Science Nature Books

"Chasing Science" is a relatively short, yet informative look at the world of marine science. Covering oceanography, geology, marine biology and other lesser known sciences, the book provides a feel for the life of a marine scientist. It is well written and very easy to read, but is lacking in depth. It consists mainly of very short stories of what can be expected if you enter the world of marine science. There are a few facts, but do not expect great detail.

If you are expecting moderate or heavy science from this book, you will be disappointed. The book, however, works well as an introductory look at the world of marine science and I would highly recommend it to non scientists and to students who may be interested in making marine science a career.

While this book appears to be thin, it has many illustrations of edible plants found in different parts of the world. No one likes to think that they would need to forage, but if it were necessary, this would be a good resource to have. I feel confident that I could locate several plants to sustain myself with if the circumstances arose.

While the book informs us about edible plants, it warns that there are similar plants that are poisonous -- and doesn't give any description for them! I'd have to be really, really hungry before I would risk using this book.

Good little book that covers quite a lot. Gives good information on those plants in the wild that can be used for food. Along with this it gives excellent clear color close up pictures of the plants with a description of their botanical structures, habitats and distribution, edible parts and other uses such as making baskets, rope, medicines, etc. Also gives good photo descriptions of the most dangerous and poisonous plants and how to identify and recognize them.

lots of good info if you spend a lot of time in woods ,or if you don't and find yourself lost ,this book might keep you alive.

The Illustrated Guide to Edible Wild PlantsThis book is very informative on edible wild plants. Recommended to those who are serious about wilderness survival and disaster preparedness.

I use this book as a teaching tool. I show students the importance of protecting our Earth.

I used this book as an introduction to the Rain Forest for my 3rd graders and it got them interested in learning more. It is a great book as a lesson plan or in a classroom library. Kids seemed to read and reread this book more than any other.

This book is truly inspiring for anyone that does not believe in saving the rainforests. The Great Kapok Tree really tells you from all the animals point of view on how the rianforest is their home. This timeless children's book is not just for little children it is for all to learn a lesson from what could become of the future or what people are destroying. In this book there is one man who is told to chop down this very big and old Kapok tree. He starts to wack and chop. After a little bit the man is worn out so he desides to just sit and rest for a little bit, but the sounds of the rainforest lulls him to sleep. One by one animals that depend on trees or have homes there come down and talk to the man whispering and telling of how the rainforest will soon destroy all life on earth because of the oxygen that the trees give us. When the man wakes up he now has a choice, he cqn listen to what the animals said or what the other bigger man told him to do... To find out read The Great Kapok Tree by: Lynne Cherry.

Both my 4 year old boy and my 7 year old girl like this book and so do I. It's a great way to introduce them to many of the different types of animals you could find in a rainforest. Great pictures!

For centuries, man has abused nature and thoughtlessly destroyed forests without realizing the harm this causes. Only recently has the importance of trees become apparent, brought to light by those who value the life that trees provide. Lynne Cherry is one of these people; her gorgeously illustrated book teaches the importance of trees and the abundance that they give to nature and its creatures.

In this book, a man is hired to chop down a Kapok tree, one of the largest and most important in the entire forest. After just a few chops, the heat of the forest and the exertion of his efforts tire him out and he lies down to sleep. One by one, the different creatures of the forest creep over to him and whisper in his ear the importance of the tree, asking him to spare it and leave it to those who need it. By the time he wakes, his decision and his view of the forest are altered forever. This book is beautifully put together, both with illustrations and a story that's simply but powerfully written.

I've loved trees all my life and this lovely story teaches children the importance of taking care of nature and animals. I really can't believe one person's snooty comment that nature preservation is "not the job of children". First of all, children will not be children forever; they are the future and it is our responsibility to teach them how to take care of the environment if we want them to be responsible adults. Second of all, children CAN make a difference! If you go to Lynne Cherry's website, you'll see that a kid's organization convinced Mcdonald's to recycle their paper products.

I also disagree with the silly statement that the book puts animals above people. What it does is remind us that if we don't take care of nature, there will be no tomorrow for future generations. Besides, one of the "creatures" of the forest who whispered to the man while he was sleeping was a Native American who needed the tree, so the message of the book would be to put others ahead of yourself. I personally think it's refreshing to write a book that gives animals a voice since they're so often overlooked. This book is highly recommended!

I found this book to be extremely informative while explaining how magnet work in a way my 3 year old granddaughter understands while learning myself!!

The pictures are awsome, and keeps any age children's attention. All of the books in the Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science series have been a valuable tool in teaching and entertaining in my home.

The good thing about this book is that it is interesting enough to read it (at bedtime, for example) without pausing to do the experiments or you can use it in conjunction with some great little experiments to learn more about magnets.

It is not extremely detailed, but my five-year-old son found it quite engaging and he was absolutely fascinated when the experiments worked "just the way the book said!" With the book's simple structure, I know it won't be too long before he is able to read it to himself, also. (It is around the second grade level, I would say.)

Nicely done for younger students.

This is the gorgeous sequel to Julia Donaldson's amazing and imaginative story, the Gruffalo. If you thought she couldn't top The Gruffalo - then think again. Again, this has been ably illustrated by the amazing Axel Scheffler - whose pictures of the Gruffalo cave and gruffalo toys had my kids in fits of laughter even before the story began.

