Early Book Review: Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle by Erica Fyvie, Bill Slavin

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a non fiction children's book written by Erica Fyvie and illustrated by Bill Slavin. It is currently scheduled for release on April 3 2018.

All the “stuff” that surrounds us has a life cycle: materials are harvested, the stuff is made and distributed, it's consumed and then it gets trashed or recycled. Using the typical contents of a child's school backpack (defined as water, food, clothing, paper, plastic, metals, electronics), this book explores those stages in detail, including lots of ways to reduce, reuse or recycle waste along the way. Children will gain new insight into the routine decisions they make about their own consuming and trashing or recycling practices. For example: How long does it take for a cotton T-shirt to decompose in a landfill? Can a bike helmet be made from recyclable materials? Which is better for the Earth, wrapping a sandwich in aluminum foil or plastic? By learning to use critical thinking skills to make informed choices, children will feel empowered by the important, constructive role they can play in the future health of the planet. It includes a glossary, resources, bibliography and index.

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a solid explanation of how things are made, disposed of, and or recycled. Making the information more accessible, it is all related to the items a reader in the target audience might carry around with them in their school backpack. This makes it a little more interesting and relevant to their day to day life, so it is more likely they will want to learn the information and hopefully retain it. The use of every day objects in the explanations brings it all home. I like that the information is well organized; complete with info graphics, charts, and sidebars. I also like that the information is followed by how these processes impact the world around us, and how readers can effect change in big or small was with the choices they make. Empowering them to take action rather than just leaving them feeling lectured or blamed for the things they might have done in the past. I will say that the feel of the book was a little textbook like- for some reason the cover and set up reminded me of some of the older classroom books that get read as assigned, but not looked for otherwise. I think that would be a shame with this book, since it is so well done, but can see some students passing it by for that reason. However, in the same vein it could be a perfect go-to resource for elementary science and social studies classrooms.

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle is a straightforward and accessible guide for young readers. The explanations of the cycle of  waste-including water, paper, food, plastic and more challenging types of materials. 

Book Review: Geology Lab for Kids: 52 Projects to Explore Rocks, Gems, Geodes, Crystals, Fossils, and Other Wonders of the Earth's Surface by Garret Romaine

Geology Lab for Kids: 52 Projects to Explore Rocks, Gems, Geodes, Crystals, Fossils, and Other Wonders of the Earth's Surface by Garret Romaine is a non fiction book for middle grade readers. It features 52 simple, inexpensive, and fun experiments that explore the Earth’s surface, structure, and processes. This family  and classroom friendly guide explores the wonders of geology, such as the formation of crystals and fossils, the layers of the Earth’s crust, and how water shapes mountains, valleys, and canyons. The book leaves no excuses for boredom as it contains a year’s worth of captivating STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) activities.

Geology Lab for Kids is a great resource for classrooms, homeschooling families, and kids that just love science and experiments. The photography and explanations of the experiments are very well done, accessible to young readers and the adults by their side. In the book there is information that will help readers identify the most common rocks and minerals, maintain and display a rock collection, understand insects are trapped and preserved in amber, understand how geysers and volcanoes form and erupt, understand how layers of rock reveal a record of time, and how to pan for gold like a real prospector. The activities are creative and fun, including some edible (and plenty on inedible) experiments and projects. I think that this is a perfect resource for getting children excited and engaged in science. 

Book Review: How To Be A Scientist by Steve Mould

How To Be A Scientist by Steve Mould offers readers a bold and playful approach to science that makes the subject relevant to kids and encourages them to discover it in the real world with more than 40 fun questions, science games, and real-life scenarios. It tackles questions that children have such as; Why does mold grow? Why is the sea salty? and What makes day and night? The book helps them learn how to think like a scientist and look at the world to figure out how science works. More than 40 simple activities have undetermined answers, encouraging curious young readers to find new ways to test ideas, and fun questions, games, and real-life scenarios make scientific concepts fun and relevant. The stories of the great scientists and their discoveries—and failures—are told in an entertaining way to provide even further inspiration for little budding scientists.

How To Be A Scientist is exactly what I expect from DK. It is well written and organized, accessible to young readers and with bright, colorful images that enhance the text. THe diagrams, photographs, and varied page layouts keep readers from getting bored, and if everything goes right, will get them a little more excited about science. While the book does list facts about famous scientists, it pairs that information with experiments to balance out the learning experience with some hands on options. There is plenty of information within these pages, but it is well balanced with the photographs, diagrams, and info boxes in a way that is engaging and easy to understand. It hits the balance of learning, fun, and activities pretty much perfectly. The book is well organized, allowing readers to focus on a single subject at a time if that is what they want.  The beginning of the book features instructions on how to use the book, the types of tools and materials you may need, and then breaking down the concepts explored into categories such as the Natural world, chemistry, and so on. 

How To Be A Scientist is a book that will appeal to a wide age range, and will encourage children (and their parents and teachers) to do some more research and some science on their own. 

Book Review: Out of the Box by Jemma Westing

Out of the Box by Jemma Westing includes twenty-five interactive cardboard model projects that will encourage kids' creativity and "out of the box" thinking skills through hands-on learning and the application of science-based principles. Kids can bring old cardboard to life and build recycled creations they can play with, sit in, or wear. From small-scale gifts to large constructions there are clear, step-by-step instructions to show kids how to make dinosaurs, masks, race cars, and so much more. There are also images and ideas to encourage them to make their own unique projects when they feel ready. Each of the projects use recycled materials, including cardboard rolls and boxes, so all the supplies should be easy to find right at home.

Out of the Box is a well written group project instructions and inspirations for making a wide variety of creations with common cardboard objects we all are likely to have around the house. The additional supplies, such as glue sticks, scissors, markers, duct tape and the like are also things that many of us have on hand. Even if you do not have every tool that the instructions use throughout the book, there are certainly some projects that will require no shopping. The projects include games, animals, wearable masks,  ships, a 'cityscape', things for pets, and more. Even though I am an 'adult' I still want to try out some of these projects. So I work in a school and I will find a way to make it about the kids, but I want them for me- they are just a good excuse. I found the instructions to be understandable and easy to follow, although some of the projects are significantly more difficult than others. The photographs that accompany each project are helpful and clear.  One of my favorite things about the book was the inclusion of "Try This" ideas which encourages kids to take their projects to the next level, and to truly make it all their own.

Out of the Box is a wonderful addition to school, public, and personal libraries. While it is a wonderful jumping off point for organized or personal crafts (i.e. makerspace, classroom, storytimes, homeschooling) it would also be a great resource for anyone that likes to build and create. I will be trying to get a copy for my school library for next year.