Special Collections
STEM/STEAM fun
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Get Moving with Science!
by Elsie OlsonDo you like to be on the move? These hands-on, not-so-ordinary science projects are for you! Build speedy motorboats and buzzing bots. Take off with zooming, high-flying rockets. Then, learn the science behind each amazingly mobile creation! Simple step-by-step instructions supported by clear photos make it easy to start experimenting and discover just how fun STEM can be.
Get Noisy with Science!
by Elsie OlsonReady to make some noise? These hands-on, not-so-ordinary science projects are for you! Design melodic musical instruments and squawking noisemakers. Turn up the bass with activities that let you see sound. Then, learn the science behind each rocking racket! Simple step-by-step instructions supported by clear photos make it easy to start experimenting and discover just how fun STEM can be.
Get Smelly with Science!
by Elsie OlsonReady to make a stink? These hands-on, not-so-ordinary science projects are for you! Mix up reeking stink bombs and sweet-smelling bubbles. Create artistic masterpieces with DIY scratch-and-sniff paint. Then, learn the science behind each outrageous odor! Simple step-by-step instructions supported by helpful photos make it easy to start experimenting and discover just how fun STEM can be.
Patient Zero
by Marilee PetersEngrossing true stories of the pioneers of epidemiology who risked their lives to find the source of deadly diseases. Throughout history, more people have died in disease epidemics than in wars or other disasters. The courageous, trail-blazing defenders against these diseases faced a terrifying personal gamble. Often they were ignored, laughed at, or even fired from their jobs. But they kept hunting for answers, putting the pieces of the epidemic puzzle together. As they looked for clues to the origin of a disease, scientists searched for the unknown “patient zero”—the first person to have contracted it. Patient Zero brilliantly brings to life the main characters and events to tell the gripping tale of how each of seven diseases spread. The result is spine-chilling as Peters follows the scientists who solved the intricate mystery of the killer epidemics. Patient Zero reminds us that millions of people owe their lives to the work of these pioneer epidemiologists, work that continues to this day.
The Botany of Desire Young Readers Edition
by Michael PollanBy the bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, this is Michael Pollan's ingenious companion book about the surprising and close relationship between people and plants.In this entertaining young readers edition of the environmental studies classic, Michael Pollan demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a reciprocal relationship. He links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, energy, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, coffee, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind&’s most basic yearnings. And just as we&’ve benefited from these plants, we have also helped them to thrive.The Botany of Desire is perfect for STEM-focused young readers who want to learn more about:human history, biology, and environmentalismclimate change and its impact on our relationship with plantsgardening and the human-plant relationship
Bird Detectives
by Kristine RiversBirds and planes don’t always get along. What can we do to help? Enter the world of forensic ornithology in this investigative nonfiction title created with the Smithsonian Institution and the Division of Birds at the National Museum of Natural History. Discover the fascinating work of leading ornithologists—"bird detectives” who use science and technology to solve bird strikes and other bird mysteries. They examine evidence from clues like feathers and snarge—pilot slang for what’s left behind after a bird strike—and create solutions to save our feathered friends and protect people and planes in flight. Discover how the study of birds shapes our world, from inspiring aviation and airfield design to increasing safety in the skies. Full of photos, case studies, fun facts, and interactive elements, this STEM exploration reveals a fascinating field of science to kids.
Discovering Nature's Laws
by Laura Purdie SalasSir Isaac Newton changed the world with his many discoveries and inventions about mathematics, science, optics, and physics. Although he was brilliant, Newton felt no need to publish his ideas or to inform his fellow scientists of the amazing discoveries he made. Because of this, his discoveries were often disputed. Despite the controversy that often surrounded him, Newton made astounding advances in his efforts to understand how nature worked. His legacy lives on through inventions such as microscopes, eyeglasses, telescopes, and cameras.
