Book Lists

STEM Tuesday– Pre Launch Giveaway BOOK Blast!

By on October 31, 2017   /   Book Lists, Curriculum Tie-in, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers, Giveaways, MUF Contributor Books, Nonfiction, STEM, STEM Tuesday  

 

Hello STEM Tuesday enthusiasts!

We know you are all anticipating our first post for next week. Our topic this month is ZOOLOGY!   We have some fabulous books that we are highlighting. It will be SO exciting!

See last week’s post HERE   for all the details if you missed it.

But since it’s difficult to wait, we thought we’d get you all in the STEM mood by offering some great  book giveaways, generously given by our very own authors on the STEM Tuesdays team.

If you want to enter to win, simply write a comment below telling us why you think STEM ROCKS!  or maybe a STEM topic you would like to see covered, a STEM book that you really love, or maybe  just give us a thumbs up because you are a STEM enthusiast, too.

 

Enough talk, let’s get to the PRIZES :

Multiple winners! Each one wins  ONE  of these amazing books!! 


by Nancy Castaldo 

Beastly Brains (HMH BFYR)      In Beastly Brains, Castaldo delves into the minds of animals and explores animal empathy, communication, tool use, and social societies through interviews and historical anecdotes. Researchers from Charles Darwin to Jane Goodall have spent years analyzing the minds of animals, and today’s science is revolutionizing old theories and uncovering surprising similarities to our own minds. Humans are not alone in our ability to think about ourselves, make plans, help each other, or even participate in deception. You’ll think differently about the animals on this planet—maybe it’s their world and we’re just living in it!

 

    by Mary Kay Carson 

The Bat Scientists (HMH BFYR)    Dr. Merlin Tuttle and his colleagues at Bat Conservation International aren’t scared of bats. These bat crusaders are fascinated by them, with good reason. Bats fly the night skies in nearly every part of the world, but they are the least studied of all mammals. As the major predator of night-flying insects, bats eat many pests. Unfortunately bats are facing many problems, including a terrifying new disease. White-nose Syndrome is infecting and killing millions of hibernating bats in North America. But Dr. Tuttle, with the help of his fellow bat scientists are in the trenches—and caves—on the front line of the fight to save their beloved bats.

 

   by Amber J. Keyser 

Anatomy of a Pandemic (Capstone Press)     Sickness is a fact of everyday life. But when sickness spreads from person to person rapidly, a deadly pandemic could result. Find out the causes behind major pandemics of history such as the Spanish flu and the Bubonic plague. Then go behind the scenes to meet the people who are working hard every day to stop pandemics before they start.

 

 by  Jennifer Swanson

Everything Robotics (NGKids)   They fix spacecraft, dance, tell jokes, and even clean your carpet! From the tiniest robo-bees to gigantic factory machines, robotics is all around you. This technology isn’t just for science-fiction anymore — it’s real and more relevant than ever. With stunning visuals and energetic, impactful design, readers won’t stop until they’ve learned everything there is to know about robotics.

 

   by Michelle Houts 

Lucy’s Lab: Nuts About Science (Sky Pony Press)   On Lucy’s first day of second grade, she’s excited to meet her new teacher, Miss Flippo, and find out everything’s she’s going to learn about this year in school. And when Miss Flippo tells the class that they’re going to have their very own science lab, complete with lab coats and goggles, Lucy can’t wait to start exploring…Lucy discovers that science is everywhere you look, and a lab can be anywhere you look.

 

  by Heather Montgomery 

How Rude! (Scholastic Nonfiction)    Some bugs litter. Some pass gas. Some bugs throw their poop! Discover ten of the rudest, crudest bugs around. Full of scientific facts, humor and just the right amount of yuck, How Rude! will make you scream “gross!” Featuring a countdown of the top 10 bad bugs who just won’t mind their manners. One part illustration and one part photography, How Rude! is hilarious, informative, and seriously gross!

 

  by Carolyn DeCristofano 

A Black Hole is NOT a Hole  (Charlesbridge) What is a black hole? Where do they come from? How were they discovered? Can we visit one? Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano takes readers on a ride through the galaxies (ours, and others), answering these questions and many more about the phenomenon known as a black hole.

 

Finally, We want to hear from YOU! If you have an idea for a STEM topic of the month, a book that you’d like considered for our lists, have an idea that you’d like us to explore, or just want to drop us a line encouraging us in our endeavors, feel free to email us at stemmuf@gmail.com .

