Book Review: Little Learning Labs: Unofficial Minecraft for Kids by John Miller, Chris Fornell Scott

Little Learning Labs: Unofficial Minecraft for Kids by John Miller and Chris Fornell Scott is a nonfiction book for children, but more so their adults. Balancing screen time can be difficult, especially when it comes to wildly popular, open-ended video games like Minecraft. Minecraft offers players an environment focused on exploration, imagination, and creation, but its nonlinear game structure can mean spending a lot of time in the game. The book by covering some common Minecraft language and examining each of the four game modes: survival, creative, adventure, and spectator. Then readers can use that information in the six different quests that encourage child and adult participation. The quests offer rewards as readers complete quests. Instruction includes how to screencast and narrate your own videos to share with family and friends.

Little Learning Labs: Unofficial Minecraft for Kids is a good resource for families that want a better understanding of Minecraft, want to learn and grow together, and want to make the most of the skills and entertainment that Minecraft can offer. I like that Minecraft is explained well, neither talking down to the reader or expecting too much prior knowledge. Sometimes it is hard to walk that line, fully explaining without being condescending. The information and tasks are well explained, and easy to follow. I really like how the book offers so many opportunities for non-screen based time, and time together as a family or a team.  The marshmallow catapult, sugar cube building, and shadow puppet projects were among my favorite, and I think would be a hit even without the Minecraft tie in. Many pages also offer a 'more to explore' suggestion and ideas on how to use the skills and information. The images and text boxes are balanced nicely, keeping the pages easy to read and not too crowded. I found the book as a whole to be well organized and informative, and I think it will help parents or teachers that want to better understand Minecraft and use it as a tool to better connect with the young people in their lives. Unfortunately, just as I get a handle on Minecraft my kiddos have moved on to other obsessions, but it might just come back around. 

Little Learning Labs: Unofficial Minecraft for Kids is a good starting point for parents or teachers that want to understand Minecraft while encouraging the young people in their lives to get the most out of their screen time.

Book Review: Dive In: Exploring our Connection with the Ocean by Ann Eriksson

Dive In: Exploring our Connection with the Ocean by Ann Eriksson is a nonfiction book for children and adults. It starts with the idea that we are all connected to the ocean, and the ocean to us. The ocean provides half the oxygen we breathe; it feeds us, creates our weather and provides us with water. But people have not been as kind to the ocean in return. The problems are many: pollution, overfishing, rising seas and acid waters. What can be done? Don't despair; take action. 

Dive In explores the connection between mankind, our actions, and the oceans. We get a great deal from the ocean, and treat it like our private playground, drilling field, and dumping ground. Thankfully there are scientists and activists that spend their time studying the ocean and working to protect it, and everything that lives in, on, or near it. The book is text heavy, with some great information and photographs to engage readers. I liked that there were big and small things suggested for readers and their families to do in order to help the environment. The glossary and additional resources at the end of the book can help readers understand more, and hopefully encourage them to further explore the topic on their own. Some of the informational text boxes were hard to read because of the color choices, I was reading a pre publication galley, so that might have been fixed by the final printing. I think this is a great book for older children, or reading together as a family. Some of the text is more difficult than I think new or struggling readers might be happy tackling on their own.  I do think that parts came off as a little too preachy, and just how big the changes could or should be might be overwhelming to readers, even though the little changes are mentioned as well. I know that I was a little taken aback and felt a little preached at rather than encouraged to make bigger changes.

Dive In is an information and interesting read. I was fascinated by some of the statistics and details about the ocean itself and think it can help readers see how interconnected the environment is, and how even the smallest choices can have an impact. 

Book Review: Outside: Discovering Animals by Maria Ana Peixe Dias, Ines Teixeira do Rosario, Bernardo P. Carvalho

Outside: Discovering Animals is a nonfiction book for middle grade and older readers written by Maria Ana Peixe Dias and Inês Teixeira do Rosário, with illustrations by Bernardo P. Carvalho. Whether you live in the country or the city, nature is still all around you, so what are we waiting for? It's time to jump off the couch and discover the animals that live on your doorstep. Created in collaboration with a team of experts, this comprehensive guide includes suggestions for activities and many illustrations to help the whole family get started, leave the house, and go out to discover – or simply admire – the amazing world that exists outside.