The Everything STEM Handbook
by Rihab SawahProjects and experiments to inspire and challenge your kids!The STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) are top education priorities in the United States--and they are growing fields with a high demand for jobs. If you want to make sure your children are prepared for the future in these fields, here's how you can help: Make it fun! Expose them to hands-on, real-world, and fun activities so they'll become engaged, motivated, and successful students later on.Look inside for ideas and activities to stimulate your child's interest in these fascinating subjects, including:Racing juice cansSetting up a circuitObserving potato osmosisBuilding a mousetrap race carCreating a Cartesian treasure mapGoing on a geometry scavenger huntBuilding a bridgeExploring food chemistryWith easy-to-understand examples, problem-solving tips, and hands-on projects your family can create together, this guide gives you the tools you need to help your kids excel and foster a lifetime love of learning.
Search for a Giant Squid
by Amy Seto ForresterA new and exciting pick-your-path STEM adventure for emerging readers!This series starter takes emerging readers on an expedition to the ocean's twilight zone in search of a giant squid. But giant squids are hard to find. Readers will need to join the expedition and help make choices along the way. First they'll pick their submersible. And then their pilot and dive site. They'll need to be careful—not every path leads where it seems, but whatever path they pick, they';ll see and learn amazing things!SPARKS INTEREST IN STEM: This introduction to the career of marine zoologist, and the other members of a deep-sea expedition, lets readers dip their toes into being a teuthologist—a scientist who studies cephalopods such as octopus and squid. ENTERTAINS WHILE IT EDUCATES: Each possible path leads to a different outcome, so readers learn new facts about scientific expeditions and marine life as they explore the deep seas in search of the elusive giant squid.COMIC BOOK APPEAL: The bright, graphic-paneled imagery will entice kids drawn to comic books, while also making the abundance of information accessible even for the most reluctant reader.A DEEPER STEM DIVE: Teaches not just about giant squid, but about the many people needed to undertake a scientific expedition.INCLUSIVE APPROACH: Research shows children need to "see it to be it." The images in the book showcase a broader range of inclusivity than many STEM titles.THE FIRST IN A SERIES: Watch for the next choose-your-own-path book, all about mushrooms and mycology: the study of fungi!Perfect for:Emerging readers with an interest in STEM, ocean animals, and squids!Excellent resource for teachers, librarians, and homeschool educators to explore science, travel, and career topicsFans of other pick-your-path type books, National Geographic kids' books, and the Magic Tree House and Who Would Win book seriesBirthday, holiday, or summer break gift for boys and girls who love adventure books, animal books, and stories about the kraken and other sea monsters
Vega's Piece of the Sky
by Jennifer TorresA meteorite comes crashing down on the lives of three middle schoolers changing everything they know about family, friendships, and community in this charming and heartfelt novel with a light STEM touch. The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero&’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it&’s exactly the treasure she&’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata's medical expenses. Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she's not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey. Together, this ragtag group will battle against coyotes, a flood, and scorpions. But what they will ultimately discover is that no treasure is big enough to prevent unwelcome change. Only family and friends can help weather the unexpected that life brings.
Keep It Simple, Rapunzel!
by Thomas Kingsley TroupeEscaping from a tall tower using one's hair is SO fairy-tale old school. THIS STEM-smart Rapunzel uses the brain beneath her hair to educate her prince (and readers) on the ways the science of simple machines can save the day. A glossary and critical thinking questions reinforce the story's key physics concepts.
How to Hear the Universe
by Patricia ValdezDiscover new realms of outer space in this picture book biography of scientist Gabriela Gonzalez, who immigrated to America and became a ground-breaking scientist. Written by a molecular biologist and illustrated by an award-winning artist, this stunning picture book explores science, space, and history.In 1916, Albert Einstein had a theory. He thought that somewhere out in the universe, there were collisions in space. These collisions could cause little sound waves in the fabric of space-time that might carry many secrets of the distant universe. But it was only a theory. He could not prove it in his lifetime.Many years later, an immigrant scientist named Gabriela Gonzalez asked the same questions. Armed with modern technology, she joined a team of physicists who set out to prove Einstein's theory. At first, there was nothing. But then... they heard a sound. Gabriela and her team examined, and measured, and re-measured until they were sure. Completing the work that Albert Einstein had begun 100 years earlier, Gonzalez broke ground for new space-time research. In a fascinating picture book that covers 100 years, 2 pioneering scientists, and 1 trailblazing discovery, Patricia Valdez sheds light on a little known but extraordinary story.