Science Nature Books

This is a great book...fun for both kids and adults. I love how the pages have cut outs that clue you in to the next page. Fun!

Great simple illustrations with bold colors - neat thinking - leaves age-old question unanswered, which does come first - chicken or the egg?

I love the book. I bought it for my son last Christmas, but it's a little too conceptual for a three year old. Still, it's beautiful. I'll try this out with him in a year.

A lovely book for young people, with die cut pages that explain some of life's mysteries in an age appropriate way.

Which came first--the chicken or the egg? Finally, someone is here to tell us. But the answer later.

"First the egg," written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a Caldecott honor winner for 2008 and an honor book for the Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Award. What makes it special? Both the artwork and the story, or actually, in this case, concepts that lead from one transformation to the next. Two previous clever winners are Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book) by David Wiesner and Black and White, an earlier Caldecott by David Macauley.

I took this book from a display in our bi-annual Book Fair. I read it in just one minute. Then reread it. And reread it. Every time I pick up this seemingly simple book, I see something else I missed. Even the covers are part of the story. This book is more than clever--it is brilliant, as in illuminating.

Listen, here is the story. Get comfortable and let me read it to you:

First the EGG
then the CHICKEN
First the TADPOLE
then the FROG
First the SEED
then the FLOWER
First the CATERPILLAR
then the BUTTERFLY
First the WORD
then the STORY
First the PAINT
then the PICTURE, First the CHICKEN
then the EGG!

Well? Exactly! Without the bold colors and almost in-your-face images in the background, the words are fine, but...? A Caldecott Award is given to the most distinguished picture book of the year. Please look at the cover image with this review. That gives an idea of the power of the colors and paint technique, which is impasto on canvas, providing two layers of texture. That is what this book has--texture: layers of texture in the art and the concepts.

Art? A creative, bold enterprise that can make the chicken or the egg first. Think it, do it. Create. That is exactly what Ms Seeger did. She created a bold, creative way to examine this age-old riddle.

"First the egg" is highly recommended, not only for children, who will adore it, but also for adults, who will be reminded of the grandeur of creation in all its many forms. Great children's books belong in the collection of adults as well as in children's.

The drawings in this book are simple but colorful. It provides a line-by-line action guide to the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". The board pages make it durable and easy for flipping. My eighteen-month-old son is beginning to learn the actions of this song and he loves this book. He would bring it to me for me to sing to him and do the action together with him. I would strongly recommend this book to parents.

At first glance, this book appears to be simply an illustration of a kids song. Some reviewers have complained that that's all there is..so why buy it. But actually, there is a lot more there if you look.

First of all, while illustrated songs seem like an odd choice sometimes to adults, little kids LOVE them. Invariably, they are the ones my two year old brings to me again and again. They are also the first books that kids are able to memorize. This is important because they like to pull them out when they are playing independently, and model reading on their own. What a satisfying experience for a pre-reader! Plus, for parents for whom it doesn't come as naturally to bring music into their children's lives, these sorts of books are a great way to do so.

This book does an excellent job of being really clear with the pictures lining up the words and the body parts. The first line, she gives each body part it's very own page, so that they can be large and really obvious -- the little animal on the page mirroring the same body part as the baby is also very adorable.

When she gets to eyes, ears, mouth and nose, she adds another dimension by putting in item on the page that you can do with that body part -- for eyes - books, for ears - baby instruments, for mouth - baby food and sippy cup, and for nose - flowers. So there is a discussion element if you are reading this with your baby and choose to take it.

The back of the book has the last "knees and toes" echo...pretty cute, and also has the whole song written out under a staff with musical notes. My older daughter has taken to grabbing this 'baby' book and asking how to pluck it out on her little piano keyboard. So the book can have a second life for that purpose later on.

The pictures of the babies are endearing.. I love their happy little faces. It is worth noting that while the babies are definitely different "shades" -- it's hardly what I'd call multi-cultural, which is a shame because there's no reason why it couldn't have been. She did throw in a couple girls.

All and all, if the multicultural issue doesn't concern you, I'd recommend this highly for your own little on, or for a gift.

