Welcome to the Howloween Giveaway Hop hosted by The Kids Did It & The Mommy Island. Thanks to the sponsors, one of you can win these two STEM books for kids: Who Is a Scientist? by Laura Gehl and Odd Beasts by Laura Gehl, illus. by Gareth Lucas.
Who Is A Scientist?
by Laura Gehl
I received these books free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Who Is A Scientist?
October 5, 2021
$9.99 USD, $12.99 CAD
Juvenile Nonfiction / Science & Nature
Ages 4 to 9, Grades P to 3
32 pages
Learn about the professional and personal lives of fourteen scientists to emphasize that a scientist can be anyone!
Scientists work hard in the lab and in the field to make important discoveries. But who are they really?
It turns out they are just like us! Scientists can be any race. And any gender. They can wear lab coats, jeans, or even tutus. And they are people who love to fly drones, make art, and even eat French fries!
Meet fourteen phenomenal scientists who might just change the way you think about who a scientist is. They share their scientific work in fields like entomology, meteorology, paleontology, and engineering as well as other interesting facts about themselves and their hobbies.
An “if you like this, you’ll like that” flowchart in the back of the book helps students identify science careers they might be interested in. Scan a QR code at the end of the book for a video of the scientists introducing themselves!
My Review
Who is a Scientist? is a great book to get your kids familiar with the different branches of science. I think sometimes when we think “scientist”, we automatically think of someone in a white coat working in a lab. Sure, scientists do that, but many branches of science take scientists out of the lab and into the “real” world!
I love the human aspect in Who is a Scientist? since it allows kids a peek into each scientist’s life. Not only does your child get to see what they do for their jobs, they’ll see that scientists have hobbies and like junk food too! Your child will love reading about how each scientist applies their learning to benefit people. It’s not just about doing research! These scientists want to make a difference.
The back of the book has a QR code you can scan to “meet” the scientists in the book. I think this is a book that will appeal to all kids whether they’re interested in science or not!
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals
by Laura Gehl, illus. Gareth Lucas
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals
November 2, 2021
Board Book
$8.99 USD, $11.99 CAD
Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals
Ages 2 to 4
22 pages
Meet nature’s oddballs in this charming board book about some of the strangest animals in the world!
Barnyard animals—move over! Odd Beasts introduces babies and toddlers to more unusual species, including the glass frog with transparent skin and the pangolin—the only mammal with scales! Gentle rhyming verses provide the comforting repetition that little ones crave, even as their minds are opened to new and fascinating creatures from around the world.
At the end of the book, readers will find photographs of each animal, along with more detailed factual information. The eight animals featured are the pangolin, ocean sunfish, glass frog, anglerfish, long-horned orb-weaver spider, Eastern snake-necked turtle, bush baby, and giant jumping stick.
My review
Your little ones are going to love Odd Beasts! And you’ll love that it is a really sturdy board book! I know how kids love throwing books, toys, clothes, everything around, but you can trust your little one to handle this book alone.
Odd Beasts: Meet Nature’s Weirdest Animals has adorable drawings that will draw your child in. And with its simple text, they’ll soon memorize this book and “read” it to you. I love that the book has “weird” animals. There are a lot of books out there with farm animals, zoo animals, etc., but this one’s got a glass frog and pangolin! Along with the basic facts for your little ones, you can look at a photograph of each animal and some more facts in the back of the book.
I definitely think this is a book you should add to your toddler’s library!
About Laura Gehl
Laura Gehl is the author of 20 books for young readers, including One Big Pair of Underwear (Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, International Literacy Association Honor Book, Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice); the Peep and Egg series (Parents’ Choice Recommendation, Amazon Editors’ Pick, Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist); My Pillow Keeps Moving (Junior Library Guild selection, New York Public Library Best Books of 2018 selection); and I Got a Chicken for My Birthday (Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2018 selection).
Her recent picture book, Except When They Don’t, received a starred review from School Library Journal, and the fourth title in her Baby Scientist board book series, Baby Paleontologist, received a starred review from Kirkus.
Gehl lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children. Visit her online at lauragehl.com.
About Gareth Lucas
Gareth Lucas is an illustrator and designer living in Essex, England, with his wife and five children. After studying at Brighton and Central Saint Martin’s Art Schools, he has worked on a variety of projects but enjoys nothing more than illustrating animals, birds, and the natural world. When he is not working he can be heard indulging his other love—the banjo!
What a wonderful set of books here and my grandson would love these.
@tisonlyme143