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The Someday Birds–a giveaway

By on October 26, 2017   /   Book Lists  

Sally J. Pla is offering each of two lucky winners a copy of her wonderful  “The Someday Birds”. Here’s what Sally has to say:

The Someday Birds is a book about a bird-loving boy on a life-changing journey. And since its publication earlier this year, I feel as if it’s put me on a life-changing journey, too!
I’ve discovered not only the immense joy in connecting with young readers, but also the warm welcome of our wonderful kid lit writing community.
In January 2018, The Someday Birds comes out in paperback. In February, my next book, Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, comes out. This year I’ve moved from a nervous-newbie debut writer into one who is learning things about both craft, and self! I hope to keep writing books with characters that are maybe a little neurodiverse, a little different — because we are all a little different. We’re all on different journeys. And I think the best tool to broaden our paths of understanding is the sharing of our stories.
Anyhow, thank you so much for letting me “celebrate the journey” with this giveaway!
******
Thanks so much, Sally!
To be eligible to win a copy, please enter a comment below.
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Change Makers

By on October 25, 2017   /   Diversity, Fiction, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers  

We are makers of change.

When we write, when we teach, or when we put books in the hands of kids, we are activists. Every day, we do what we do because we want to affect the kids who read the books we produce. Whether it’s STEM or historical or science fiction or fantasy or slapstick comedy or heart-breaking contemporary, we are agents of change. We are activists from the moment we put words onto paper. Words change lives.

Earlier this month, Kansas State University’s Indigenous Alliance hosted their 2nd annual Indigenous People’s Day. The theme revolved around restorying indigenous narratives through activism. One of the keynote speakers, Dr. Hollie Mackey (Northern Cheyenne) from the University of Oklahoma, talked about activism in education. One of the most striking points Dr. Mackey made was when she talked about her family’s historical connection to the Standing Rock Nation and how, as they were organizing their protests, she felt “a moral obligation to be a part of that.”

On these moral obligations and activism:

“Which all of you understand if you’re Indian educators because it’s the same moral obligation that you feel every time you stand in front of a child. The same moral obligation you feel every time you think about what your purpose is. Because we don’t take it lightly; it is a matter of life and death every time we think about teaching (our kids).”

As a writer, illustrator, teacher, librarian, or a reader of children’s literature, can you relate?

My guess is you can. We do what we do because of that very fundamental message about moral obligations. And we don’t take our purposes lightly. The future stands on our kids’ shoulders. Our purpose as makers of change is to produce content to educate, entertain, inform, and affect kids to make thinkers.  

November is National Native American Heritage Month. Join me in being an activist for change by reading and recommending the work by Native authors—work that provides historical and contemporary perspectives on the Native experience.

My challenge to you is to try at least one book by a Native creator. Celebrate this great body of work produced by Native authors and illustrators. Not only do they provide content that allows young Native populations to see themselves portrayed accurately, but they give non-Natives a glimpse to help better understand authentic Native lives beyond the monomythic version portrayed in mainstream U.S books, media, and culture.

Read. Learn. Share. Familiarize yourself with sovereignty, representation, colonialism, identity, and reconciliation in order to better understand the political and social issues affecting modern indigenous peoples.

Me? I’m going to expand my reading list by exploring Native comics and graphic novels. SUPER INDIAN by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), CAPTAIN PAIUTE by Theo Tso (Las Vegas Paiute), HERO TWINS by Dale Deforest (Navajo), THREE FEATHERS by Richard Van Camp (Tlicho Dogrib), and the groundbreaking 1996 comic, TRIBAL FORCE, by John Proudstar (Yaqui/Mayan) and Ryan Huna Smith (Chemehuevi/Navajo) are my jumping in points.

Need help finding Native creators and their work? I highly recommend the American Indians In Children’s Literature (AICL) site. Dr. Debbie Reese (Nambe Pueblo) not only provides critical analysis of indigenous representation in children’s literature but gives a who’s who and what’s what of Native creators. From picture books and comics to middle grade and young adult novels, AICL has you covered.

For comics and graphic novels, I highly suggest checking out Native Realities Press, a relatively new publishing company run by Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) that is making a creative splash with its exceptional content. Lee has also expanded the Indiginerd experience into a bookstore, Red Planet Books & Comics in downtown Albuquerque, and on November 10-12 will host the second annual Indigenous Comic Con, also in Albuquerque.

Have a productive November! Be a maker of change in everything you do as a reader, creator, teacher, or librarian. Let your own work speak loud and true. Celebrate National Native American Heritage Month and spread the word about Native kidlit.

Kids need these books.

We need these books.

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