This book is designed for ages 4-8 but could definitely be used a bit older as well. I’ll be using it with my 9 and 12 year old when we learn geology This book is designed for ages 4-8 but could definitely be used a bit older as well. I’ll be using it with my 9 and 12 year old when we learn geology for homeschool.
It comes with a little flat plastic magnifying glass which actually works pretty well for being so small and simple. The book is designed to be brought with on a rock hunt. After going over what you need to go on a rock hunt and how to use the book, you are introduced to the stickers at the back of the book. Page two shows you how to use them. The 12 patch stickers are designed to mark which of the types of rocks you found. See where it says “I See It!” in the image below? That’s where you put it.
A book review of Rock Hunt (Backpack Explorer) As you can see the images are full colour and the little “Zoom In” icon shows you when you might want to use your magnifying glass.
Different types of rocks are gone over like pebbles, boulders, quartz, black rocks, landforms and more. I especially love the landforms page, that will be a good reference for geography classes too.
Fun activities are included such as stacking rocks and rock art. At the end of the book is a journal to write about your favourite rock. There is a pull out chart to match extra stickers up with what you did on your rock hunt. There is a My Rock Collection sticker too which you could stick on the container you use to hold your rock finds. There’s a few other stickers too to use how you want.
If you like this book there are others in the series such as beach, trees, nature trail, bird and bug.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This is the story of Maria Mitchell, a female astronomer in a time when females didn’t go into science. It’s in picture book format but doesn’t shy awThis is the story of Maria Mitchell, a female astronomer in a time when females didn’t go into science. It’s in picture book format but doesn’t shy away from big words. It would be of interest to kids aged 6+. I enjoyed reading it and I’m an adult!
This book is great for girls to read especially to encourage them to pursue their interests no matter what. It’s very You Go Girl!
The back of the book includes some extras such as: Maria’s Rules of Astronomical Observation, Glossary, Types of Solar Eclipses, Timeline of her life, Bibliography and About the Authors. This section is good for extending the learning.
The illustrations by Liz Wong are sweet and match the book. It’s a great book for a child interested in science or for encouraging children, especially girls in general.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I received this book for review a while back but never got around to it till now. No particular reason for that, just busy. However we are studying flI received this book for review a while back but never got around to it till now. No particular reason for that, just busy. However we are studying flight this month in our homeschool so I thought it was the perfect time for me to review the book.
This is a beautiful book about flight with colour illustrations. The book covers flight in animals as well as man-made contraptions.
Chapter headings are: Dreams of Flying, What is Flight Good For?, If Flying is So Great Why do some animals lose their wings?, Flying is easy if you are small, if you must be large and fly increase your surface area out of proportion, unpowered flight parachuting and gliding, powered flight and how it works, powered flight in animals, be lighter than air, weightlessness, aerial plankton, wings for plants, differences between evolved and designed flying machines, what is the use of half a wing, the outward urge beyond flying.
As you can see from the headings, different types of flight are discussed. I marked many pages to read from or show illustrations from during our flight unit. It’s a great resource for homeschooling but it’s also just plain interesting. I would never have thought to read a book about flight but I found it intriguing.
If you love learning about science including animals, this is a great book to learn about how animals and people fly.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
The book is a compilation of facts from other sources but put in a format that is designed to be digested slowly. There are 52 wonders, one for each wThe book is a compilation of facts from other sources but put in a format that is designed to be digested slowly. There are 52 wonders, one for each week. I will be using this book in our homeschool during morning basket by reading one a week as directed.
Wonders included are number related (how big is a million,)the non-living world (atoms) and the living world (extinction, blood, fossils, memory etc.)
There are some colour photos included although they are very small. But it’s a nice accompaniment. There is a small section on religion in the back but it’s not a religious book and the religion part can be skipped easily if it’s not of interest to you.
It’s a short book and would be better if each section was a bit longer but if you are looking for a quick intro into many different interesting subjects that’s what this book would be good for. Then you can pickup the reference books for a more detailed discussion of the topics that interest you.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This book is separated by seasons and months of the year and features things you can look for with your telescope. This book is more complicated than This book is separated by seasons and months of the year and features things you can look for with your telescope. This book is more complicated than I needed, especially since I don’t own a telescope (yet!).
Since I don’t fully understand it, I’m not sure what to say. This is not for the beginner. But if you own a telescope and know how to use it, this book can help guide you to the different things you can see in each season.
The star charts include specific placements of stars, star magnitudes and degrees so you can find them.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review...more
This is a great guide to the night sky for 2022. Yes it’s almost half over but that means there is still half a year to use this guide. (Well if you aThis is a great guide to the night sky for 2022. Yes it’s almost half over but that means there is still half a year to use this guide. (Well if you are reading this when I post it.) It’s published in Canada but the US has the same general view of the sky so they can use it too.
