March 27 – It’s International Ideas Month

About the Holiday

This month we celebrate Ideas! Ideas are amazing things, appearing in your mind seemingly out of nowhere, but really, they’re often fueled by curiosity, by something you’ve seen, or by something you think could be better or done differently. Innovations in science, technology, engineering, art, and math are like that. Ideas can even transform home life too. The spark behind this month’s holiday is to encourage adults and kids alike to write down the ideas they have and explore making them work. You never know what a good idea might lead to!

The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids

Margie Markarian (Text and Editing) | Rachel Rothman (Editing) | Ashley Prine (Design)

Whether you have kids who can’t get enough of hands-on learning, are exploring science with your children or students, or looking ahead to all those summer days to fill, The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids has you covered! Inside, this go-to resource, you’ll find 22 exciting experiments accompanied by

Informative photographs
Detailed supply lists of items you probably already have at home
A “Make a Prediction” prompt
Step-by-step instructions that are simple to follow
A “What Happened?” explanation of the science behind the results

Photo courtesy of Hearst Home Kids.

Chosen and tested by nine scientists, engineers, and other experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute, these fantastically fun experiments encourage kids to think like a scientist while following the scientific method of observing, asking questions, and making predictions before doing the experiment and then evaluating what they see happen. The experiments also address core scientific concepts, such as the states of matter, energy, motion and force, and simple machines.

If your kids are anything like mine were while growing up, your kitchen is their favorite room in the house. Why not transform this gathering space into a little laboratory where food chemistry and creativity really cook?! With ingredients from your fridge and cupboards, kids can make an abstract masterpiece while learning about liquids; test the pH scale of various foods; experiment with puffed up marshmallows; challenge their nose to a taste test; and explore more with a “gadgets and gizmos” matching puzzle.

Curious kids will really make a splash with the experiments in Chapter 2: Water Works as they get in the swim of discovering why certain objects float while others sink; blow rainbow-colored bubbles; test the strength and absorbency of various paper products; and—get this!—create a drawing that floats in water, without any paper or other medium.

Powerful learning comes in Chapter 3, where young scientists work with energy to make their own rainbows; bake up solar s’mores—yummy!; light a florescent bulb just by rubbing a balloon on their hair; put Newton’s three Laws of Motion to the test by launching pom poms and/or marshmallows; and play around with sound. The Explore More! exercises in this chapter spark kids’ interest in listening for high and low pitches in their environment and investigating the force of friction.

Chapter 4 sends kids outside, where they’ll try balancing like a flamingo; discover what makes balls bounce high, higher, and highest; get the dirt on what’s in dirt; give white carnations a bit of color; and— in a creative way to bring weather science down to earth—get to make “rain clouds” from shaving cream. The Explore More! section teaches kids how to read clouds—from wispy Cirrus to cotton ball-like Stratus—as well as the favorite flower colors of bats, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

In Chapter 5, the scientists at Good Housekeeping present experiments that are not only hands-on, but hands-all-in! Here kids get to clean old pennies to try and reclaim their original shine; discover the most reliable way to un-stink smelly sneakers; make slime; find out how long it takes to really wash away germs on your hands; and learn about the viscosity of various liquids.

Throughout the book, experiments are also accompanied by quick “Fun Fact” and “Did You Know?” information related to each section’s topic, and here and there the Good Housekeeping scientists pop up to impart interesting tidbits that will get kids thinking. There are even funny puns to get them laughing. Each experiment also includes a Time, Difficulty, and Mess-o-meter indicator.

Following the chapters are a glossary, a STEAM index that ticks off which disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) each experiment embodies, and an in-depth index.

Good Housekeeping’s The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids is a treasure trove of intrigue, excitement, and discovery. Offering so many opportunities for fun learning, the book would be a favorite addition to any home library for rainy days, empty weekends, science-themed parties, playdates, or any time you hear “There’s nothing to do!” Teachers, child-centered organizations, libraries, and anyone involved in elementary age science education will also find this book a valuable resource.

Ages 4 – 8

Hearst Home Kids, 2023 | ISBN 978-1950785926

International Ideas Month Activity

Kinetic Sand

Sand is so much fun to play with at the beach that you just wish you could bring it home. With this recipe for kinetic sand, you can use science to make dry sand just the right consistency to form and play with. Kinetic sand makes a great stress reliever too!

