Out of this World

G is for Galaxy

An Out of This World Alphabet

By Janis Cambell and Cathy Collison

Illustrated by Alan Stacy

Sleeping Bear Press, 2005

ISBN #158536-255-7

NF picture book

“Y is for Year—the time it takes to go’round the sun. For every planet, the measure is a different one.”

G is for Galaxy is an outer space themed alphabet book in the Sleeping Bear Press series. A simple rhyme sets up the letter for the younger readers and a fact-filled sidebar provides additional information for the older ones. A variety of choices for the letters’ spreads covers the footprints on the moon to the variety of galaxies to the changes in Pluto’s status. Accurate, detailed illustrations add to the book’s overall appealing design and allows the reader feel the excitement and awe of space through the art.

The first edition named Pluto as the last planet, the recognized status at the time. Now in its third edition, the changes in status are addressed. I contacted Stacy for the latest update and he sent me the changed version (I have the first edition).

“P is for Pluto — a dwarf planet so small that some people say it’s just like a tiny ice ball.

Until 2006 Pluto was classified as the ninth planet in our solar system. The International Astronomical Union, a worldwide group of astronomers, voted to reclassify Pluto from a planet to a new class, called dwarf planet. Among the main reasons Pluto does not qualify as a true planet anymore is because its orbit crosses the orbital path of Neptune. Originally, scientists thought it was a much larger planet. Most scientists agree with the new classification, and say it will lead to more exploration of the edge of the solar system where Pluto lies. This is an area called the Kuiper Belt. Look for more space news of other dwarf planets in the future.”

Stacy added in his reply: There are plenty of other objects out there, among them five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Makemake, Haumea (which also has moons!) and Eris. They’re not sure now if Charon is Pluto’s moon or is yet another dwarf planet that may actually be larger than Pluto. David Boston told me that the British astronomer who came up with the notion of demoting Pluto gets hate mail on a regular basis from schoolchildren!

Activity 1

Choose a subject from your current science study and have your students create their own science alphabet book. Add illustrations to complete the text.

Activity 2

Research other trans-Neptunian objects to learn more.

Look at these fascinating trans-Neptunian objects photos.

Visit Alan Stacy for more.

Another excellent space book: Moonshot by Brian Floca

I first saw this book at the Killeen Book Festival–Take 190 West—last spring and knew it was a winner! I enjoyed meeting Brian Floca and he’s a great guy, as well as talented.

Other books illustrated by Alan Stacy:

Alaskan Night Before Christmas by Tricia Brown

Pennsylvania Dutch Alphabet by Chet Williamson

 Texas Zeke and the Longhorn by David Davis

 L is for Lone Star by Carol Crane

 

 

 

 

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (Richard Jackson Books (Atheneum Hardcover)) by Brian Floca

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Moonshot/Brian-Floca/9781416950462

Why Is Snot Green?

 

US                                                          UK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is Snot Green? And Other Extremely Important Questions (and Answers)

by Glenn Murphy

Roaring Brook Press, Flashpoint, 2009 (US printing, UK, 2007) MacMillan

ISBN #978-1-59643-500-1

NF paperback grades 4-7

How big is the universe?

Big. Really big. Crazy big. Billions of times bigger than the biggest thing you can imagine.

The book goes on to say: If you drove a tunneling car straight through the middle [of the Earth], you’d get to the other side in about 5 1/2  days, going nonstop at an average highway speeof 60 mph.

I’ll admit it. This title alone made me pick up the book. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I looked at the first page and “The Lost in Space” chapter got me started reading. No snot here and I still couldn’t put it down! Formatted in a conversational question and answer style, the questions read like the ones sharp-witted kids keep asking when they go on and on. The answers come in a witty, knowledgeable tone, as if a big brother or sister were answering them, except for providing the high quality scientific answers. By the time I got to the “Why is snot green” question, I was already hooked.

Then came the belly laughs. Gas always provides humor and this time was no different. I stopped reading to eat lunch and my 23 year old strolled by, picked up the book, and erupted into laughter, reading the page where I had stopped at this question” “Where does diarrhea come from?”

While a bit graphic in the middle section, the book provides highly accurate, kid-friendly answers to numerous questions and readable explanations concerning physical, earth, and life science. Questions include information about space, gravity, black holes, and planets; hurricanes, tornadoes, tides, and water currents; burps, digestion, and gas; viruses, animals, robotics, and environment; and solar power, lasers, and schools of the future.

This fun-to-read book invites kids to learn more and dig deeper, and it’s one that they’ll remember, for sure. Glenn Murphy has written other books on similar topics in this style.

Activity 1

Read about colorblindness on pages 146-148. Then use this online test to check yourself.

Look at colors as if you had different versions of colorblindness here.

Activity 2

Research the different types of colorblindness to learn more about this genetic condition.

Other books along this same theme:

Oh, Yuck!: The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty by Joy Masoff

How Loud Can You Burp? by Glen Murphy

Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics

By Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein, and Laura Silverstein Nunn

21^st Century Books, Lerner Group

Revised edition, 2009

Nonfiction, grades 6-8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Details abound in this well-researched narrative about the inner workings of the Earth and its resulting volcanoes and earthquakes. It covers information from history of the planet itself to actions of the moving plates to the future of quake detection. Two chapters are devoted to the specifics of volcanoes and earthquakes and their impact on the continents. Diagrams, sidebars, and photographs break up the text into sections that make the reading less intimidating. The book has a full glossary, bibliography, further reading section, websites, and an index. While the book is aimed at older students, the younger ones will like the diagrams and the experiment on p. 57.

We usually think of the ground under our feet as firm and solid, but it is not always so.

Activity 1  Research caldera volcanoes and locate where in the world they have erupted. Find examples of caldera volcanoes in the United States.

Activity 2 For younger children.

Use a map of the world and cut out the continents. Try to find places where the continents fit together.

Look up Pangaea and find out more information about the supercontinent.

Other books about plate tectonics:

Plate Tectonics: Earth’s Moving Crust (Exploring Science) by Darlene R. Stille

Plate Tectonics (Great Ideas of Science) by Rebecca L. Johnson

Moose and Magpie

Moose and Magpie

By Bettina Restrepo

Illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2009

ISBN # 978-1-934359-97-6

PB with sidebar facts

 

Moose lived where the willow trees touched the ground and the lily pads floated on the water.

 

Moose’s head itches and Magpie provides answers and puns galore about moose in this life cycle story of two friends and the changes Moose experiences through a year. Filled with jokes and puns, the story entertains while sidebars provide accurate scientific facts about moose, magpies, and the moose life cycle. Two spreads at the back provide additional facts and explain the real and made up parts of the story. A “For Creative Minds” section, a feature of Sylvan Dell books, allows the reader to put their newly gained knowledge to use.

Activity 1

Look up deer, moose, and elk antlers. Describe how they are alike and how they are different.

Activity 2

Look up the word mutualism as a symbiotic relationship. Explain how moose and magpie show mutualism.

Other moose and magpie books:

Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root and Randy Cecil

The Useful Moose: A Truthful, Moose-Full Tale by Fiona Robinson

The Magpies’ Nest by Joanna Foster, Jane Feder, and Julie Downing