The book starts of with a little explanation of how to view the night sky. Then follows the basic items such as sun, moon, constellations, comets, meteors etc. This section is 40 pages long so it’s not just a little bit. Then it breaks up into months. For each month astronomical events are listed including moon phases, meteor showers, eclipses and planet placements.
A calendar of moon phases is shown and some explanations with it. Then you can see a display of what you would see in the Southern and Northern skies.
If you want to start looking at the night sky, whether with a new telescope or with binoculars and you want to start in 2022, this is your guide. If it’s not 2022 anymore, search your bookstores or Amazon for the newest version of this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
This picture book is perfect for your budding astronomy lover. The book is written as if the Milky Way galaxy is talking to the child who is reading tThis picture book is perfect for your budding astronomy lover. The book is written as if the Milky Way galaxy is talking to the child who is reading the book. The book has full-colour photography and NASA images of space. Learn more about the milky way galaxy in a fun way.
Besides the “story” as told by the Milky Way the sidebars have interesting tidbits of information. You will also find information on the photographs. It’s a cute little book, perfect for the space lover.
It’s good for a range of ages. I read it to my 8 and 11 year old while we were learning about space. It would be good for ages 5+ if an adult or older child is doing the reading. To read to self, 9+. This would make a great bedtime story too. Like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but in book form and a little more in depth.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
This book will answer some basic urban ecology questions such as:
why wildlife rely on city green spaces how do animals in cities affect human health whaThis book will answer some basic urban ecology questions such as:
why wildlife rely on city green spaces how do animals in cities affect human health what are cities a good place to study the impact of climate change on bees what happens when humans and wildlife in cities don’t get along how are humans changing animal behavior in cities how does the pollution we create affect city animals what happens when citizen science doesn’t tell us the whole story why are greener cities better for people Each chapter poses one of those questions and then seeks out to answer it. Backed up by illustrations and sidebars of information, children will get to know how city ecology works. The book is listed as ages 9-12 but I’d recommend 12+. I found it a bit hard to follow and I can’t imagine my 10 year old paying attention.
I love all Annick Press books, especially the nonfiction. Their nonfiction is always very informative. If city ecology is you’re thing, this is a good starter book for any age.
I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review...more
This book starts off with the brief history and science of microbiology which includes why we don’t always get sick, the microbiome, immunology, epideThis book starts off with the brief history and science of microbiology which includes why we don’t always get sick, the microbiome, immunology, epidemiology and diagnostics.
Part 2 covers prevention, vaccines, antibiotic, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitics. Also bad medicine and the future.
That may not sound like a lot but each topic is covered well and the book is almost 400 pages. Most of it is written for the lay person to understand. It is no text book, that’s for sure.
I found the book very informative. It talks a lot about COVID-19 but not only about that. If the pandemic has made you want to know more about how viruses work, this is a great book. It’s nice to read about viruses and epidemiology from someone who knows what they are talking about and isn’t from a vaccine company or government.
The book was published in the UK and as such is written from a UK perspective. Just an FYI. The book was also written during 2020, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. So at the beginning of each chapter, a timeline is given of when he was writing that chapter, along with where he was and Global COVID cases and deaths.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
This has been on my TBR list for a while so I was happy to find a copy at a local bookstore. In fact I accidentally bought it twice! Leave it to me toThis has been on my TBR list for a while so I was happy to find a copy at a local bookstore. In fact I accidentally bought it twice! Leave it to me to buy a book about memory twice because I forgot I bought it. I finally got around to it. I’m glad I read it although it’s not quite what I thought it would be. I thought it would be more of a how to be better at memory. It was a little like that but it was also just more of a memoir of the author’s journey towards learning about memory.
You will read about the people who have the best memory and the worst memory in the world. The author learns memory tricks and trains for memory tournaments. Did you know they had these? I didn’t!
The best part is when he teaches us about the memory palace and walks us step by step into memorizing a strange to-do list. Apparently it’s a lot easier to remember things if you make a visual representation in your mind. But it should be bigger or weirder than normal. Instead of remembering cottage cheese by remembering what a container of cottage cheese looks like, we are told to imagine a kiddy pool filled with cottage cheese and a naked woman swimming in it. You gotta admit, that’s hard to forget....more
Have you ever wondered what happens when you sleep? I decided to read this to see if I would learn something new. It’s juvenile/children’s nonfiction Have you ever wondered what happens when you sleep? I decided to read this to see if I would learn something new. It’s juvenile/children’s nonfiction but many times I learn something new even though I’m an adult. Everything I read I already knew but the book explained it well.