Outside: Discovering Animals is an in depth look at the world around us, with detailed explanations and illustrations to ensure that an engaged reader can take in the information. This is not a casual reading volume, rather a targeted resource tolead young readers and families to better understand nature, and be able to recognize the signs of wildlife in both city and country settings. This is a perfect book for those that camp often and interested in understanding and tracking the wildlife around them. The book is well organized with suggestions and activities to try, and well as tidbits of extra information that might not be crucial but is certainly interesting. I would have liked to see some real photographs rather than just the illustrations, even though some of them were very detailed and well labeled. It could have also used an index or glossary, to help readers focus in on information that might need to help identify a specific animals, insect, or print. 

Outside: Discovering Animals is a good, but not perfect, resource for young naturalists and their families. It has much useful information but I was expecting a little more from the read.

Book Review: Unofficial Minecraft STEM Lab for Kids by John Miller, Chris Fornell Scott

In Unofficial Minecraft STEM Lab for Kids readers will find  forty eight projects that can help make learning science, technology, engineering, and math more fun or exciting. There are six Quests, each with four unique Labs that pair a hands-on activity with an in-game project. Readers start with the basics of terminology and gameplay, and how to keep track of their activities. Information from five Minecraft experts share the challenges and experiences, and how the game has helped with their overall success. Some of the real world activities include making glow in the dark slime, the classic volcano, pipe cleaner snowflakes, electromagnets, and more. In game challenges include carving a crystal ice castle, making and using a teleporter, building a dam, and building labs and field stations. 

Unofficial Minecraft STEM Lab for Kids is a well organized and accessable book for young scientists. The six quests include; Pistons, Rails and Redstone, Construction Zone, The Sky is Not Your Limit, Rocks, Minerals and Gems, Cycles in Science, and Engineering Challenge. In the beginning of the book there is information for parents and teachers to help them engage young readers with the activities, understand why this book might help them interest and motivate their readers, understand the basics of the game and tools that will be mentioned and used through out the book, and information about the people involved in making the book. I highly suggest that both adults and the young readers at least browse this section, because the Minecraft tools and the Sketchnoting might be new or more complicated than either have fully explored in the past.  At the end of the book there is also a helpful glossary, connections between the projects in the book and classroom standards, resources for further research and exploration, and information about the authors. 

I really enjoy the fact that this book is not just for the kids, it is about tackling projects as a family or team. The directions are well done and understandable, and the photographs and screenshots were used well and labeled in a way that worked to enhance the instructions. I liked the secondary challenges and tidbits of information that were included in blocks within each challenge, as well as the notes of other things you can try or interesting things you can find online that relate to the projects at hand. While the missions and focus might not be a perfect fit for everyone, I think there is a large potental for finding the perfect (enthusiastic) audience for this book. 

Unofficial Minecraft STEM Lab for Kids is a great resource for getting our minecraft fans more interested in real world science, and our more hands on readers to delve into coding and computers. I think this is the best of both, getting any young scientist with even the vaguest notion of Minecraft to try some new experiments and activities. I am going to have to get my own paper copy for my soon to be middle-schooler and I to tackle over summer vacation. 

Book Review: Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner

Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner actually includes twenty-eight science projects and experiments to be done outside. The projects focus on Earth and the environment, plants and animals, rocks and minerals, and space, bringing science learning home and into the backyard. Young scientists can make a cave system and find out about underground rivers, construct a working model of tectonic plates and learn about earthquakes, build a telescope and look to the planets and stars, and more. The book includes clear step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. 

Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects is a well written and organized collection of experiments and activities. The instructions are easy to understand and paired with helpful photographs and labels that can assist young scientists in achieving success. I liked that the projects are divided into four groups, Nature Watch, World of Weather, Water Power, and Earth and Sky. This can help young readers focus on a subject matter that interests them most, or to supplement what they are learning at home or in school. Some of the projects are classics, or at least ones I have seen more than once before. However, a couple seemed new to me.  I loved that the templates were all included in one location at the end of the book, along with a glossary and index to make things even more clear and accessible. I am looking forward to trying out some of these projects with my own kids this summer, or letting them loose to try more independently in my yard.