Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle

3D Printing never ceases to amaze!  When I read the title, I was all in.  I wanted to know why and how Beauty came to have a 3D Printed beak.  Much like the story of Winter the dolphin with the prosthetic tail, Beauty was injured in nature and brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center.  I don’t want to give too much away as I’m sure other readers will want to find out more for themselves too.  Jane Veltkamp brings her own expertise and experience to the storytelling as a raptor ….  Decisions pertaining to book design have the photos and text laid out in such a way that the reader can follow along with Beauty’s journey to health.  I appreciate that Deborah Lee Rose includes more information about eagles, their endangered status and what young people can do to help.  There are several resources included to learn more as well.

Download a STEM Education Guide
http://www.deborahleerose.com/ 
@deborahleerose

Title: Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle

Author: Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp

Published 2017 by Persnickety Press

ISBN: 978-1943978-28-1

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.

I’ve Got Feet: Fantastical Feet of the Animal World

I love the varied color palette of Hannah Tolson’s illustrations with bright colors splashed across the page to highlight the aquatic environment of the sea turtle and a snowy winter landscape to exhibit the Great Horned Owl’s habitat.  Julie Murphy’s text is fun to read and engaging.  If using this as a read aloud, I’d suggest reading the first line of each page prior to showing the picture to ask readers to guess which animal comes next.  For example, reading “I’ve got sturdy feet.” Then having students guess what animal that might describe and then reading the rest of the page, showing the illustrations as well.  A teacher’s guide is available at: www.amicuspublishing.us/downloads.  I’ve Got Feet will make a great addition to any school library or classroom library and animal lovers will enjoy reading it as part of a home library too!

http://www.juliemurphybooks.com.au/ 
@juliekidsbooks
https://www.hannahtolson.com/
@hannahtolson

Title: I’ve Got Feet: Fantastical Feet of the Animal World

Author: Julie Murphy

Illustrator: Hannah Tolson

Published 2017 by Amicus Ink

ISBN: 978-1-68152-195-4

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.

Danza!

Duncan Tonatiuh has already contributed some classic stories highlighting Hispanic culture like Funny Bones and The Princess and the Warrior and Danza adds to his litany.  Amalia Hernandez’s Ballet Folklorico de Mexico is brought to life on the pages with Tonatiuh’s descriptions of her process to identify dances from around the country and the intricate details of costumes and poses.  The inclusion of a bibliography is helpful for a reader wanting to learn more and I appreciate that the author’s note makes mention of criticisms of misappropriation of culture.  While I can value that perspective, I think Hernandez’s ballet brought the culture of Mexico around the world in the form of ballet.  And Tonatiuh in recognizing all aspects of the story makes it known that all was not easy for Amalia Hernandez.

http://www.duncantonatiuh.com/ 

@duncantonatiuh

Title: Danza!

Author: Ducan Tonatiuh

Published 2017 by Abrams Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 978-1-4197-2532-6

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.

Hatching Chicks in Room 6

I read this book last night with my daughter at bedtime.  She is fortunate that she hosted a chick hatching in her second grade classroom last year so her schema for this topic is pretty on point.  Each step of the way, she made connections and comparisons to the process and the photos.  I would suggest this book either to introduce the topic, review the topic, or in classrooms where having chicks might not be a possibility.  In the backmatter there is a section called “Chicks Online” with two youtube links.  For those who can’t see the real deal live, I highly suggest checking them out.  And since this is a web based review, how about I just embed them at the end of this post.  Stream of consciousness blogging right here.  You all are seeing my thinking.  You’re welcome.  

The photographs are beautifully presented, clear shots that are well laid out and formatted on the page.  I appreciate the inclusion of web based links and books for further reading about chicks as well as the eggs of information throughout the book.  Caroline Arnold presents a lovely book about the awesome hands on science happening in Jennifer Best’s classroom.

www.carolinearnoldbooks.com 
@carolinesarnold

Title: Hatching Chicks in Room 6

Author: Caroline Arnold

Published 2017 by Charlesbridge

ISBN: 9781580897358

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.

Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice

Adam Gustavson’s choice to include black and white pencil drawn sketches on pages with text seems to demonstrate the hard times in Pete’s life or the hard times he witnessed others experiencing.  For example, unemployed men waiting in a bread line during the Great Depression; broken glass from the window of his car as he was singled out for harassment.  Coupled with the full color spreads full of inspiration and hope, a great sloop on the Hudson; holding hands to sing and support the fight for civil rights Gustavson brings Seeger’s moments in life to the page beautifully.  Susanna Reich does the same with her words, noting that comforts like heat weren’t important to Pete.  Instead, “It felt good to be making a difference in the world.”  That’s what Pete did all his life and by sharing his story, Susanna Reich can help to inspire a new generation to find their passion and use it to help make a difference in the world.

http://www.susannareich.com/

@Reichwriter

https://www.adamgustavson.art/ 

@AdamGustavson

Title: Stand Up and Sing! Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice

Author: Susanna Reich

Illustrator: Adam Gustavson

Published 2017 by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 978-0-8027-3812-7

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.

42 Is Not Just a Number

Just when you think you know Jackie Robinson, you realize you’ve only ever learned about a small snapshot of his life.  Some interesting factoids I learned while reading/listening (I got this one on audiobook and listened in my car).  

Did you know Jackie Robinson was working a construction job during the day and playing semi-pro football by night in Oahu, HI and that the construction job was on a naval base called…Pearl Harbor?!  He left the job just two days before Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Did you know Branch Rickey may have helped pave the way for Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier in baseball but he was also a savvy business man who realized that having the first black ball player would attract more black fans to the game?!  Thoughts that had simply never occurred to me were highlighted in Doreen Rappaport’s biography of Jackie Robinson.  Rappaport does a masterful job of highlighting different times through Jackie’s life in a way that is accessible to all readers.

http://doreenrappaport.com/  

@RappaportDoreen

Title: 42 Is Not Just a Number

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Published 2017 by Candlewick Press

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7624-7

This book was borrowed from the public library for review purposes.

Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels

As a woman raising a daughter, I take every opportunity reading through my CYBILs contender books to read books about women whose achievements helped shape history and “Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels” was a perfect segway to discuss some awesome women.  Each story is one page, so it is a bit of a synopsis at best but each manages to highlight what makes each woman daring.  The bibliography is extensive and organized alphabetically (which is great!) but readers looking to learn more about a particular person might be better served by the resources also being organized by the person to which each source pertains.  I don’t even know where to start on choosing a favorite.  Instead, I’ll highlight one of the women who has her very own biography featured as one of this year's CYBILS nominees alongside Women Who Dared:

Dr. Eugenie Clark

And some other awesome books to check out based on these adventurous women!

Annie Edson Taylor

Bessie Coleman

Sylvia Earle

Irena Sendler

http://www.lindaskeers.com/ 

@skeerswriter

http://www.livigosling.co.uk/ 

@Livi Gosling

Title: Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and Rebels

Author: Linda Skeers

Illustrator: Livi Gosling 

Published 2017 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

ISBN: 978-1-4926-5327-1

This book was sent by the publisher for review purposes.