Supplies

1 cup sand
½ tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dish soap
Water as needed – about ¾ cup
Bin or bowl for mixing dry ingredients
Bowl for mixing dish soap and water

Directions

In the bin combine the sand and cornstarch and mix well
In the bowl combine the dish soap and water until the water is bubbly
Slowly add the water mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing and adding water little-by-little until the desired consistency is reached. The grain of the sand will determine how much water is needed.
The sand can be formed with cookie cutters, molds, hands, etc. and is strong enough to stack. Or just let it drip and ooze through your fingers.

You can purchase Good Housekeeping’s The Little Lab: Fantastic Science for Kids from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (discounted books and support for your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

March 3 – World Wildlife Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

In December of 2013 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 3^rd as World Wildlife Day to promote awareness of our environment and the dangers to it. Every year a different theme is chosen to spotlight an area of the world, a particular species, or a group of activists. This year’s theme is “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet” and focuses on innovative ideas for financing can contribute to halting biodiversity loss, raising the interest of private sector stakeholders to invest in wildlife conservation, and creating a sustainable future. The day also celebrates successful conservation and sustainability initiatives. To learn more about the day, special events, and how you and your kids can get involved today and throughout the year, visit the World Wildlife Day website.

Thanks to Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers for gifting us a copy of Kingdoms of Life for review.

Reviewed by Dorothy Levine

Kingdoms of Life

By Carly Allen-Fletcher

“Life is all around us…In the sky, the sea, and the soil, life exists in millions of different incredible ways.”

Jump into Carly Allen-Fletcher’s vibrant fact-filled guidebook for kids for a deep-dive exploration of the kingdoms of life. Each Kingdom rules over its own color-coded section, jam-packed with information on how the classified organisms feed, grow, and reproduce. Information also includes the ways in which the organisms across Kingdoms are related or work together with other lifeforms. The pages are royally packed with vibrant illustrations that appear to burst out from the very edges of the book.

Allen-Fletcher begins with an explanation of how all life is formed—from tiny building blocks called cells. These cells can join to create complex multicellular life forms or just exist on their own as unicellular forms of life. She then zooms out to examine the six biggest categories of life. Allen-Fletcher makes sure to note that these categories are not fixed; they change as scientists learn more and arrange beings in different ways.

The first category investigated in depth is the most complex of the life-form groups—animals. The animal pages are filled with a diverse range of species, each numerated to a corresponding key at the back. Allen-Fletcher shows the wide range of animals by comparing the smallest species (fairy wasps) to the largest (blue whales), while also explaining how even within one species (dogs) there can be glorious variety. Examples of animals that don’t quite fit in the animal category, such as a sea slug that can make energy from the sun, as well as animals that can survive extreme conditions or are thought to be practically immortal, are also discussed.

In addition to the animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and archaea are each given equal attention in their respective kingdom sections. From protists like giant kelp and slime mold to bacteria in our gut and bioluminescent bacteria found in squid, each kingdom is filled with fascinating examples of life and interesting facts on specific organisms.

Kingdoms, Allen-Fletcher explains, can also be broken down further, into smaller and smaller groups such as family, genus, and species. A few taxonomists (scientists who study and sort lifeforms into categories) from around the world and throughout many different centuries are highlighted for their contributions to the field.

The book ends with a last dose of wonder: “We know more about the moon than we do about the deepest parts of our oceans. / Every year, we learn more about our home and the incredible life-forms we share it with. / What will we discover next?” The inclusion of “we” in this ending invites readers to feel welcome in this process of study and discovery. Taxonomy need not be only for adult scientists, but anyone who shares a passion for nature and careful observation.

Back matter features each of the categories taxonomists use to sort life into groups as well as all the names of the featured life-forms throughout the book. The science is detailed while also distributed into easy-to-read bite-sized chunks.

Carly Allen-Fletcher illuminates a topic that is usually reserved for upper-level biology courses making it accessible and intriguing for young learners. The facts from her book will inspire a passion for all species—large or small, animal or bacteria—and help children to understand where in this big wide world we as humans stand and the symbiotic relationships that exist between creatures. Mini scientists dot the lusciously illustrated pages, comically examining life-forms in all the kingdoms up close.

Kingdoms of Life would make a valuable addition to home, school and library collections.