Some of the topics covered include:
what happens when we sleep why sleep is important what happens if you miss sleep sleep disorders like sleep apnea, sleep walking and night terrors how dreaming works past discoveries and medical treatments from 100s of years ago how to get better sleep the circadian rhythm, melatonin and sleep pressure what is bad for sleep health and why
Ages 11+ would be the ideal age to read this book. It’s very interesting and would make great research for a sleep related science project. I’ve read other books by Tanya Lloyd Kyi including Burn, Seeing Red and 50 Body Questions.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
This is a little book that has fun with popular songs. It takes those songs and puts a scientific spin on it. The author pretends that the musical artThis is a little book that has fun with popular songs. It takes those songs and puts a scientific spin on it. The author pretends that the musical artists are scientists. He even calls them by last name first. So Bob Dylan is referred to as Dylan, B. Personally I thought this was a little weird, especially for those who I didn’t recognize by last name. He also pretends that the songs are scientific studies.
“This is puzzling: Loaf is actually extremely specific in his treatise on what he would or would not do for love, specifically pledging just two things he would not do to his unnamed lover – he pledges never to lie to her, and never to screw around.” pg 40 What Wouldn’t Meat Loaf Do? from the song I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) by Meatloaf
You’ll find older songs ( Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Peter, Paul and Mary) or (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria from The Sound of Music) and newer songs ( Call Me Maybe? by Carly Rae Jepsen) or (What Does the Fox Say? by Ylvis.)
Sometimes the answer actually has to do with the question and other times, it’s purposely about the wrong thing....more
This was an interesting look into Radium and related chemical elements such as uranium. The book flip flops between too complicated for me to understaThis was an interesting look into Radium and related chemical elements such as uranium. The book flip flops between too complicated for me to understand to very basic explanations. I think a specific education level should have been picked and then stuck to. However I understood the majority of it (I only have high school education) and learned quite a bit.
When I told my husband about this book he told me about Radium Girls and so I expected to read about it in the book. I was surprised that they weren’t mentioned till near the end of the book and not as much as I expected. The book is more about how Radium was used and less about the side effects or results of using it.
While the book was interesting, I feel like it was too long. It seemed like some things were gone over many more times than was needed and the book could have been 300 pages instead of 400 easily. If you are into chemistry you will definitely find this book interesting. If not though, it will probably be to scientific for you.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
This is the second book in the series. I reviewed Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice too.
It is made the same way, with different sections. This book haThis is the second book in the series. I reviewed Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice too.
It is made the same way, with different sections. This book has the following sections: Cute Critters and Up-ROAR-ious Creatures, The World Inside Us, This Planet We Call Home, Tremendous Tech and Inspiring Innovations and Our Out-of-This-World Universe.
Each question takes up one page and is accompanied by a fun illustration by Suharu Ogawa.
Some of the fun questions are:
Why do bees sting? Why do we have butts? Why are flowers different colors? Can stem cells bring back the dead? When will the Sun explode?
It’s a fun science book designed for ages 7-11. I read it with my 7 year old and it was interesting but needed additional explanation on some of the more complicated questions. I’d say an average 9 year old could read it themselves.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review...more
This was a pretty good book on self control from a Christian perspective but unfortunately the title and the book cover didn’t draw me in and I put ofThis was a pretty good book on self control from a Christian perspective but unfortunately the title and the book cover didn’t draw me in and I put off reading it because of that. I think it would do better if it were rereleased with an updated title and cover.
That said, the quality of the actual writing is great. It’s not a magic trick, I don’t feel so much better at self-control now that I read it or anything but it makes some good points that other books don’t. I think I could benefit from reading it again once or twice more and trying to implement some of it’s points.
The main point I got from the book and that really struck me is that we need a reason to self-control that is bigger than us. Having self-control just to look better or be healthier is not enough because we have trouble seeing the bigger picture during moments of temptation. The book suggests that we control ourselves for God first and foremost. If I’m tempted to eat a cookie when I’m not hungry, knowing it’s not good for me isn’t enough to stop me. However knowing that God wants me to be healthy and I’d be letting down God by eating the cookie might be enough to make me pause. I’m not very good at explaining it but it really made me think.
Sections of the book include: Why we need self-control, self-control isn’t about you, meeting the enemies, hope for growth (growing willpower muscles), habits, building healthy habits, dumb things Christians think about self-control, self-control in the digital era and learning from addicts....more
I read this as an ebook and I loved it. Usually books about depression say the same things but this book is different. A lot of what is said may soundI read this as an ebook and I loved it. Usually books about depression say the same things but this book is different. A lot of what is said may sound obvious (get more sleep, eat better) but it’s not just that simple. The author uses neuroscience to explain WHY these things work and also HOW to do them.
The book explains how we don’t just wake up depressed one day, that it comes on slowly and gets worse when bad things happen or because of depressive symptoms that just cause a downward spiral. So the book is about how to create an upward spiral, to spiral yourself out of depression little by little.
