Like any job that seems glamorous from the outside, I'm sure being a librarian isn't all unicorns and rainbows (i.e. reading books and talking about books), but it sure does sound fun. Even the scanning and shelving gets me excited. So of course I jumped to sign up when I learned that his elementary school's library is entirely volunteer run. I had my first shift last week, and while no kids actually came in during that time, I did get to check in a bunch of returns and re-shelve them (which led me down a rabbit hole of reshelving other books that were in the wrong places...) - and I have hopes for future sessions of actually getting to help kids find some books.
Thus I'm mentally preparing some topical book flights (a la my own book review format) - they might be different genres, but have a similar topic or theme. This time: books for kids who are interested in science. This specifically came up for me because Hendrik is SO science/fact oriented right now that sometimes he claims he doesn't like fiction - but then when we read about budding scientists, he loves those stories too! So here's a mix for curious/scientific kids that we've loved:
Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants
You may have seen the picture books in this great series that focuses on kids inventing and problem-solving, but we recently learned there are some beginner chapter books too, and this one is so great (loved the audio version). Budding scientists will appreciate how Ada really uses the scientific method to come up with experiments to figure out things she's curious about - like why her brother's shoes are so smelly - but then there's this fun twist in that the science and physics lead to somewhat fantastical things in the narrative, like the helium pants that her engineer friend Rosie Revere made for Uncle Ned, which have caused a bit of a situation with him floating away. Kids as young as kindergarten can definitely listen, and for solo readers it's maybe 2nd/3rd grade level. There's a series of these Questioneers stories that we will definitely be checking out the rest of.
Zoe and Sassafras
Another illustrated early chapter book series for 2nd/3rd grade reader level where the main character loves to conduct her own investigations and experiments about scientific things she's interested in - but then the twist is that she's actually applying that knowledge to magical creatures that show up to her house looking for help. In this first one, she has to figure out how to help a sick baby dragon by drawing on knowledge of other reptiles in science books, or by running experiments to find out what baby dragons like to eat. Great emphasis on STEM and problem solving, but also a fun story.
The Street Beneath My Feet
For something a little more illustration-heavy but still with quite interesting bite-sized facts about the Earth, this double-sided fold-out book is quite a fascinating journey underground (and that's coming from someone who isn't super sciency...). The illustrations are great, and they show kids what's happening below ground from the soil to the sewers all the way to the core of the earth and back up again.
Dinosaur Atlas
There are tons of dino fact books out there, but this really struck Hendrik's fancy - you learn a ton about dinosaurs, but you also get the geography angle with the atlas portion of it. Great illustrations and lots of fold-out pages or lift-the-flaps to really engage elementary-aged kids. We had this book from the library for like 2 months straight, he liked looking at it so much.
Magic Tree House Fact Trackers
For kids who want to learn a lot of facts, these connect with the Magic Tree House book series to show how the characters might research and learn more about the various things they encounter on their journeys through time and space, from dinosaurs to outer space and tons more. They can read just the sciencey subjects they're interested in, or connect the narrative story with the fact book.
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