Posts Tagged book lists

A Story’s A Story, No Matter How Small

By on October 14, 2026   /   Book Lists, WNDMG   /   Leave a comment

In recent news, the Guiness Book of World Records just named Advay Jain as the youngest person to publish a book at the tender age of 3 years and 345 days old! This news caught my eye since it takes me longer than that to simply finish a draft for my novels. However, this record-breaking news had me thinking about what makes an author an author and what makes a story a story. 

 

We all have narratives to share and everyone has the ability to write. With busy schedules and shrinking attention spans, readers may turn to short stories instead of full length novels. So this month’s post highlights some notable anthologies from recent years that put diverse authors at the forefront. Reluctant readers and busy bibliophiles alike can find themselves within the pages of these anthologies. 

 

LKM 2024 Anthology

Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology

 

LitKids Magazine 2024 Anthology  Edited by Rebecca Weber. Lit Kids Magazine 2024 Anthology is filled with stories, poetry, art, and photography made by children who noticed something, wondered about it, and shaped it into their own creation. Inside, you’ll find small things and big things, funny things and serious things, imaginative things and thoughtful things. Each piece is proof that creating is an adventure, full of risks, surprises, and discoveries. Together, these pieces tell an important story: creativity is alive, powerful, and worth nurturing, especially in childhood.

 

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids  Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Featuring sixteen Native American authors—including Joseph Bruchac and Traci Sorell— this anthology weaves fantastic stories centered around a single intertribal powwow in Michigan. An incredible celebration of stories and poetry filled with humor, family joy, and contemporary Indigenous resilience.

 

 

 

 

 

The Door Is Open  Edited by Hena Khan. This anthology includes delightful stories written entirely by South Asian and Desi-American voices. Focusing on the diversity and of South Asian American experiences in a bustling community center in a fictional New Jersey town, your reader will love this exploration of  identity, new crushes, and cultural pride.

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

 

Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices  Edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed. The more we read, the more we know and what better way to experience the joy of Eid al-Fitr than with this incredible anthology. Showcasing fifteen different Muslim authors writing about the universal spirit of this holiday, this collection highlights a massive spectrum of global cultures, covering Shia and Sunni traditions, West African perspectives, and convert experiences. 

 

Black Boy Joy Cover

Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood  Edited by Kwame Mbalia. If you’ve never heard of this uplifting collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and realistic stories, you are missing out! Seventeen Black male and non-binary authors (including Jason Reynolds and Jerry Craft) share moving stories that celebrate triumph and happiness to challenge heavy media stereotypes.

 

 

On the Block  Edited by Ellen Oh (published October 2024). This anthology explores the lives of immigrant families living in a single apartment building. From beautifully honest looks at culture and family structures, this collection features twelve stories from authors like Jasmine Warga, Erin Entrada Kelly, Debbi Michiko Florence, Minh Le, and so many more!

 

 

 

You Are Here

You Are Here: Connecting Flights  Edited by Ellen Oh (published March 2023). A star-studded anthology of concurrent, interwoven stories following twelve Asian American kids embarking on a massive international airport terminal during a single incident. What could possibly go wrong? Find out through the work of Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, and Christina Soontornvat.

 

Black Girl Power

 

Black Girl Power  Edited by Leah Johnson (published 2024). A vibrant, heartwarming collection of 15 middle grade stories and poems that celebrates the joy, strength, and experience of Black girlhood, including stories from Ibi Zoboi, Sharon M. Draper, and Leah Johnson, as well as cover art from Caldecott winner Vashti Harrison.

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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– In the Classroom

By on October 13, 2026   /   Spiders, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

I read the following books from this month’s list as the basis of the activities below.

Image of woman looking at a spider inside a glass jar.

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army
by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Anne Lambelet

Have you ever heard of the woman who harvested spider silk to help U.S. efforts during WWII? I hadn’t until I read The Spider Lady. This book explores how Nan Songer developed a fascination of spiders. It then follows her path to delivering spider silk that was used for the crosshairs in many different military devices.

 

Book cover: "The Secret World of Spider Webs"The Secret World of Spiderwebs
by Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim

To learn how different spiders use webs, read The Secret World of Spiderwebs. Using impressive illustrations, this book provides detailed descriptions of how spiders spin their webs. This includes both the architecture of the various webs and the biomechanics needed to spin them. The spiders in the book come from a wide variety of locations around the world.

 

Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing
by Ruth Owen

Like the previous book, Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing covers a wide variety of spiders from around the world. This book provides lots of information, fun facts, and amazing photos of spiders. It also includes some thoughts on where the fear of spiders comes from.

