Poetry, Art, and Science--Oh My!

We spent most of Saturday afternoon wandering through the IRA 2013 exhibit hall on a quest to discover more great science trade books. The good news is that we found plenty! Sadly, however, neither of us had enough room in our bags (Kristin continues to remind me that despite my 86 pounds of checked bags, thanks to Southwest, I had 14 pounds to spare!) to bring back all the incredible titles we ran across, though my book wish list is much longer. But, we did actually purchase a few stunning titles.

One of my favorite finds is the brand new Stripes of all Types, by Susan Stockdale. The illustrations of all sorts of animals in their habitats are bold and beautiful, and I was pleased to find both additional information about each of the animals and a note of gratitude to the scientists from the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History for their research support, thus giving credence to the the information contained within. However, it was the text that truly caught my eye.
 
The information is presented in rhyming verse like, "Propped on a log, poised on a leaf. Scaling a ridge, and scouting a reef," though only one sentence runs across most 2-page spreads. This layout makes the text appear easily accessible for younger readers, and though the illustrations do provide direct support for the reader, it is the author's choice of verbs that raises the text complexity.  As a result, this book is not only perfect for initiating a conversations about animal habitats and camouflage, but is also great for use as a mentor text for using strong verbs.  It is just so easy to picture 7- and 8-year-olds crowding around this book, re-reading it, exploring the pictures, and trying to match the boxes of various stripes at the back of the book with their corresponding animals.

Susan has authored and illustrated other colorful animal-oriented books in her distinctive style, and is already working on her next book about spotted animals. We can't wait to see it!