Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Story by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Alice Potter

Dream Big, Little Scientists: A Bedtime Book 

by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Alice Potter

Charlesbridge Publishing, 2020, 32 pages 

When nighttime comes, all over the neighborhood, 12 budding scientists are beginning to get very tired. It's time to go home, get ready for bed, and head off to their bedrooms for a goodnight's sleep. Each young scientist and their bedroom is seen in a two page spread, in a room decorated with representative items relating to their specific STEM interest. And their interests are as diverse as they and the ways they sleep are.

For example, there are the twins who share bunk beds and are interested in climate change; one young girl in a wheelchair, whose hero is Stephen Hawking, has an interest in physics; an Asian girl who sleeps on the mat on the floor is interested in anthropology, and has a poster of Takie Lebra on her wall (confession - I learn something new in children's books all the time. I didn't know who Takie Lebra is until I read this book). A white boy with a hearing aid has pictures of George Washington Carver and Thomas Meehan (the botanist not the movie producer by the same name) on his bedroom wall because his interest lies in botany.

This appealing bedtime story, written in a simple ABCB rhyme scheme, has a nicely embedded message that tells young readers that science is for EVERYONE, all you need is the interest and there are plenty of areas where interest can be found. The colorful illustrations are whimsical and detailed. Each two page bedroom is decorated with books, posters, and other objects reflecting what that child in interested in scientifically, as well as curtains, pjs, and quilts to match.

When I read this to my young readers, they found the rhyme very appealing. The way it is presented reminded some of the of Goodnight Moon, a book they all still love. But they also loved exploring each illustration and learning the different names the different branches of science and the names of some of the items and people found on the page.

You can read the bio of each scientists included in this book HERE

At the end of the book, there is a chart defining each area of interested presented with a definition of what scientists study in each one. And you can download an extensive Educator's Guide and Activity Kit from the author's website HERE

Dream Big, Little Scientists is an ideal bedtime story with a subtle educational message that can conveniently be explored with your young readers during the day.

This book is recommended for readers age 3+
This book was gratefully received from Barbara at BlueSlipMedia

Blog Tour: Fly, Fly Again by Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson, illustrated by Tammie Lyon

Fly, Fly Again by Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson,

illustrated by Tammie Lyon

Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2020, 32 pages

Jenny has always wanted to fly but all her attempts have so far ended in failure. Then a red-tailed hawk befriends Jenny and as he flies around, she begins to figure out how it is done. But could she invent something that would actually take-off and fly just based on what she observes? 

Meanwhile, Jenny's neighbor Jude is studying his best friend Kitty, to learn all about speed and control in order to improve his skateboarding. Jude is also interested by the tiny plane Jenny has built and although it lifted off the ground, she has no way to control where the plane went and it crashed. Could Jenny and Jude put their heads together and figure out what they needed to do to actually get off the ground and control how and where Jenny's plane would fly?

If the title Fly, Fly Again makes you think of the old adage try, try again, that is not a coincidence. Jenny learns that sometimes success comes only after failure, but to never give up on her dreams. Along the way, Jenny also learns all about the mechanics of flight, thanks to teamwork and determination, as well as a cat named Kitty and a bird named Hawk. So really, how could she miss? 

Fly, Fly Again! is also a wonderful way to introduce kids to some basic aeronautical concepts like lift, drift, pitch, roll and the importance of a rudder, and perhaps instilling an interest in engineering.    

This book is recommended for readers age 5+

This book was sent to me by the authors and I thank them for the opportunity to read and review it. 

Fun Facts about Flying 

• The foreword for the book is from Buzz Aldrin. The 50th anniversary of the lunar landing of Apollo 11 is July 20, 2019.
• There are over 600,000 pilots in the world. Someone/something inspired their love of flight.
• The book teaches perseverance and teamwork and that you can be an inventor at any age; with some determination and creativity, anything is possible

Important #STEM Dates to Remember

• December 17th - Wright Brothers Day
• January -
  • National Mentoring Month: Buzz Aldrin wrote the foreward to Fly, Fly Again
  • Brainteaser Month:  Liftoff Learning Studios exists to encourage learning among kids
  • Creativity Month:  How do we get our kids to think outside the box?
• January 17th – Kid Inventors’ Day
• February 21st - Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
• March 4-10 - Women of Aviation Wordwide Week
• April 30-May 6 - Children’s Book Week
• Second Week in April - National Robotics Week 
• June 23rd - International Women in Engineering Day 

Meet the Authors

Katie Jaffe: With a passion for children’s causes, Katie has committed herself to several charities, helping children around the world.  As Creative Director and Design Consultant of Aviation for Spectre Air Capital,  Katie has aided in the design of several high profile aircraft.  Currently, she is leading the marketing and design effort of an overseas airline.  She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband–who is a pilot– and their three children who like to fly. 