I have Bipolar which includes depressions but Bipolar depression is a little different from regular or unipolar depression. However I still found the book helpful. Even more so, I realized it would help others I know who are struggling. Having a husband and kids and therefore a routine and people who depend on me has really helped me to manage day to day life even while severly depressed. Even if you live alone, there are small steps you can take that will get you moving or give you something to do which will help pull you out of depression.
I know when I’m depressed (and even sometimes when I’m manic as I get dysphoric mania) I feel drawn to doing things that make me feel worse such as watching tv or reading books about death, or suicide or upsetting things. Or I just want to crawl in bed and stay there all day or never go outside. But if I’m forced to do some of these things or I’m too busy to wallow in upsetting media, I usually feel even just a little bit better. This book explains why that is.
I bought this book because it’s title and especially description drew me in. I love reading about animals and health and this book merges the two.
ZoobI bought this book because it’s title and especially description drew me in. I love reading about animals and health and this book merges the two.
Zoobiquity “[…]an animal correlate to every human disease we could think of […]. What we lacked was a name for this new fusion of veterinary, human and evolutionary medicine. Finding nothing in literature, we decided to come up with our own: zoobiquity. From the Greek for “animal” zo, and the Latin for “everywhere”, unique, “zoobiquity” joins two cultures (Greek and Latin), just as we are joining the “cultures” of human and animal medicine. – pg 17
After explaining why animal and human science should be taking a cue from each other in the first chapter, each additional chapter covers a specific issue that affects animals and humans: Fainting, Cancer, Sexuality, Drug Use, Heart Attacks, Weight Issues, Self-Injury, Eating Disorders, Infection and Adolescence.
Adolescence probably seems a little out of place because it’s not a health issues per say but that chapter discusses how adolescents are risk takers in humans and animals and why that may be.
Professional Book This is not just a book of someone’s opinions, the authors have done their research and include 40 pages of notes at the back of the book citing books and studies that helped them out with each chapter. This is a well researched book from professionals who know what they are talking about. I couldn’t believe that animals get the same problems we do and yet vets and physicians don’t collaborate more with regards to them. The book is about that but it’s also about understanding more about those diseases or conditions by seeing how they affect and are overcome in non-human animals.
Animal Mental Health For example, as someone who struggles with mental health issues, I was shocked to see that animals self-injure and suffer from eating disorders. I had never considered that could be possible. It was shocking.
Understanding what makes animals do these negative behaviours helps me to understand why I or someone else might start these behaviours.
Final Thoughts This book is eye opening and a book that every physician and veterinarian or anyone else involved in health care for animals or humans....more
Before the World Was Ready was designed for ages 9-12 but I found it very interesting and it would be a perfect book for a science lover.
Inventions anBefore the World Was Ready was designed for ages 9-12 but I found it very interesting and it would be a perfect book for a science lover.
Inventions and scientific discoveries are amazing in of themselves but when you realize that there were people who figured them out long before the world was ready to hear about them, it makes them more amazing.
In some cases you may have heard of both the original scientist and the one that is given the most credit (such as Copernicus and Galileo) but in some cases, the original scientist or in some cases, average person doesn’t get any recognition such as Sir George Cayley who was experimenting with flying vehicles long before the Wright Brothers.
Hearing repeated stories of people’s ideas being ignored, quieted and laughed at makes me wonder what things people are discovering right now that we are ignoring or laughing at that 30 years from now we may realize they were right about.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more
I am not a Techie, Tinkerer or Foodie but the premise sounded interesting and I was expecting fun experiments I could try and possibly share with my GI am not a Techie, Tinkerer or Foodie but the premise sounded interesting and I was expecting fun experiments I could try and possibly share with my Girl Guides. The book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's for adults and those who know a lot about technology. I know how to do most things on a computer and I wrote a VERY simple program once but I couldn't follow most of the instructions. There are a couple of "mini" projects throughout the book and those are the only ones I could probably do.
If you are looking for a book with experiments ranging from somewhat complicated to complicated with a lot of steps that you can eat when it's done, then this book would be a 4 Star book. It wasn't what I was expecting though and was too advanced for me which is why I rated it 1/2 a star less.
Here are just some of the experiments you will learn how to do:
Cryogenic Ice Cream Modular Pecan Pie Light-Up Lollipops Dry-Ice Martinis Caramel Lingerie Brew Beer from Scratch
That's just a few. You can also find tons more on the Hungry Scientist Blog.
Only two authors are listed on the book but the experiments were designed and tested by a group of 13 including one child. Most of the experiments are for adults only with a few that could be done with children if given LOTS of help and supervision.
I must say, it was a very INTERESTING book. ...more