Wonderful Book. My grandson loves it since it corresponds to the song he sings. It's charming.

I loved this book more than my 18 month old daughter. Her favorite is the Row, Row, Row your boat book. The book is nice with bold pictures, showing actions well.

bigger than most board books, but lighter at the same time, easier for my 11 month old to hold onto. he seemed mesmerized and we can read again and again. the pictures are engaging and quite cute. A 10!

Okay, so this is probably as preachy as Dr. Suess gets, and it just might get on the nerves of some people, but the tree hugger in me salutes him for it, even as he paints a grimmer picture of environmental destruction than Al Gore ever thought of.

Even so, it's clearly Suess with his imaginative worlds and funny characters.

It's a solemn book of warning that it pretty darn good into scaring kids into being careful with the environment.

And that's not a bad thing.

I could not wait to present this lesson to the class this year. Teaching seventh grade and the 5 themes of geography this book lends itself to many of those themes but mostly human-environmental interaction (how human interact and change the environment to fit their needs). Not only does this book show that but it really visualizes how we negatively impact the Earth for our own selfish needs. Again my students are in love with the facts that I am reading them a storybook and after the discussion they see that it isn't a plain, old storybook but it really does have a significant meaning.

Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

While most Dr. Suess stories are pure fun without any heavy message, The Lorax delivers an extremely blunt lesson on ecology. What's amazing is that Dr. Suess does this with a narrative that is engaging, entertaining and ultimately inspiring. You might think a book with such a heavy message could be a turn-off to young children, but I have found the opposite. My preschoolers find this story absorbing. I think they understand there is something truly important at stake, so the book means more to them than other Dr. Suess titles.

Is it a coincidence that Thneed rhymes with Deadly Sin #3? Growth for the sake of growth is where we are today. This too shall pass, UNLESS....

Dr. Seuss, turned holier-than-thou by his elevated status in society, decides to preach to us about the evils of industrialization. Does he realize that the many millions of copies of "The Lorax" were all made in factories, using paper that came from trees?

This book has amazing images of collage to create animals, and students love the content as well!

I bought this book for my preschool classroom. The kids can't get enough of it and they love guessing which tail belongs to which animal. It's a great early reader for them too!

A very beautifully illustrated smart book, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS helps kids think outside the box. My 3 year old daughter found it interesting the some creature have ears, mouth, etc. in other place then us humans. The book that starts with a question ends with wanting to ask more questions like the one my daughter asked, "Why do flies have 6 legs and spiders have 8?" I really couldn't answer why but I think this book helped her be more observant.

Interestingly beautiful illustrations help grab attention too, that was the reason I purchased this book in first place. The artist captures every necessary detail with his unique, almost surreal style which permeates throughout the book.

One of the loveliest and most thought out books to hit children's bookshelves in years! The information is so interesting and presented together with such unusual paper art the book just captivates its reader. Ann Clarke, author of People Are So Different! based on tolerance and understanding.

This book is really hands on, and gets lots of talking and questions going with my 3 and 5 yr olds. It's a clever book and we've had a lot of fun with it.

What struck me most while reading this book was discovering along with the writer how little I know about where my food comes from, how it reaches me and what has been done to it along the way. Very rewarding were Pollan's sense of curiosity, courage, determination and integrity in looking at the truth of industrialized food, to pulling the trigger in the forest, hauling hay, standing knee-deep in excrement with "534", and firing up the grill for the sake of having an authentic knowledge, not just a label with a barcode. And it started to bother me that I really had no idea where my (extremely important and life-sustaining) food had come from or how much coordinated effort it took to get it to me.

I know I will never see through the same lens when I step foot in a supermarket, grocery store, convenience store or restaurant. I will think twice about eating corn-fed meat, not for a moral repulsion to eating meat, but for a moral repulsion to the way our country obtains our meat and what they stuff our animals with before we ingest. If our industrial abattoirs cannot be humane, then perhaps we can't call our civilization civilized.

Yes, every eater - herbivore, carnivore, omnivore - should read this book! Pollan has an honest voice and an engaging way with words.