Jennifer Lawson: Lifelong educator and advocate of the Childrens’ Literacy Program.  Jennifer seeks to bring knowledge to students through creative curriculum and technology on a global level.  As Owner and President of Decision Tree Technologies, she is currently endeavoring to teach using technologically advanced solutions that excite today’s students. She lives in Austin, Texas with her family.

Luciana (American Girl: Girl of the Year Book 1) by Erin Teagan

It's been a while since I've read an American Girl book now that all my Kiddos are too old for them, and I don't think I've ever read a Girl of the Year book. We always stuck to the historical stories. So when I realized that we would be celebrating a big historical event this week - the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20 - I thought this would be a fun book to start the week off.

More than anything, Luciana Vega, 11, wants to be an astronaut and now she's just arrived at Space Camp. Luci has tried for a scholarship to Space Camp three times and finally won thanks to the essay she wrote about planetary geology. But Luci also has something else on her mind besides space - a baby named Isadora. She and her parents are hoping to adopt Isadora, an orphan in Chile, the country where Luci's parents grew up. Naturally, only child Luci worries about whether she will be a good older sister.

At Space Camp, Luci's bunkmates in Habitat 4b are Ella, 11, her younger sister Meg, 9, and cousin Charlotte, 11, as well as Joanna from Germany. There is also a companion boys Habitat. For their week at camp their trainers are Mallory, Alex, and Mallory's robotic dog Orion. Unfortunately, tension between Luci and Ella can be felt immediately, as well as between Ella and James, both highly competitive know-it-alls. But it is Luci who ends up as the team captain for the girls, and James for the boys. Besides space-related activities and exercises, each team will build a robot, complete with daily challenges to win bolts. The idea is accumulate a lot of bolts (which is the point system they use) and the team with the most bolts at the end of the week is the winner.

Unfortunately, Luci didn't read all the material sent to the campers and her impulsiveness causes her team to come in last place in the first challenge. Knowing her teammates are disappointed with her, Luci manages to come up with a plan to build their robot with junk parts that won't cost them any bolts. It's a good idea, and they even find and fix a motor module to build a walking robot. But when the part goes missing, Luci is sure that James took it to set them behind. And the plan she hatches for getting it back leads to disaster for James and his team. Can Luci ever fix the mess she made?

I thought this was a fun, typical American Girl book but I mean that in the best way. Sure, the main character faces challenges, makes mistakes, learns lessons from her mistakes and lands on her feet. Luci's real challenge is to learn how to be a team player and by extension, a good big sister, to think before she acts, and to not ignore preparation materials. Know-it-all Ella is the opposite of Luci and a great foil for her, because she also needs to learn how to be a team player in order to be a good friend. Each girl brings baggage with them and together they help each other become better team players. I actually wish we were given more of Ella's story instead of her merely being a plot device for Luci.

Although this is an introductory story for readers to get to know her, I wish that more of Luci's Chilean background had been included, but that seems to happen in another book. I did love the STEAM aspect of Luci's story and hope it has an influence on girls who might otherwise pass on STEAM-related activities, books, and ideas.

I received this book from Scholastic a while ago and it has been borrowed by three girls already, all of whom said they really enjoyed it, liked Luci as a character, and will read more of her story (and they really, really like the purple streak she has in her hair). I personally never thought much about robotics, other than supporting the kids in my family who are into them, but I did find the robotic element of the story very interesting ( especially Mallory's dog Orion) and I gained a whole new appreciation for robotics.

Although Luciana is 11, I would recommend this book for readers as young as 8 or 9. It's not a complicated story, there's just enough science to ignite curiosity and Luci's challenges and concerns are not specific to Space Camp. And her story is just good summer reading and you don't need to buy the doll to enjoy it.

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Scholastic Press