 

As with every other month, there are many different activities that would pair well with these books. Here are a few.

Spin Some Webs

When people think of spiders, their first thoughts are often of spider webs. In fact, several of the books I read focused on spiders’ webs. There are some great activities surrounding spider webs, ranging from art projects to engineering challenges. Here are links to some activities you may want to try.

Spider Web Engineering Challenge lesson plans from Georgia Youth Science & Technology Centers: https://gystc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Spider-Web-Engineering-STEM-Challenge-Lesson-Plan.pdf

Designing Like a Spider activity guide from Hofstra’s Center for STEM Research: https://www.hofstracsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Designing_Like_a_Spider_Activity_Guide.pdf

How to draw a spider web: https://artprojectsforkids.org/drawing-spiderwebs

Watercolor spider web art:

Search for Spiders

One of the best ways to learn about the natural world is to see it for yourself. I’ve encountered many different spiders as I wander around my native plant-filled backyard. Here are some resources to use, preferably in a naturalized area like an outdoor classroom.

Spider Web Scavenger Hunt: https://www.primarythemepark.com/2017/09/spider-web-scavenger-hunt

This activity guide from the Lawrence Hall of Science in California is great to use while searching for spiders: https://lawrencehallofscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Spider-Exploration-1.pdf

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has this great collection of spider activities for a variety of ages: https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Learn-at-Home_SpiderActivities.pdf

(If you don’t have an outdoor classroom, here’s a guide that helps with creating one: https://npsnj.org/native-plants/schoolguide – while designed for New Jersey, it can be modified based on your location.)

Create a Food Web

Create a food web around a local spider. This will require a fair amount of research. Review how to evaluate sources to determine whether or not they are trustworthy.

First, find a spider that is local to your area. Here are some resource ideas for finding a local spider:

List several things your spider eats. You may be able to find this information on the Animal Diversity Web – https://animaldiversity.org – or you may need to search for other sources.

When searching for information about species, it’s best to use the scientific name as several species may share a common name. For instance to search for information regarding the grayish jumping spider I saw in my yard (you can see this on iNaturalist), I would search for “Phidippus princeps.” This page from Bugs With Mike, an enthusiastic amateur entomologist, provides lots of information and includes additional sources: https://bugswithmike.com/guide/arthropoda/chelicerata/arachnida/araneae/araneomorphae/salticidae/phidippus/princeps

For each thing your spider eats, try to determine at least one thing it eats.

List a few species that prey on your spider species. (This might include other spiders. Some spider species will eat other spiders within their own species.)

Lay out this information on a piece of paper using drawn or printed images for each of the species identified. You can see an example food web here: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-a-food-web.html. The Alabama Wildlife Federation has a food web activity and presentation here: https://alabamawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/File/OC_Field_Investigation-Create_a_Food_Web_Interactive_PowerPoint.pdf

Compare Spider Sizes

The size of spiders varies widely. Peacock spiders (a type of jumping spider) can fit on a person’s fingernail. The goliath bird-eating tarantula is about the size of a dinner plate.

Create a visual that shows how different spiders’ sizes compare.

Where in the World

The spiders covered in the books are from all over the world. Print out a world map. Pick out some of your favorite spiders from the books and color in the different areas where those spiders are found. Use a different color or other visual representation for each spider.

Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: http://janetsbooks.com

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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Book List

By on October 6, 2026   /   Spiders, STEM Tuesday   /   1 Comment
STEM Tuesday Logo

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t matter where you are, inside or outside, there’s a good chance that a spider is watching you! Unless you are in Antarctica. For the most part, those spiders are perfectly content to go about their day eating garden pests and leaving cobwebby silk strands in the corner of your bathroom. But somehow, spiders get a “spooky” reputation. So, let’s take a closer look at them!

Book cover - 2 spiders in webs on upper corners, a spider dangling down left side, and a large spider on bottom right corner.

Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion

From leafy treetop to forest floor, this book introduces readers to happy spiders, diving spiders, social spiders, and more. Each spread features poems and information about how they kill and digest their prey, engage in foolery – and even how they become prey themselves. Back matter includes hands-on spider activities and how to write your own spider poems.

Book cover - large spider on an enlarged leaf background.

Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality series) by Sandra Markle

Six chapters introduce the jumping spider’s world, with information on the spider from the inside out.  Because jumping spiders spend a lot of time hunting, readers are invited on a hunting expedition – from the spider’s point of view. Readers with smart phones and the appropriate app can scan Augmented Reality icons to watch the spiders “come to life.”

Collage of six book covers - all witha large image of a spider.

