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Book Bundles: It's Science
Three new books offer plenty of ways to survey STEM-related subjects. Read about high-tech animal prosthetics, meet creatures with surprising names (hello, sarcastic fringehead!), and tour a world of topics with a science guy. For more related books, click any of the subject tags below. Book Bundles in our Booklists Archive.
(3)
4-6
Animal-rescue stories are always popular; this book enhances the topic by delving into how prosthetics dramatically improved the lives of five animals. The gravely injured subjects--a Kemp's ridley sea turtle, an Asian elephant, a German shepherd, a goose, and a pig--were rehabilitated thanks to the compassion, perseverance, and collaboration of teams of rescuers and researchers. Each affecting story includes captioned photos of the animal subjects and their human caregivers. A related activity follows each story, helping readers better understand animal body mechanics and scientists' creative problem-solving methods. A glossary, selected bibliography, related organizations, and index are appended.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
Murrie, Matthew
& Murrie, Steve
The Screaming Hairy Armadillo: And 76 Other Animals with Weird, Wild Names
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Julie Benbassat.
Over sixty unusually named animals are grouped by such descriptors as "magical," "fierce," and "delicious." In addition to the usual suspects (naked mole rat), plenty of less-well-known species--including the long-wattled umbrellabird and striped pyjama squid--broaden the book's appeal. Illustrations and photographs enliven the pages, which include solid information about each animal's habitat, behaviors, and physiology. Discussion about species naming protocol will be appreciated by interested readers. Conservation organization websites are listed; a glossary is appended.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
(3)
4-6
This compendium opens with "You Are an Amazing Machine" and concludes with "Huge: Cosmology, Astrophysics, and a Few Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe." Each of eighteen chapters tackles a particular branch of science, including botany, physics, zoology, astrobiology, and climate change. Because the topics are vast, coverage is necessarily condensed, but readers can browse for pleasure or tuck into a chapter and find inspiration to do further research. TV personality Nye's enthusiasm for science comes through in sections packed with information, boxed quotations from working scientists, "Try This" activities, photos, illustrations, diagrams, and graphics. A selected bibliography and index are appended.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
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