Shirley Smith Duke's Blog, page 17
February 10, 2010
Saving the Bagdhad Zoo
Saving the Baghdad Zoo
By Kelly Milner Halls and
Major William Sumner
HarperCollins/Greenwillow
ISBN: 9780061772023
Nonfiction
Ages 10+
"Contrary to televisions and newspaper reports, the zoo had not been torn apart by stray explosive. Animals had not been killed by military fire or missiles. But only thirty-two of the five hundred creatures once on display were still caged. Hundreds were missing, butchered for food or stolen for sale as exotic pets on the Iraqi lack market. Even two giraffes, new r...
Check here tomorrow for Saving the Bagdhad Zoo
A series of birthdays and deadlines has rendered me behind. I'll get the review up tomorrow. I hope you return to see this wonderful new book.
February 2, 2010
Leveled by an Earthquake!
Leveled by an Earthquake!
By Adam Reingold
Bearport Publishers, 2010
ISBN #978-1-936087-53-2
Nonfiction
Grades 3-6
"A School Disappears
Seconds later, Anning felt the ground shake from several more tremors. When the nearby mountains shook, a huge amount of loose earth began to slide toward the school. Within seconds, the buidling was buried completely. Anning and her schoolmates were trapped under the great weight of cracked concrete floor and broken walls. Some could not move. Other...
January 26, 2010
A Desert Food Chain
A Desert Food Chain
A Who Eats What Adventure in North America
By Rebecca Hogue Wojahn and Donald Wojahn
Lerner, 2009
ISBN #978-0-8225-7501-6
NF
Grades 3-6
"As the sun goes down, the Sonoran Desert comes to life. All day, most of the animals shielded themselves from the broiling sun in tunnels, burrows, and dens. Some huddled in arroyos—streambeds that hold a smidge more shade than the rest of the desert. As the air temperature drops, the hot ground starts to cool. And the desert animals creep out...
January 19, 2010
Molds, Mushrooms, and Other Fungi
Molds, Mushrooms, and Other Fungi
By Steve Parker
Compass Points Books, 2010
ISBN #978-0756542238
Grades 4-7
NF
"The world is full of living things, from tiny bugs and delicate flowers to giiant trees, huge elephants, and massive whales. But nothing lives forever. Eventually all plants, animals, and other forms of life die. But what happens to them?
The answer: They become food for fungi. This kingdom of living things includes mushrooms, toadstools, molds, mildews, yeasts, and many...
January 12, 2010
Arctic Foxes
Arctic Foxes
By Carri Stuhr
Lerner, 2009
ISBN #978-0-8225-9432-1
NF
Grades 2-5
One of the animal books in the Early Bird Nature Books, Arctic Foxes provides extensive information about the fox and its family. From relationships to food hunting to coloration, the habits and life of the fox are explained in an easy-to-understand manner with the definitions of the more difficult words embedded in the text.
Colorful, interesting photographs appear on each page, illustrating specifics from the narrative...
January 4, 2010
LET IT SNOW!
The Story of Snow
By Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson
Illustrated by Nora Aoyagi
Chronicle Books, 2009
ISBN #9780811868662
NF picture book
This book traces the development of snow crystals from tiny speck to the wide variety of shape snow crystals form. Diagrams and large, beautiful photographs fill the pages and provide up close looks at the crystals and their shapes. Inset, short sidebars provide additional information to accompany the lovely text.
Activity 1
Create a graphic organizer to show the...
January 2, 2010
2010 and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Happy New Year!
I turned in two science books on Monday, so I'm back to my blog. It's starting off as a busy year. I'll be judging NF picture books for the Cybils second round and I'm looking forward to reading the finalists that I haven't already read. They look like excellent choices. Many thanks to the first round judges who read so many to winnow down the choices. Here are the finalists. You can check this link to DadTalk and see a summary of each book.
Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the...
December 20, 2009
Nonfiction Monday Round-Up and My End of Year Books
When I took December off, I forgot about my time for Nonfiction Monday. So I'm back! Welcome to SimplyScience. Put your information and link in the comments and I'll update them throughout the day.
Tundras
Frosty Treeless Land
By Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrated by Jeff Yesh
Picture Window Books, 2009
This fact filled book explained tundras in detail with excellent, reader-friendly text and supplied additional, fun information in sidebar Fun Facts. One in the series...
December 2, 2009
Happy Holidays
I am taking off the month of December and will return to SimplyScience the first week in January. I'm facing a two book deadline -YAY!–and will be enjoying the holidays as well.
I hope to see you back in January. I have a stack of books waiting for the new year. Thank you to everyone who visited SimplyScience this year.
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