Super Spider Series (Black Widow, Cave, Funnel-Web, Tarantulas, Trapdoor, & Wolf Spiders) by Lisa J. Amstutz

These hi-low or younger MG books each focus on a specific spider and combine fascinating photographs, wonderfully concise, detailed information on each spider’s life-cycle and unique characteristics, a warning (when necessary), as well as a fun activity, jokes, glossary, and additional resources.

Book cover - spider holding a big bubble in front of it.

The Secret of the Scuba Diving Spider … and more! by Ana Maria Rodriguez

Readers are taken into the field with animal biologists to find the diving bell spider, the only spider that lives underwater. Only as long as a grain of rice, they’re hard to find in the water and they are becoming rare because of habitat loss and pollution.  In addition to diving bell spiders, readers meet whistling caterpillars, signal-jamming bats, and zombie ladybugs. https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2018/01/scuba-diving-spiders-and-hugs.html

Book cover - big spider on a palm leaf.

Spiders! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

At this very moment there may be several spiders lurking close to you. The good news: they are so focused on living their own lives that they really don’t want to have anything to do with us. An attitude that has served spiders well for the past 380 million years or so. Close-up portraits reveal things you usually don’t get close enough to see.

Book cover - a large spider at the bottom and two spiders in the upper corners.

Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing by Ruth Owen

Written as an address to the readers, this ingenious hi-low or younger MG book uses amazing photographs, microscopic images, and illustrations, along with an illustrated, lab coat-wearing “spider-scientist,” and bite sized bars of text to examine the physiology, special traits, life cycle, actual danger, science behind our fears of spiders, and some absolutely amazing spiders.

Book cover - spider in the center of an elaborate web.

The Secret World of Spiderwebs by Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim

Using conversational text and visually and tactilely engaging close-up illustrations (with a couple of stunning rotated spreads), this book highlights the beauty, strength and mysteries of thirteen types of webs and the 20 spiders (listed in the “spider spotters guide” at the end) who build these special webs. Like the Amazon social spider’s colony web or a lampshade web in a cave. A step-by-step guide walks the reader through web building, and a series of close-ups explore spider anatomy, how spiders make silk, and some of the different types of spider silk. 

Book cover - big spider with really large eyes.

Spidermania: Friends on the Web, by Alexandra Siy

This is a great book for younger MG readers. It begins by clarifying the differences between spiders and insects and then dives into spider lives. The book introduces readers to a diversity of spiders, and shows off their web skills. Stunning photographs and brightly colored electron micrographs show spider eyes and claws up close.

BIOGRAPHY

Book cover - female scientist holding a spider in a jar.

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army, by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Anne Lambelet

Entomologist, Nan Songer collected butterflies and moths, beetles, caterpillars and spiders. But instead of killing and mounting them in display boxes, she kept a living collection in jars all over her house. When a friend mentioned he used spider silk to replace the crosshairs in his surveying scope, Nan wondered whether she could harvest spider silk and sell it. This book takes readers into her lab, showing her experimental process and the important role her research played as the US headed to war.

GREAT GUIDES 

Book cover with 15 different spiders.

Spiders (North American Field Guide) by Samantha S. Bell

A browsable guide containing the spider’s common and scientific names, “Fun Fact” blocks, extra information sidebars on webs, diving, and vision, amazing photographs, “How to Spot” sections with individual spider statistics, and succinct paragraphs about eighteen categories of spiders. Including crab spiders, a cat-faced spider, and a hammock spider.

Book cover with 13 different spiders.

Spiders of the World: A Natural History edited by Norman I. Platnick

Beginning with a detailed diagram and electron microscope images of a spider’s anatomy, it explores specific orders and subgroup of spiders. Stunning photographs accompany short descriptions, world-wide distribution maps, and characteristics lists for well over hundreds of spiders, including Spitting, Ogre-faced, Pirate, Diving Bell, Green Lynx, Beach Wolf, and ant-mimicking and beetle-mimicking Jumping spiders. It is a fascinating read, with a glossary, additional readings, and an index.

 This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Photo of author Sue Heavenrich looking up into the trees.

Sue Heavenrich is an award-winning author, blogger, and bug-watcher. A long line of ants marching across the kitchen counter inspired her first article for kids. When not writing, she’s either in the garden or tromping through the woods. Her books for middle-grade readers include Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More and Diet for a Changing Climate. Visit her https://www.sueheavenrich.com/

Photo of author Maria Marshall with roses in her garden.

Maria is a children’s author, blogger, and poet who is passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. She was a judge for the Cybils Awards since 2017 and a judge for the #50PreciousWords competition since its inception. Two of her poems are published in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty 2016 and 2014-2015 anthologies. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at https://www.mariacmarshall.com

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