Sara Levine (2)Recensioni

This teaches about how different teeth do different jobs, while providing kids all kinds of zany pictures to enjoy (I mean, what’s not to love about a kid with walrus tusks?).

Oh how I wish I had been able to use this book in a live storytime setting. It's a fascinating nonfiction books about using colors to communicate. I think kiddos would learn so many facts and tidbits! I learned stuff!!! Discovering that red flowers mostly attract birds makes sense (think hummingbird food!). And yellow attracts bees.......

Again, this fuels the "make nonfiction fun" trend!

A Peek at Beaks
Tools Birds Use
by Sara Levine
Lerner Publishing Group
Millbrook Press ™

Birds, beaks, and how they use them! So many types of beaks and this explains in a fun way how each type of beak is used by what birds! What birds use a net? What uses a jackhammer? What about a strainer?

The birds are illustrated adorably and identified in each category. With the explanation on why the beaks are used for each category, it will be easy for the young reader to remember. Educational and entertaining!

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book of birds and beaks!

*If you would like to see the pictures associated with this post, please refer to the original blog post. Thanks!

A Peek at Beaks was a quick read that we mostly enjoyed. The illustrations were lovely, and I thought it was clever of them to have the reader guess which birds had certain beaks by using silhouettes with actual tools for their bills. The kids had a lot of fun guessing which birds might use each tool, and it was a creative way to get them involved in the story.

However, I do think it would have been better if the silhouettes had actually resembled the birds they were supposed to be depicting, but all of the shadow shapes looked exactly the same. It made it hard for my kiddos to correctly guess which birds were being discussed, because they were only trying to think of birds that resembled the silhouettes and not necessarily which birds had those specific "tools" for a beak.

A wonderful concept that I wish had been executed better.

I also disliked the fonts that were used and thought they were distracting. I know that's a personal preference, but I don't feel like they complimented the story or the illustrations. In fact, I would say they hurt both. Would a child notice or care? Probably not. Although, I do think different fonts would improve the overall aesthetic of the book.

Something else that slightly grated on my nerves: the double identifications and repeated information. The author lists which other birds have similar tools for beaks, and the illustrator includes drawings of them with labels attached. I feel like only one is necessary. Additionally, I wish the information being shared felt more like a story and less like a lesson. I understand the author is sharing facts, but there has to be a more entertaining way to present them. I felt like I was reading dictionary definitions and not fun facts about birds. (★★★☆☆)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

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Fun and informative book about all teeth and their functions. The book gave fun facts about teeth and taught us about each individual tooth.

I think this book would be super fun for lower elementary students to read during a science lesson. This book takes you through how flowers communicate with you through what color they are. Some colors tell you what kind of flower they are while other colors tell you who they provide for (like birds and bees). This book brings interesting nature information in a fun and bright way.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley.
This is the second book I read from that site.
Very colorful and informative, but I wish it's written longer.

Asks readers to imagine what animal they would be if their eyes were a certain way: on the ends of antennae, on the sides of their head, with pupils shaped like a W. After revealing each animal, the book describes how that animal's eyes work or what they are able to see.

This book is narrated by a cactus that is a little bit grumpy but also very cute. He is letting the reader in on the secrets of flowers. These secrets have to do with what flowers are saying because humans have silly beliefs about what flowers are saying. This cactus is here to set the record straight. I like this book because of how the narrative is written. It does a good job pulling the reader in and making you want to keep reading. I would use this book when talking about either pollinators or flowers.

This is a great book for younger grades because of the language and humor of the book. It is very playful, as well as a little bit sarcastic, but at the same time informational and there's a lot to learn. It is about a flower "talking" to the kids, or readers explaining the importance of flower colors and what they are for specifically. The flower talks about how the colors are important to specific animals or bugs and the importance of each color. I think that This would be great to implement in a lesson being taught on flower growth because not only are you learning how flowers grow, but the importance of flowers.

It was a good read-aloud possibly as it had a question on the right-hand page and you had to flip to find out why it had which set of teeth. It gave lots of vocabulary about tooth names and what the purpose of size and number of each of those types of teeth would be. The glossary in the back could be helpful if a student was reading it on their own. I could also see if this was a class read0aloud, creating our own vocabulary list would be beneficial. I tried to find an easier read for maybe younger students or just a good read-aloud in general. The book was fine, it could be engaging if you make it engaging but it doesn't quite carry itself.