This is an amazing book. It may sound extreme, but the information in this is mindblowing.

Not only is it extremely well written, but it explores the different sides of the same topic, giving you multiple perspectives.

I had started reading my friend's copy on a visit, and had to order the book immediately so that I could continue reading it...and have struggled to put the book down every day since.

Probably the most important book about the state of food in this country, and maybe the world. Michael Pollan's calm voice is the call to tune in, wake up and choose the food you consume rather than give in to corporate and government default as we have been conditioned to do for the last 5 decades. We don't have many ways to "vote" these days except with our money. Buy and eat locally. Its a more important choice than we know. Thanks, Mr. Pollan for your informative look at how we can regain our food autonomy.

Healing the Rift: Merging Science and Spirituality

As a scientist and biotechnology executive I was intimately involved in the food industry for over a decade and visited agricultural sites in over a dozen countries on four continents. I applaud Pollan's expose' of of modern agriculture's cost.

Michael Pollan exposes the high price we pay for industrialization of food production. The fact that the majority of deaths are caused by the Western diet and many of the major diseases are a result of how and what we eat is incalculable in economic terms. The damage to the environment from industrialized farming is staggering. The sacrifice to food quality and nutritional benefits are explained by Pollan.

A must read! Then get Pollan's In Defense of Food.

Pollan is an extraordinary writer: here he takes a subject that could easily be dry as dirt and turns it into a completely absorbing, thought-provoking tour de force. Though very occasionally overwritten, this book is never boring. It will teach every reader to think twice about both the source and the true cost of the food they eat. Recommended reading for absolutely everyone; even more particularly for anyone with a real interest in food or simply in developing their social conscience.

It's just hilarious and great. I had it when I was young and I bought it now because I just htought it was be funny. I was not disappointed.

It hasn't really helped my daughter with potty training and she's no completely interested in it.

Again, it is not a childrens book. It is a joke for a friend, that I bought it.

I grew up with this book.
It was never a funny book but rather a serious one. I liked it that way.

My parents were never afraid of the subject of poops, and why should we be? This book is to remind people of the very natural and obvious fact about our body that people tend to ignore.

Unfortunately, this book is not for everyone. This book is only for those who are honest and open.

This is a good book for parents to practice talking about facts about our body. If you couldn't do this book, you will fail to provide sex and drug education to your children also. If you believe that you can skip and ignore those subjects raising your kids, you may skip this book as well.

My 2 year old daughter loves animals and when she was only really talking for a couple months, 50% of her vocabulary was probably the names of the different animals. Thus, it was no big surprise that she LOVES this book. I got it because my pediatrician talked to me about potty training at our 2 year check-up, though dd showed absolutely no interest in potty training at all and I wasn't even going to bother until she pressed me (I actually prefer the convenience of diapers). The doctor said that the first step was to get some books to familiarize her with the topic and to just start talking about our body functions more with dd. Well, I started with this book since it was so well reviewed and it has remained her favorite book for 4 months running now. Granted, she's not potty trained at ALL. Not even close. I haven't even bought a potty. But she still adores this book and goes around at random times saying, "An elephant makes a biiiiiiiiiggggg poop!"

I find that the message is subtle, but very clear as to what is appropriate for us humans to do when we go to the bathroom, but interspersed with the different practices of animals. The illustration is actually very nice, though it took me a few dozen readings just to get past the weirdness of looking at animal poop and humans squatting on a toilet.

The true parent test (aside from whether it helps your child poop in the toilet - but like I said, we're not there yet) is whether you'll mind reading it a hundred times a day. And actually, this is one of my more favorite books. I let a few of my lawyer friends read it too and they liked it as well. I highly recommend it!

It tends to ramble in the philosophical arena, but I found his writing well researched and the questions thoughtful and thought provoking. I would recommend it for a book club or philosphy group.

I was continuously amused and enlightened about many things in this book; suffice it to say I dog-eared quite a few pages as I wanted to go back to re-read certain passages for the perspective, perhaps for the phrasing, or for the knowledge.

Humans certainly have the desire and the ability to bend nature, but a good lesson learned in this book is to let nature be itself, even as you make it do your bidding!

