Big new titles perfect for the littles.
It’s the last day of May, so it’s almost the last day of school, too! But summertime doesn’t have to mean an end to learning; it just means learning can be done purely for its own sake now — with no grades attached. And if it’s fun and engaging? All the better. Here are three recent or forthcoming titles that are so entertaining, your kids won’t suspect they’re being taught anything.
Inner Workings: The Extraordinary Insides of Ordinary Things by Peter Hinckley (author) and Olga Zakharova (illustrator) (Bushel & Peck Books). Did you ever wonder what goes on inside everything from a beehive and an ant colony to a coffee maker and an air-hockey table? Find out in this lushly illustrated, STEM-forward book filled with fascinating facts and figures about the intricacies of everyday items. It may be just the thing to spark the curiosity of a budding Einstein!
Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard" by Aimee Bissonette (author) and David Hohn (illustrator) (Sleeping Bear Press). “Hallie Morse Daggett never feared the forest. Certainly not! She hiked among the tall trees of California’s Siskiyou Mountains, listened for the calls of familiar birds, and looked for signs of wildlife.” And when the real-life Hallie grew up? This brave, determined woman wouldn’t take “no” for an answer when told that only men could work for the Forest Service! After all, who knew more about the world of Siskiyou than Hallie?
The Secret Life of the Sloth by Laurence Pringle (author) and Kate Garchinsky (illustrator) (Boyds Mills Press). “Perezoso is hungry, but she can’t see very well. So she uses her keen sense of smell to find food. She sniffs the air to find her favorite kinds of trees, with their tasty leaves, twigs, buds, and fruits. Sometimes she eats flowers.” It turns out that the slow-moving sloth is a true master of her rainforest environment, perfectly adapted to living — and thriving — high in the treetops!