Ages 6 – 10

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-0802855916

About the Author/Illustrator

Carly Allen-Fletcher is a British illustrator and author whose books include Goodnight Forest (Muddy Boots), Beastly Biomes (Creston), and Animal Antipodes (Creston). Inspired by nature and science, she creates her art by combining hand-drawn elements, painted textures, and graphic shapes. Carly loves reading about the latest biological discoveries, and if she hadn’t become a professional illustrator, she would have become a scientist instead. Follow Carly on Instagram or visit her website at carlydraws.com.

World Wildlife Day Activity

It Takes All Kinds game illustration courtesy of Science Trek.

Kingdoms of Life Fun

Watch a Kingdoms of Life Classification Video with Science Trek

As Allen-Fletcher notes in Kingdoms of Life, scientists are constantly evolving the categories for living organisms as they learn more. Do you notice any differences between the book and video kingdom categories? Since this video was published, scientists have started using the kingdom names bacteria and archaea instead of the previously used term, monera!

You can also explore their Online Games on kingdoms of life and animal classification, and practice sorting with Generation Genius’s Candy Classification Activity

You can purchase Kingdoms of Life at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Revie

February 10 – National Poop Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Who knew poop could inspire such a thoughtful and health-conscious holiday? But it has! Initiated in 2016 by the Madison Children’s Museum in Wisconsin to celebrate and educate the public on digestion and excretion, the day has become a fun, educational way to encourage people to be more aware of their digestive health and hygiene as well as that of their pets. By normalizing conversations about poop, the holiday aims to improve overall health practices and increase understanding of how our bodies work. The topic is no less fascinating in the world of wildlife, as today’s book shows.

Thank you to Sara Levine and Millbrook Press for sharing a copy of Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It with me!

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

Written by Sara Levine | Illustrated by Florence Weiser

So, you wake up starving for a delicious meal. You’ve been dreaming of pancakes, maybe, or a plate of eggs and bacon. But when you get to the table, there’s a bowl of poop waiting for you?! What’s going on?! While you might sulk (and probably hold your nose), there are plenty of creatures who’d be thinking “Bring it on!” Who are these critters? They’re animals that practice coprophagy, and they do it “for a number of surprisingly good reasons,” as Sara Levine reveals.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-poop-for-breakfast-coprophagy

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

While these animals eat poop for external or aesthetic reasons, others engage in coprophagy to keep their digestive system working well. Still others, because of the length or shape of their digestive tract, require that food travels through their body twice to extract all of the nutrients. If you have a rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, or other small rodent as a pet, you know that their poop looks like little round balls or small pellets. As Levine tells readers, “this is the poop that has been through their digestive tract a second time. These animals’ first poop comes out soft, sticky, and full of nutrients. It’s called a cecotrope (SEE-ca-trope).” They then “gobble it up at night when it comes out. That’s why you don’t see it” in the cage.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-poop-for-breakfast-butterflies

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Since there are so many creatures who do eat poop, why don’t humans? Levine has included a whole list of reasons for why we don’t—and don’t need to. She also provides back matter that includes “The Scoop on Poop”—an explanation of what poop and pee are, how they’re created in the body, and how they’re eliminated. Kids will also have fun becoming “poop detectives” with the help of the illustrated poop identification guide for common pets and wildlife and also by playing a synonym game.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-poop-for-breakfast-robins

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Sara Levine is exceptional at presenting fascinating nature science topics in humorous and accessible ways for young audiences, and her latest book is no exception, Leaning into the “Ewww!” factor, Levine dishes up short, take-away reasons certain animals, birds, and insects practice coprophagy followed up with longer passages that explain the science and/or behavior behind them in easy-to-understand language sprinkled with humor that will keep readers riveted to this already high-interest subject.

Florence Weiser’s colorful illustrations perfectly bridge the humorous and the scientific nature of Levine’s text. Readers’ skeptical view of this “gross” habit is amusingly juxtaposed with creatures’ excited anticipation of a delicious meal through the characters’ facial expressions while the anatomical reasons for or against coprophagy are clearly depicted in images of human and various animals’ digestive systems.