In style and substance this is one of the best books I've read in recent years, as well as one of the most enjoyable. It also broadened my perspective in several areas. I highly recommend.

Mr Pollan had a great idea for a book--evolution of 4 different species of well know plants from the plant's perspective as influenced by humans. There's about 30 pages of good information to this end. The rest is horribly long and painful unrelated tangents that he clearly enjoys writing about, but have absolutely nothing to do with the subject. For instance, in covering apples he talks for freggen ever about John Chapaman, aka Johnny Appleseed. Who cares about Appleseed's sexual frustrations with a potential 10 year old bride??? Who cares about his love of sleeping in hollowed out logs, or on the snow if sleeping in the log would disturb some insects??? If you're ridiculously bored and don't mind reading about random garbage you might like this book. If you're looking for enlightenment on this subject or like a well executed book, don't even think about this one.

In "The Botany of Desire", author and gardener Michael Pollan turns the tables on our view of domesticated species by presenting a would-be "plant's eye view of the world". His premise is that humans may have a more reciprocal relationship with domesticated plants than we like to believe. Perhaps the plants use us to propagate themselves as we use them to satisfy our desires. To explore this idea, Pollan recounts the horticultural histories and the human desires that created them for 4 domesticated plant species: the apple, which satisfies our desire for sweetness, the tulip, cultivated for its beauty, marijuana, for intoxication, and the potato, which gives us control. A fruit, a flower, a drug, and a staple food.

Pollan dedicates a section of the book to each of the 4 plants. The histories of the species are not comprehensive but focus on key events which affected its "artificial selection" and made the plants what they are today. For example, the history of the apple focuses on the introduction of seedlings onto the American frontier by Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman in the early 19th century, spawning an explosion of edible species from what were originally trees planted to make applejack. The section on the tulip predictably talks about "Tulipmania" in 1630s Holland, usually cited as the first "bubble" of the modern global economy, but also addresses the "Tulip Era" in Constantinople, funny and failed attempts to make the tulip useful, and the unending quest for a black tulip.

Likewise, the section on marijuana focuses on the tremendous advances in horticulture spawned by the War on Drugs that forced growers indoors in the 1980s. The discussion of the potato is particularly timely, as it talks about the genetically modified NewLeaf potato, which includes genes from Bt bacterium whose toxin is lethal to the Colorado potato beetle. This potato is designed to rescue the agricultural industry from its toxic and unsustainable strategy of pesticides and fertilizers. It's also designed to prolong the viability of monoculture, around which much of the agricultural industry in built but which is historically and currently problematic.

An interesting aspect of the evolution of these domesticated species is that three of four of them are cloned species, not planted from seeds or allowed to reproduce sexually. They're in trouble for lack of genetic diversity. They've been over-domesticated. So we shall see if Michael Pollan's thesis that the plants have put us in their service as much as we have them holds up. It seems we've made them quite vulnerable. But that premise provides an interesting entry into the subject of horticulture. Michael Pollan is opinionated, and everyone will not agree with his view of marijuana or NewLeaf potatoes, but I do think readers will see his point. "The Botany of Desire" is thought-provoking and timely.

Fantastic buy! I've passed the book on to so many friends and family members already. Everybody's talking about it. I find myself quoting animal facts to strangers. I'm definately a smarter person for having read it.

I learned a lot that I never knew about the animal world in a fun and easy to read format. Very enjoyable and informative, I highly recommend it.

I defy you to read even a few pages of this little book and not be tempted to yell out to whoever else is in the house: "Did you know that ...?" The other person will laugh and say "You made that up!"

This is a perfect book for people who love animals and/or arcane bits of trivia. It is a bestiary of 100 animals -- some common, some you've probably never heard of -- all with secrets you would never guess. You'll never look at your dog the same way; did you know that Labrador retrievers can correctly identify lung cancer in humans 99 percent of the time... just by smelling their breath?

Each animal gets two or three pages, with a couple of black and white illustrations. Organized in alphabetical order, you won't want to stop until you get to the lowly, fascinating worm. Did you know that ribbon worms will eat their own bodies if their food supply runs out? They can eat up to 95 percent of themselves and still survive.