Again the amazing rhyme and rhythm which Donaldson manages to put into her rhymes really manages to draw children into the story. They are amusing little observances throughout. I must admit, the first time I read this I assumed that the gruffalo child and the mouse, when they finally met, would make friends - but no - the Gruffalo child just wants to eat the mouse as well! And once again, the mouse is too cunning to let that happen.

Gorgeous book which I am sure your children will love as much as I do. We seem to have a stack of Julia Donaldson and Lauren Child books by our bed which are read over and over as bedtime storys.

If you and your children have read The Gruffalo so many times that all of you can pretty much recite it, I would highly recommend getting this sequel. The Gruffalo was one of our top reads, and now that we have The Gruffalo's Child it's been a quick replacement. I think we enjoy it as much as the first book -- and the fact that we get a change of pace but with familiar characters is an added bonus. There's much to enjoy in the detailed illustrations as well. Both books are great!

This has been the "must read" book at our house for six months straight. The three year old has not tired of it! Amazing. He knows every phrase and allows NO substitues. Perfect!

My sons (1 and 5 yrs old)and I really enjoy this book as well as "The Gruffalo" and others by Julia Donaldson. The rhyming is fun and helps the story flow and I enjoy the lesson and/or wit behind each story. These are sure to be favorites for a long time.

Bravo. This is a wonderful book. We loved the first one: The Gruffalo. This is a very sweet and whitty book with great cadence. My children love her books. It is a must read.

Apples by Gail Gibbons is educational and entertaining. This book is best for kindergarten through third grade students. It has lovely, colorful, full page pictures. The text is mainly found at the bottom of the page. Elementary age students will need some vocabulary words and phrases defined for them such as grown commercially, bushel, stamen, pollen, stigma, pollination, harvest, tart, prune, and fertilized. As another reviewer pointed out, Gail Gibbons' Apples book introduces ideas that are revisited in another of her books, The Pumpkin Book. Apples is a great book for September and The Pumpkin Book is great for October. Parents and teachers will find this book useful and enjoyable - so will the kids.

I purchased this book last fall for our kindergarten "apple and pumpkin" theme of learning. The short text and big, colorful pictures make this an excellent choice for 4 to 8 year olds. Yet, I was surprised by how much I learned from this book! This non-fiction text covers the growth of the apple tree and it's fruit with plenty of labels and a simple definition for each new word.

A brief history of apple trees in America is explained, but I found the labels and the sequencing from flower bud to fruit to be the most educational part for myself and my 5 year old students. The information about how a flower bud becomes a fruit also applies to pumpkin growth, which became a handy opportunity to reinforce the new knowledge.

In addition to the short history lesson and the description of apple growth, the book includes illustrations of different apple varieties, the fall activities of caramel apples and apple bobbing, and some general information about the apple tree. Overall, this book rates 5 stars and an A+ with this teacher.

My son was so excited because we planted seeds a nd watched what happened in "real' life as explained by the book.

We were given a copy of "Magic Schoolbus and the Ocean Floor" as a gift. I then bought "Dinosaurs" and "Senses." There is a difference between the books written only by Joanna Cole and the later books that are basically a comic-book version of the TV show. It takes us a solid 45 minutes to read "Senses", and I even learned some facts. "Plants Seeds" is about a 15 minute read-aloud. I say stick with the earlier books.

As a 3rd Grade School Teacher, I found this book instrumental to my lessons on plant life. Ms. Drizzle and her class answer many of the questions my students come up with before we've read the book so I know that we're reading the right materials for our lessons. Great series for the imagination and for provoking interest in the sciences early in the child's development.

I enjoyed this book very much because it is such a fun way to learn about science. This is the first of many Magic School Bus books I purchased, and I've been hooked ever since.

My four year old grandson loves this book. We have been growing plants from seed on his windowsill and can't wait to try the experiment in this book.

What this book is NOT, to be clear, is a good read-aloud. It's tedious if used that way.

What it *is* is a good, step-by-step instruction of a basic science project for little ones. If you use it that way, reading every step as you go through it and not before, it's wonderful.

I find the reading age suggested on this book (3-6) to be a little young. Try 6-8 instead.

This book is a lil juvenille... not as information. But it covers the basics... I wished it was a bit more scientific.

We enjoy the "Let's - Read - & - Find - Out" series of books. This one is a good addition, explaining seeds on my five year old son's level of understanding . Something that many adult writers of childrens' science books sometimes aren't very good at getting across. It is in my child's library at school.

The books in this series are informative and interesting for their target audiences. The illustrations are well done and add to understanding the process being described. They make it easier to follow for kids.

If you are looking for a simple "experiment" for the budding scientist in your home, this is an excellent book. As you read this with your young child, he/ she will certainly be inspired to do what the kids in the book are doing; planting a bean seed and watching it grow.

As you read along with the story and follow-up with actually doing the experiment your child becomes part of the story, waiting and watching as his (or her) own seeds develop. Children learn the essential elements of growing seeds. Once you have successfully grown your first bean plants, there is a page at the rear of the book that guides you through additional "experiment" ideas to go even deeper.

This book, because it is on the Stage 1 level, is a bit less informative than the other Let's Read and Find Out Science books that we already have in our growing collection which are primarily Stage 2, but certainly worthwhile in that it guides parent and child through a very simple Science project.

Basic concepts covered in this book in addition to the seed growing are:

1. Counting (stage 1 is geered toward preschool to early kindergarten)
2. Patience (in that you must wait days to see things begin to happen)
3. The ability to follow instructions (the steps to perform the experiments)