Anatomy and nature science education at its best, Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It will keep kids enthralled as each page turn brings on a new round of giggles and avid learning. The book would enhance any home STEM collection and is a must for classroom, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 5 – 10

Millbrook Press, 2023 | ISBN 978-1728457963

About the Author

Sara Levine is an author, educator, and veterinarian. Her science books for children include the Animal by Animal series, Germs Up Close, and A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use. Her books have received a number of awards including AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize, Utah Beehive Book Award, Cook Prize finalist, Monarch Award master list, and Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year. Visit her at saralevine.com and on Instagram at saralevinebooks.

About the Illustrator

Florence Weiser is a French illustrator currently based in beautiful, rainy Belgium. While growing up in Luxembourg, she always knew she wanted to draw and draw. She lives and works surrounded by nature, from which she gathers most of her inspiration. Visit her at florenceweiser.com and on Instagram at florence_weiser_illustration

You can find Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

January 31 – It’s National Mentoring Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Learning—and the success that comes with it—can be easier and more fun when it’s shared with a mentor. Teachers, instructors, coaches, crafters, family members, and other adults like passing on their knowledge to younger generations, and while kids gain valuable skills, they also benefit from the bonds that form between them and their mentor. If you’re interested in becoming a mentor check out the resources at mentoring.org. National Mentoring Month is also a terrific time to thank a mentor in your life and tell them what a difference they made.

Thanks to Tundra Books for sharing a copy of Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs

Written by Paulette Bourgeoise | Illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths

Professor Marie Curious Goose—”renowned and distinguished scientist”—is on a mission to correct the science in her great-aunt Mother Goose’s stories. This time, she’s tackling The Three Little Pigs. The story starts off in the familiar way: “Once upon a time, there were three little pigs.” The first pig liked to eat and play. The second little pig liked to laze in the mud. And the third little pig worked hard and sweated every day. One day their mother sends them off into the world with the admonition to “‘Save your own bacon!'” Sounds about right, right?

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

But wait! Before you move on in the story, Professor Goose reveals that even these brief profiles are full of erroneous myths! To clear things up, the professor imparts zoologist-approved information, including such facts as pigs don’t gorge themselves, they lay in mud to lower “their body temperature on hot days,” and, because pigs have few sweat glands, they always stay fresh and dry.

Finally on their own, the siblings get down to the business of living their best lives. The first little pig builds himself a house of straw then goes off to play basketball. Here, Professor Goose takes a moment to imaprt a lesson on the states of Matter and what Matter is made of. By now the wolf has caught up with the first little pig, who rebuffs him with the familiar “‘Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.'” Despite this the wolf does his huffing and puffing—you know the drill—and the pig runs off to his sister’s house. But waaaiit . . .. The prof takes exception to a few tidbits here, too, such as the chinny-chin-chin line and the house destruction method.

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

Soon, while the wolf is menacing the second little pig, Professor Goose works herself into a lather over the “lone wolf” attack and the story’s depiction of wolves in general. To calm herself down, she instructs readers in details about structures and construction.

Undeterred, the wolf high tails it to the third little pig’s house of bricks, where she and her siblings are cozily ensconced. The wolf huffs and puffs, can’t blow the brick house down, and the pigs are triumphant. But is this where the story ends? No! The prof explains how many fairy tales—just like this one—use a pattern of three and that patterns are found in everything, including nature, music, and math. Finally, Professor Goose concludes with her own version of what became of these three pig siblings—and the story even turns out well for the wolf!

Image copyright Alex G. Griffiths, 2024, text copyright Paulette Bourgeois, 2024. Courtesy of Tundra Books.

Paulette Bourgeouis’s clever take on the familiar tale of The Three Little Pigs will have kids captivated and laughing from beginning to end as Professor Goose points out foibles in the story and connects the setting, the wolf’s powerful breath, the pigs’ houses, the pigs themselves, and the story’s structure to a wide range of scientific principles. Through Professor Goose’s Fact Checks, kids learn surprising and educational facts about zoology, matter, weather, architecture, patterns, and even coding.

Alex G. Griffith’s engaging illustrations make for a fun and funny learning experience that will have kids in stitches and their eyes glued to every page. Griffith’s tiny details, facial expressions, and slap-stick humor give a fresh, comic-style look to this well-known story and enhance the science-based facts this fractured fairytale is built on for today’s kids.

A unique retelling of a favorite classic that takes superb advantage of all a fractured fairy tale can offer, Professor Goose Debunks The Three Little Pigs is sure to be asked for again and again…and again. The STEM-related connections make this book a terrific and educational introduction to a variety of units for science educators.

