chapter relates the effects that mining has on the environment and what a Superfund cleanup is. 

 As usual, the book is gorgeously designed. Plenty of side bars to enhance the narrative. Additionally, pages designed to look like a writer's notebook lay open on double-page spreads and provide biographies of established scientists and budding scientists. An author's note is followed by pages entitled, "To Learn More" and includes books for both adult and young readers and a variety of websites and webcams, as well as four related organizations, sources, acknowledgements, an epilogue and a glossary.

Another must-purchase addition to a stellar series. I'm going to grab my binoculars now and head down to the reservoir for a little birdwatching on this gorgeous summer morning.