No, I didn't make that up.

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson also wrote The Book of General Ignorance.

a book from which i can truly say i gained a wealth of information...whimsically written while maintaining an informational voice...only caveat i can complain of is the authors' consistent failure to provide a simple description of each animal's size...given that some of the animals were previously unknown to me, i would have appreciated the information..

This wordless story invites the imagination to run free. The illustrations are beautifully done and I was able to set forth onto an underwater adventure! If you are looking to inspire your child's mind, this is the book for you.Mommy's High Heel Shoes

In Flotsam (Clarion Books, 2006), illustrator David Wiesner tells a story that spans the globe and takes in an entire century--all without using a single word. This Caldecott-winning tale, told entirely through water color illustrations, shows how an inquisitive boy makes a remarkable find one day at the beach. While studying a crab in the sand, the boy is startled by a large wave that washes up an unusual treasure--an old waterproof camera. Instead of discarding it as junk, the curious boy develops the film inside the camera and finds a series of unbelievable images. The final picture shows him that, by discovering the camera, he joins in a secret shared with children from various times and places.

Wiesner's colorful and imaginative images are a mix of the everyday and the fantastic, prompting readers to, like the story's hero, take a closer look at what they see. Wiesner's story will be well received by any child who has ever dreamed of finding treasure in unexpected places.

Pictures speak louder than words in the Caldecott winner wordless picture book "Flotsam," by David Weisner (Clarion Books, 2006). The book begins with an inquisitive young boy at the beach, equipped with magnifying glass, microscope, and binoculars to examine his findings. The boy is excited to find an underwater camera, the developed pictures yielding interesting results: surreal marine life happenings such as an octopus at underwater story time and a picture of a child holding a picture of yet another child, and so on. The reader is taken on a cyclical journey through place and time with the pictures of the children, ultimately ending with the boy at the beach taking a picture of himself and sending it back out to sea for yet another child to enjoy. Readers will not even miss the absence of words; the striking, vivid, and storytelling artwork of the adventure will captivate readers of all ages for years to come.

I bought this book for a 4 year old niece who loves to tell the story of a book, even if the book comes with a written story. She loves the ocean so this fits into her life experience just perfectly. Wonderful pictures.

David Wiesner's ability to tell a story using only illustrations, and fine ones at that, is amazing.

When a boy finds an antique camera washed up on the beach, he is intrigued by what images it holds inside. So intrigued, that he takes it to be developed and waits as it's done. The images the camera holds inside reveal a world of fantasy and reality mixed. The final entry the camera reveals is an image of the last child who found the camera on the beach holding a photograph. As the boy looks into the photograph the child is holding, it appears to have an image inside the image of other children holding a picture. He gets a magnifier and looks into the picture and sees an infinite image. Knowing that he must carry on the tradition, he sets the camera up, takes a picture of himself holding the last picture, and throws the camera back into the ocean sending it on it's voyage to be delivered to the next curious child.

This work is a wonderful display of imagination and picture storytelling at it's best.

This is a very informative, yet enjoyable book. It is wonderful. The pictures are great. My preschool class loves this book.

My son is two & absolutely loves this book. The rhymes are so sweet & perfect with the photos od the book. My son loves pumpkins & understands the the concept of the seed b/c of this book. I wish i could find it in hard cover.

I was looking for a new book to use with my class and ordered this one. I was amazed at how detailed the pictures are and the writing uses, such descriptive words. So it not only meets the needs of the season - it has integrated learning features but FUN for all!
Great book for kids & teachers! DVD & VHS also available at author site!

I bought this book for my 2yr old and he loves it! My 4yr old loves it too. It does a great job teaching kids the cycle of life. The photos are wonderful and the story is simple enough to keep little ones interested, yet gives a great explanation about the circle of life.

A wonderful, graphic book about the circle of life. Why are kids so fascinated by pumpkins? Take a look at this visually intense book and see why. The photographs are definitely the feature here, but the text is not bad either, and keeps it at just about the right pace for a 3-5 year old audience.