Ages 3 – 8 and up

Tundra Books, 2024 | ISBN 978-0735267329

About the Author

Paulette Bourgeouis is best known for creating Franklin the Turtle, the character who appears in the bestselling picture books illustrated by Brenda Clark. The series has been translated into thirty-eight languages and adapted into an animated television series, merchandise, and feature-length films. She is also the author of award-winning books for children including Oma’s Quilt, which was developed as a short film by the National Film Board of Canada, and more than two dozen non-fiction science books. She is a member of the Order of Canada, received an honorary doctorate degree from Western University, an award of merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and most recently graduated with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Paulette frequently teaches and she has been the writer-in-residence at UBC, Whistler, BC, and Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland.

About the Illustrator

Alex G. Griffiths is a children’s book illustrator originally from London, UK. The majority of his work is done by hand, using a combination of pen and ink line work and brush textures in a messy way to create an unusual illustration style. He now lives in Canada with his wife and two children. Visit him at alexgfriffiths.com.

National Mentoring Month Activity

CPB - Playhouse craft

Cardboard Playhouse

Kids love pretending with their toys and playhouses. With this craft you and your child can make a playhouse with recycled items and lots of imagination. While you and your child make the house, talk about the building process and ask questions that get them thinking about how various parts of a house work. Once the house is finished, kids can make up their own stories with it—or create their own fractured tale of The Three Little Pigs!

Supplies

Cardboard box

2. Recycled items, such as:

Bottle caps for door knobs,
Small boxes for a chimney
Use the cardboard cut from the windows to make shutters
Scraps of cloth for curtains

3. Craft paint

4. Markers

5. Glue

**You can purchase Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

November 8 – National STEM/STEAM Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

November 8^th is National STEM/STEAM Day. This holiday was founded in 2015, and the date was partially chosen for its secret play on words: “NOV 8” can be read as (in)novate! On this day, we highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering, art, and math in education and society at large. This holiday is also meant to uplift voices and perspectives that are often given less representation in STEAM careers and fields of study.

On this National STEM/STEAM Day we review a biography of Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Father of Neuroscience. Despite many people discouraging him along his journey Ramón y Cajal found ways to merge his love for art and observation with his scientific background to create new and important discoveries.

Reviewed by Dorothy Levine

Santiago Saw Things Differently: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Artist, Doctor, Father of Neuroscience

Written by Christine Iverson | Illustrated by Luciano Lozano

Santiago always had a passion for creating and exploring. As a child in Spain, he spent time creating music and inventing toys with any scraps he could find, drawing elaborate charcoal scenes across neighbors’ walls and racing around his grandfather’s loom shop. There, as “he twirled and tangled woolen thread…. Dust sparked and soared in a kaleidoscope of motion.” Unfortunately, not everybody understood the magic of his creations. Neighbors, and particularly Santiago’s father, believed Santiago’s public displays of art were more bothersome than intriguing.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-santiago-saw-things-differently-drawing-on-wall

Image copyright Luciano Lozano, 2024, text copyright Christine Iverson, 2024. Courtesy of MIT Kids Press.

As Santiago’s father ushered him through many different schools, aiming to leave room for no “distractions” from study, Santiago held on to his artistic practice and passion for exploring the natural world in secret. When once admonished for drawing on the margins of his paper, Santiago was forced to spend time in his school’s dark basement. But, in a stroke of luck, “The room was lit by a wisp of light leaking through an old shutter—just enough for drawing.” Another time, stuck in a classroom with no paper, Santiago used his pencil to unlock the door.

As he grew up, Santiago developed a specific fascination for the human body. At medical school, Santiago observed the way blood vessels in our bodies mirror the canals of the Ebro River near his university. “He saw the human body as a work of art,” a work that replicates in nature and is connected more broadly to the world at large.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-santiago-saw-things-differently-graveyard

Image copyright Luciano Lozano, 2024, text copyright Christine Iverson, 2024. Courtesy of MIT Kids Press.

Years later, when scientists were focused on working out how the tiny connectors (or nerve fibers) in our brains worked, Santiago was able to use his microscope and drawing skills to sort out that the fibers spread in a similar fashion to the young trees he had spent so much of his time drawing and observing. With the help of ink stains, study, and lots of drawings of his observations, Santiago drew new conclusions about neurons and cells that helped scientists across the globe to understand the human brain better.

