In case you missed it, I was a featured author on Patricia Newman's "LitLinks" blog this past October. LitLinks is a terrific weekly blog that pairs STEM books with hands-on classroom lessons.
   Check it out for a step-by-step guide on creating an iridescence effect that mimics the blue morpho butterfly. All it takes is paper, a shallow bowl of water, and a single drop of clear nail polish to create a thin-film reflector!

   And for a microscopic look at 11 super-small animal features, get your hands on a copy of SMALL MATTERS: THE HIDDEN POWER OF THE UNSEEN. Introduce kids to scanning electron microscopes AND newly discovered microscopic animal features--all in one lyrical, photo-illustrated book.

a scare
            a skull
                        a skeleton
                                    I clatter down the street
 
a creep
            a crawl
                        a caterwaul
                                    I’m knocking for a treat
 
a rant
            a rave
                        an open grave
                                    I wear a scary mask
 
a trick
            a treat
                        a something sweet
                                    I TAKE! (and NEVER ask)
 
a bugaboo
            a witch’s brew
                        the treat I took is cursed…
 
a salty lick
            a yuck
                        an ick
                                    my brother is the WORST!
 
a snore
            a sleep
                        a sneaky peek
                                    a tippy-toe attack
 
a spider…
            SCREAM!
                        its Halloween
                                    and—yep!—I got him back

Valentine’s day is on the way.
 I'm curious…
             what do you love?
 
If you are a cozy nest, do you love
             the dove?
 
If you are a lion keeper, do you love
             the zoo?
 
If you are the sky, do you adore
             the color blue?
 
Here’s one thing I know for certain. I love…
             YOU!
 
Scientists of every kind, of course, love
             curiosity.
 
Every speedy racecar driver has to love
             velocity.
 
Astronomers with telescopes adore
             the distant stars.
 
Of course if you’re a Martian, you must love
             the planet Mars.
 
Don’t you think it’s likely that a cow might love
             to moo?
 
(Here’s a heart-shaped Valentine, especially made
             for you!)
 
If you are a teacher, you for sure love
             learners learning!
 
If you’re a librarian, you love
             pages turning.
 
A diving oceanographer adores
             the deep, dark sea!
 
An astronaut in outer space is fond of
             gravity!
 
I’ve told you who I love the most.
             (Do you love me?)
 
A Valentine has just arrived!
             (I think it holds my answer.)
 
Like day loves sun,
             like snow loves cold,
                         like music loves the dancer,
 
like grass loves green,
             like hats love heads,
                         like branches love their tree,
 
now I know without a doubt--you love
             ME!

TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE takes young readers on a fast-paced counting adventure that's sure to engage...and make numbers fun. In this one-to-ten and back again escapade, a runaway dog hooks up with one buddy after another in a canine transportation fest--clueless to the fact that the disapproving family cat is in hot pursuit.

The action escalates as the dogs up the ante, switching from a trike to a scooter to a bike to a trolley and so on. Fur and ears fly in the wind (and plenty of pizza is eaten) as the dogs zoom along--no two of them alike.

    Deborah Underwood pulls out all the rhyming stops in her newest book creation, Ogilvy.
     In a town where every-bunny wears either a sweater or a dress, Ogilvy wears a favorite garment that's simultaneously neither and both.
     This book is perfectly on-point with rhyme and kid-appeal, and it seamlessly layers in the broader topic of gender classification with a subtle and lighthearted touch.
     And man, is it ever cute! Just check out adorable Ogilvy, the book's namesake, on the cover.

   Here's a beautiful book that respects the timeless nature of childhood. As Jamie "makes" by the sea, people come and go. They ask questions, pass judgements, and expect her to name, classify, and justify her creation. How Jamie feels about this is all conveyed in Matt Myers' art. Her expressions and body language tell us everything. No words needed.

   Wow! I wasn't expecting this book about the Alvin deep-sea submersible to be such a lyrical read.
   Fascinating and well-researched scientific content is presented within the framework of a journey to the ocean floor and back. The book does a great job of making the reader feel present and active—this is not just a read, but an experience, with sensory details that engage, involve, and surprise.

     I felt like a kid in a candy store yesterday when I finally made it to a library, one town over, that has a better selection of new picture books than my town and found this absolute gem, The Silence Slips In, from the Canadian house Orca Book Publishers.
   In this story, “Silence” is portrayed as an entity that moves through our lives in soothing ways and can be called upon when needed, to calm us.
    Here’s one of my favorite lines: “The Silence holds you in its safe, soothing arms and lulls you to sleep. And gently, softly launches all the boats of your dreams.”