Ages 6-10

What’s Lurking in the Garden?

Kids love butterflies and are generally fascinated by other insects too. Today Debbie Glade reviews two compact yet information-packed books for ages 6 and up about insects that linger in the garden.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: a Step-by-Step Guide for Kids ($19.95, Firefly Books, Ages 6 and up) written and photographed by Carol Pasternak. What struck me first were the spectacular close-up photos of all the stages of the lifecycle of a monarch butterfly. Wow! After learning about the basic anatomy and metamorphosis of a monarch, readers will learn all they need to know about raising their own monarchs. There’s a list of supplies to gather, tips on how to find a caterpillar (on a milkweed plant), how to raise the caterpillar and watch the entire extraordinary lifecycle before your very eyes. You’ll also discover how to release your butterfly and what that creature will experience when out on its own. There are helpful Resources, a Glossary and Index too.

Children will love doing this project with an adult and will feel like true scientists doing an experiment as they watch and learn. The book is well written, takes you step-by-step and is easy to understand. Each of the 48 pages got me so excited about the prospect of raising my own butterflies that I’m going to try this myself. (I’ll let you know how it goes.)

Let’s Look at the Vegetable Garden ($11.99, Moonlight Publishing, Ages 6 and up) written by Caroline Allaire and illustrated by Sabine Krawczyk is a unique and wonderful book. It is one of many Close Up books by Moonlight Publishing that teach kids about science. The book is spiral bound so it opens flat and is compact in size so the reader can bring it outside in the garden for reference. In the back is a clever paper magnifying glass that you place around several wonderful cellophane illustrations to “magnify” the images. There’s even a paper magnifier case too. The book highlights six different insects one would find in a vegetable garden. Through descriptions and illustrations, readers learn what the critters look like, what they like to eat and how they live. In addition to the featured insects, a few pages of the book lists some of the many other bugs typically found in vegetable gardens, complete with illustrations.

As an avid organic gardener myself, I know how important it is to learn about all the critters that want to eat the food I am growing for my family. This book is an excellent tool for the youngest gardeners, as it will help them understand all the challenges farmers face and help them appreciate the food they produce for us to eat. What’s more, it reminds them that humans are not the only animals on earth who need to eat the food that grows in the ground.

Click here to check out the other titles in the Close Up Series.

I highly recommend both of these books. They are beautiful, educational and inspire young minds to explore the natural world around them.  Parents and teachers will love them too.

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The White House, America’s Most Recognizable Residence

Coming out this July is The House That George Built written by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Rebecca Bond. Today reviewer Rita Zobayan weighs in on why she likes this new picture book.

                  Presidents’ Day may have passed, but Independence Day is just around the corner. Begin your celebration by sharing the story of one of America’s most recognizable residences: the White House.  The House That George Built ($16.95, Charlesbridge, ages 6 and up) written by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Rebecca Bond  describes George Washington’s role in the building of the presidential home, which was originally referred to as the President’s House.

                  In essence, this book is almost two in one. On the left pages is more advanced, detailed text: “Then George spied a magnificent drawing with majestic columns, grand staircases, and a stately oval room. James Hoban’s design was just right and he won the contest.”  On the right pages is the simpler version: “This is the design/that would stand for all time/that was drawn for the lot/that grand, scenic spot/for the President’s House that George built.”  (You may recognize the rhyme style and the book title as a reference to the famous poem “This Is the House That Jack Built.”) The book provides information on the many aspects of this process from choosing the correct location to using the available materials in the new country to the people who worked on the house.

                  Finishing up the book are additional pages of information. One page provides the logistics of the house (35 bathrooms!) and outlines changes made to the residence, such as Theodore Roosevelt adding an outdoor tennis court in 1912 and Bill Clinton adding a hot tub and jogging track in 1993. The next page is the author’s note and elaborates on the back story of the building endeavor. For example, even though George Washington had an active hand in overseeing the process to build this structure, he is the only president to have never lived there! Lastly, sources and resources are listed, which are useful should a child wish to use this book for a report. The House That George Built is an informative and fun way to learn more about one of our nation’s most historic buildings.

                 

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Celebrate Black History Month with Baseball Great, Larry Doby

There was a time when even baseball was segregated. African Americans were not welcome on major league baseball teams; they played in the Negro League. That was until the late 1940s when baseball changed for good . . .

Jackie Robinson was the first black player in the major leagues, and Larry Doby was the first black man to play in the American League. His athletic accomplishments earned him spots in seven All-Star games, and in 1998 he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America’s Game, ($16.99, Candlewick Press, ages 6 and up) written by Chris Crowe, is a great picture book about an African American boy and his dad, who really love baseball. When they hear the news that Larry Doby is going to play his very first game for the Cleveland Indians, they can’t concentrate on anything else. At home, they listen to the game on their brand new radio and celebrate every run. Throughout the story readers feel as though they are experiencing the anticipation of the game firsthand. At the back of the book are two pages of factual history and a one-page bibliography.

I love this book for several reasons. 1) It commemorates a monumental moment in black history. 2) The story is told with such a great deal of enthusiasm that the reader feels like he is actually living in the story. 3) The illustrations by Mike Benny are wonderful. 4) It’s about baseball, and that’s about as American as you can get.

Any child, or adult for that matter, who loves baseball will love this book and will learn something important about American history.

– Reviewed by Debbie Glade

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What Presidents Are Made Of

Israeli artist and author Hanoch Piven has created an extraordinarily fun way for children to look at all 44 of our American presidents in an updated edition of his 2004 hit, What Presidents Are Made Of ($6.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, ages 6 -10). This playful perspective presents each leader with his face depicted through a collage of items ranging from chains, telephone cord and jelly beans to a kazoo and a hot dog – yes, I kid you not, a genuine frankfurter for a nose!  It also sheds light on different aspects of their character or persona.

Did you know, for example, that Ulysses S. Grant once got a $20 ticket for dashing just a bit too quickly in his one-horse carriage and had only praise for the policeman who fined him, or that Franklin D. Roosevelt never liked the food his White House chef cooked but felt he just could not fire her? My favorite picture also belongs to that of our 32nd president and has a remarkable resemblance to Martin Scorsese with his prominent black bolt eyebrows.

In his straightforward introduction, Pinoch shares an artist’s ever creative approach to evoking these larger-than-life individuals for children to enjoy, but also to learn from in a light-hearted, whimsical way.  He also encourages kids to try their hand at reproducing a president’s likeness using found objects. If I were a teacher  I’d have a blast with this book, but parents can also take part in the portrait-making process. Go on, think about someone you’d like to recreate on paper (Lady Gaga, First Lady Michelle Obama, or maybe even Sponge Bob), get out some pasta, push pins, a few earrings that have lost their pairs, and start your own art project today.

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