All because “Santiago saw things differently” he was able to unlock new ways of understanding the brain, gaining him a Nobel prize and the eventual title of the Father of Neuroscience.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-santiago-saw-things-differently-microscope-view

Image copyright Luciano Lozano, 2024, text copyright Christine Iverson, 2024. Courtesy of MIT Kids Press.

Iverson writes a detailed lyrical account of the life of Santiago Ramón y Cajal that is accessible for a wide range of readers. For interested older audiences, the book includes extensive back matter on the Anatomy of a Neuron, more biographical information on Santiago Ramón y Cajal and an explanation of the science behind one scene in the story.

Interwoven with quotes and images from Ramón y Cajal’s original works are Lozano’s masterful swirling illustrations of Santiago and his environment as they both grow and change. Throughout the story, Lozano inserts details for readers to observe and make their own discoveries, such as the dog who follows Santiago throughout his childhood. Lozano illustrates the story mainly in blushing pinks, sky blues and light-yellow browns with accented vibrant greens and darker colors signifying location changes and key turning points in the story. There is a subtle humor helping to lighten the darker parts of Santiago’s life. The tale closes with the image of Santiago face-to-face with a cartoon-like human skeleton (filled with neurons) smiling back at him.

Santiago Sees Things Differently is a celebratory account of innovation, perseverance and appreciation for the often-interdisciplinary nature of outside-of-the-box thinkers. The title page opens with a poignant quote from Santiago Ramón y Cajal himself, encouraging “young investigators” to keep exploring the vast unknown of the natural world and to remember that what is left undiscovered is always larger than what has been already found. Santiago Sees Things Differently provides readers with the empowering knowledge that new perspectives are necessary for new discovery. And that while difference is often looked down upon, it is, often, in fact a superpower.

(This book is available in both Spanish and English versions)

Ages 5 – 9

MIT Kids Press, 2024 | ISBN 978-1536238334

About the Author

Christine Iverson is a physical therapist with a strong interest in neural pathways. She holds a BS in history from the United States Military Academy at West Point, a doctoral degree in physical therapy from Baylor University, and an M.Ed. with a focus in children’s literature from Pennsylvania State University. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Visit her at christineiversonwrites. com.

About the Illustrator

Luciano Lozano is a Spanish author, illustrator, and graphic artist. He is the creator of several picture books, including Mayhem at the Museum: A Book in Pictures, and the illustrator of many others, including I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies. He lives in Spain. Visit him at lucianolozano.com.

STEM/STEAM Day Activities

Neuroscience Coloring Pages

Follow Santiago’s footsteps by coloring pictures of different parts of the brain and scientific tools used in the story with these coloring pages from the University of Washington. You’ll also find brain games, plus loads of printable puzzles, worksheets, bookmarks, and even treasure hunts here too! (Coloring pages available in English and Spanish!)

Build a Hands-on Model of a Neuron

Have fun and learn about neurons by making a model! You can use almost any kind of material you like—clay, perler beads, bread dough, or even candy—to make it. So put on your thinking cap and get creative! You’ll find lots of ideas on this page from The University of Washington’s Neuroscience for Kids Page.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-santiago-saw-things-differently-cover

You can purchase Santiago Saw Things Differently at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

October 16 – Get Ready for STEM Day (Nov. 8) and World Science Day (Nov. 10)

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holidays

Today I’m highlighting two upcoming holidays that celebrate science and introduce kids to the wide-ranging applications that science, engineering, technology, and math have on our lives now and as we move into the future.

STEM Day — November 8

Instituted in 2015, National STEM Day aims to encourage kids to explore the fields of science technology, engineering, and math. This year’s theme is “Hands on Learning” to promote creative and impactful experimentation, innovation, and discovery. Children who are introduced early on to the workings of math and science do better as they advance through school and are more likely to choose science-based careers. Solving many of the problems that the world now faces relies on having a workforce who can think inventively to design a better future for us all. To learn more about STEM and to find lots of free ideas and activities to get kids excited about these subjects all year around—from awesome virtual field trips to labs, space centers, museums, and more to detailed lesson plans and printables to hands-on activities from the National Inventors Hall of Fame—visit Create & Learn.

