Nicholas Harris

This is such a fun book to read! It is not a narrative, however, it is not written as a narrative text, but each page holds new facts about different creatures. The illustrations in this book are one of the best parts! Some of the pages have illustrations that stretch across from the left page all the way to the right page. Underneath the illustration, the author has included how long the animals are. Some examples from this book are water bears and Feather-Winged Beatles. This would be a show more great way to integrate nature into a lesson. I also could see that I may have future students who are particularly interested by crawly creatures. This book would definitely be an interest for them. I chose to read this book because it is one that I would not normally be drawn towards. However, in reading it, I learned so much that I had never heard of before! This book would be a great to include in an earth science unit. show less

This large format book covers each of the planets and a few other space items, such as asteroids, comets, constellations, and space travel. The layout is pleasing and packs a lot on each page without being busy.

The atlas was published in 2004 (before Pluto's demotion), but helpfully notes that Pluto's small size makes many scientists doubt its status as a planet. This could spark a good classroom discussion about critical reading of science texts. The atlas would be a great recommendation show more to a second or third grader starting to learn about research, or just pleasure reading for kids interested in science. show less

Focusing on bioluminescence, this is a really fun interactive book for the kids, though I'm not sure how much of the glowing is really true to life. I do like how the book explains the larger picture of ocean floor topography. They illustrated and explained that well.
It will really help your children to understand bioluminescence. We used it in conjunction with a Blue Planet Deep Seas DVD from NetFlix

This book about volcanoes was great because it showed, in an educational way, the type of damage a volcano can to do a civilization. It focused on Mt. Vesuvius and the city of Pompeii. It showed the stages of the city being built and the rise of action of the volcano. After the volcano erupted, the illustrator showed the carnage that unfolded upon the city between ash and debris. I think this book would be a great resource for an earth science and/or history lesson!