World Science Day for Peace and Development — November 10

This annual, internationally observed day highlights the importance of science in and for society and is sponsored by the United Nations. Its aim is to promote education and awareness of scientific issues that affect the world and its sustainability as well as to underscore the role that scientists play in improving our lives and developing solutions for the future.

Thanks go to Phaidon for sharing a copy of Our Galaxy: A First Book of Space with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space

Written by Sue Lowell Gallion | Illustrated by Lisk Feng

If you want to WOW your young children, students, or library patrons and make them eager to learn about space, science, technology, engineering, and math, open the cover of Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space. Then open it a little more . . . and a little more . . . and all the way around until this awe-inspiring book becomes a sturdy, freestanding globe full of adventure and exploration.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-our-galaxy-globe

Image copyright Lisk Feng, 2024, text copyright Sue Lowell Gallion. Courtesy of Phaidon.

As this journey into space begins, readers find themselves in a planetarium, where Lisk Feng’s mesmerizing illustration of an enormous telescope aimed at the starry sky hints at the marvels above. Sue Lowell Gallion’s accompanying rhyming couplet invites kids to “Start at sunset, / Scan the sky. / Let’s take a voyage, / Way up high!”

On the next page readers join viewers on shore to count down “5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . Liftoff!” As a rocket is propelled upwards by a fiery blast, a short paragraph explains that “some rockets are like high-tech delivery vehicles” supplying the International Space Station while “other rockets are an astronaut’s ride into space.” She then asks kids whether they’d rather “watch a rocket launch” or “be on board,” a great way to get kids thinking and joining in.

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Image copyright Lisk Feng, 2024, text copyright Sue Lowell Gallion. Courtesy of Phaidon.

Appropriately, the rocket’s first stop is the Moon. In Feng’s gorgeous painting, kids are beckoned to join two astronauts using a vehicle on the rocky surface as Gallion imparts information about this “familiar face”—facts about the Moon’s orbit, its astronaut visitors, and the long-lasting imprint they’ve made on the Moon. Of course, we wouldn’t be able to take a voyage like this—or even live on Earth—without the Sun, “Our nearest star, / The brightest in our sky, / By far.” Children can almost feel the heat radiating from the sun as they learn about the Sun’s power and size.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-our-galaxy-Venus-volcanoes

Image copyright Lisk Feng, 2024, text copyright Sue Lowell Gallion. Courtesy of Phaidon.

On following pages, kids also learn about our solar system; meet the four rocky planets of Mercury, Venus (complete with a scorching look at one of its volcanoes), Earth, and Mars (which astronauts plan to visit in the future); and discover why Earth is “One of a kind! / A perfect home / For humankind.”

Planets aren’t the only objects in space. On their journey, readers also learn about asteroids—what they are, where they’re found, and even some of their funny names—before zipping on to uncover fascinating tidbits about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-our-galaxy-astronaut

Image copyright Lisk Feng, 2024, text copyright Sue Lowell Gallion. Courtesy of Phaidon.

Future scientists and astronauts will want to accept Lisk Feng’s invitation to join astronauts working on the International Space Station and floating in the cosmos. They’ll view a giant telescope that informs scientists about our galaxy and beyond and the technology that monitors space and records data. Kids will also be intrigued by the illustrations of space probes and satellites that, in addition to teaching us about objects light years away, help “scientists predict weather and transmit signals that make out phones and TVs work better.” Returning to Earth, readers have a chance to contemplate “Our universe, / A starry show, / With mysteries / We want to know!”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-our-galaxy-satellites

Image copyright Lisk Feng, 2024, text copyright Sue Lowell Gallion. Courtesy of Phaidon.

In her poetic and accessible multi-layered text, Sue Lowell Gallion engages both the youngest readers and those ready for more in-depth facts in an inspiring and educational exploration of the wonders of space and a celebration of human curiosity that has propelled us to tremendous scientific achievements. The rigorously researched text is also sprinkled with engaging questions that will get kids excited about joining in discussions at school or at home, while opening their imaginations to what they could accomplish in their future.

In her stunning, realistic illustrations, Lisk Feng captures the breathtaking beauty and vastness of space. Her dazzling images of our solar system are textured and detailed, urging children to look closer (is that a satellite among the asteroids?) and appreciate not only what lies beyond but humans’ early accomplishments as well as the technology that marks our contemporary era of space exploration.

Sure to ignite wonder, curiosity, and a desire to learn more about space, science, and technology, Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space offers endless inspiration for teachers and educators, homeschoolers, and any child enthralled with space. The unique format allows for easy and eye-catching display and will entice kids to dip into this book again and again, making it a must addition to school, public library, and home collections.

Ages 2 – 5+

Phaidon Press, 2024 | Oversized Boardbook: ISBN 978-1838668839

Pair Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space with Our World: A First Book of Geography when kids are ready to explore all the wonders on our home planet.

Get Ready for STEM Day & World Science Day Day Activity

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“I Am the Future of STEM” Activity Book

The coloring pages, puzzles, and other activities in this comprehensive activity book makes an impactful addition to any lesson or simply makes free time fun!

I Am the Future of STEM Activity Book

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Picture Book Review

May 11 – National Eat What You Want Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Do you feel like you’ve been on a diet forever? Have you been denying yourself a favorite treat because maybe it’s not the best thing you can eat? Or do you find yourself always making meals to suit everyone else’s taste when what you really want is just a grilled cheese sandwich? If so, today’s holiday gives you carte blanche to enjoy the foods you want without feeling guilty. It also seems like a fitting day to learn about the rather unusual (at least to us) diet of many creatures in the animal kingdom—and that’s where today’s book come in!

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

Written by Sara Levine | Illustrated by Florence Weiser

So, you wake up starving for a delicious meal. You’ve been dreaming of pancakes, maybe, or a plate of eggs and bacon. But when you get to the table, there’s a bowl of poop waiting for you?! Come on! While you might sulk (and probably hold your nose), there are plenty of creatures who’d be thinking “Bring it on!” Who are these critters? They’re animals that practice coprophagy, and they do it “for a number of surprisingly good reasons,” Sara Levine reveals.

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

For some animals eating poop is just part of being a Number 1 (or maybe Number 2 is better in this case) parent. Butterflies, cats, and dogs as well as robins and other birds all have specific reasons for dining on doo-doo, from making eggs strong to protecting their babies from predators to keeping “a nest clean and tidy.” Birds have a particularly fascinating way to do this. Since baby birds eat a lot, they poop a lot. Keeping up with that level of cleaning could be daunting. Amazingly, though, these “chicks’ poop and pee come out inside a bag made of mucus. It’s called a fecal sac. Bird parents grasp it with their beaks and carry it away like a disposable diaper. And sometimes the parents eat it. How come? The poop of a newly hatched chick is full of undigested nutrients.”

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

While these animals eat poop for external or aesthetic reasons, others engage in coprophagy to keep their digestive system working well. Still others, because of the length or shape of their digestive tract, require that food travels through their body twice to extract all of the nutrients. If you have a rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, or other small rodent as a pet, you know that their poop looks like little round balls or small pellets. As Levine tells readers, “this is the poop that has been through their digestive tract a second time. The first poop comes out soft, sticky, and full of nutrients. It’s called a cecotrope (SEE-ca-trope),” and these animals “gobble it up at night when it comes out. That’s why you don’t see it” in the cage.

Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Since there are so many creatures who do eat poop, why don’t humans? Levine has included a whole list of reasons (and, yes, the frowny- crinkled-nose-face you’re making right now is one of them) for why we don’t—and don’t need to. She’s also provided back matter that includes “The Scoop on Poop”—an explanation of what poop and pee are, how they’re created in the body, and how they’re eliminated through the anus and the urethra as well as a paragraph about creatures that have a single cloaca instead of two openings. Kids will also have fun becoming “poop detectives” with the help of Levine’s and illustrator Florence Weiser’s guide to the sizes and shapes of poop from common pets and wildlife and playing a silly synonym game.

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Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Ages 5 – 10

Millbrook Press, 2023 | ISBN 978-1728457963

About the Author

About the Illustrator

**You can find Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It at these booksellers**

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Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

Written by Sara Levine | Illustrated by Florence Weiser

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Build a Hands-on Model of a Neuron

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Our Galaxy: A First Adventure in Space

Written by Sue Lowell Gallion | Illustrated by Lisk Feng

Get Ready for STEM Day & World Science Day Day Activity

“I Am the Future of STEM” Activity Book

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About the Holiday

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It

Written by Sara Levine | Illustrated by Florence Weiser

You can find Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

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**You can purchase Professor Goose Debunks the Three Little Pigs at these booksellers**

**You can find Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It at these booksellers**