"We sit here growing, minding our own business while you guys go on about how red roses stand for love and white ones are good for weddings and all kinds of mushy, ridiculous stuff. What a load of fertilizer!"

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I loved this! We loved this! You'll love this (at least I hope you will)! Flower Talk was funny, witty, and educational. The narrator is the purple cactus you see on the cover, and the kiddos and I enjoyed its grumpy, straightforward attitude. I laughed! We laughed! You'll laugh (at least I hope you will)!

Flower Talk is a story about plants and how they survive. It talks about pollination, how a flower's coloring attracts certain insects, and what those insects do to ensure their survival. Butterflies are more likely to land on this color, while bees prefer that one, and flies are (unsurprisingly) attracted to the flowers that smell terrible.

"The flower gets pollen, but the fly gets nothing. The only rotten thing around here is the deal."

This may be a children's book, but I immediately wanted a copy for myself our shelves! We've read it many, many times now, and it's quickly becoming a bedtime favorite -- especially with the amazing illustrations! The pictures grab your attention and make it really hard to turn the page.

Flower Talk is the whole package: a fantastic story with wonderful illustrations and a little education on the side (there's additional information at the end that's pretty great, too).

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on February 9, 2019.

This book teaches young children about teeth. They learn about mammal teeth, what they are used for and which animals have various teeth. They also learn what they call animals that eat certain types of food (herbivores, omnivores, carnivores). It does touch upon reptiles and fish but just at the end, the book is basically about mammals. The illustrations are amazing. The colourful, detailed pictures will pull in the curious reader, especially the boys who like yucky, weird stuff. The book is not boring with just facts, it is told in a fun, engaging way. The author also includes additional resources and websites at the end.

I would recommend this book for primary students (4 to 8) especially when they are learning about the body and its jobs as well as about animals.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book for dinosaur lovers. The book uses fossils and bones to compare dinosaurs to humans and show what they have in common. The illustrations are cute when they add bones to a child, then show the dinosaur that matches. The book asks questions to get the reader or listener thinking about bones, fossils and what they know about dinosaurs. A good addition to a school, class, public or family library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Flower Talk by Sarah Levine is a cute read that teaches kids about the wonder of flower communication. The narrator is an adorably grumpy cactus who takes the reader through the pollination process. Next up is flower colours, and who they are communicating with. There are lots of neat facts in this short read! Like bees can't see red. How cool is that! My cubs and I read this together and we all enjoyed it. A great addition to any nature-loving child's library, or for use in classrooms. Recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Lerner Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 1-3

Plot Summary: This informational book starts by explaining the three types of teeth humans have, including incisors, canine, and molars. Next, the book explains how different animals have different kinds of teeth enlarged through questions such as "What kind of animal would you be if [the incisors] were long enough to stick out of your mouth, even when it was closed?" About 5-8 animals are shared as the answer and more details are given.

Recurring Themes: teeth, animals, humans vs. animals, omnivore, herbivore, carnivore

Personal Thoughts: I really liked the format of this book. I liked that the answers were supplemented by footnotes and more information. I certainly learned a few things too, like all animals have the same kinds of teeth it's just some are bigger than others.

Genre: Informational, Q&A

Pacing:
Characters:
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:½

The story starts out by asking if you can imagine being a dinosaur and what would you look like. The story talks about how different we are and how alike we are on the inside. We both have bones that are very similar. The dinosaurs described go from a Triceratops to a T-Rex. This would be a good read aloud book for a small group. There are clues given about each dinosaur and the children have to guess what dinosaur is being described. I would recommend this for fans of dinosaur books. The only thing I would have liked to see is a pronunciation guide underneath each word to make it easier to sound out. The illustrations are life like and colorful.

This would be an absolutely wonderful book to use as a read aloud with a younger group of students. The title describes the book perfectly, it is comparing fangs, tusks, and chompers. It begins discussing the teeth that a child has in their mouth (if the tooth fairy hasn't recently visited). This would be a fun time for children to look in a mirror and see the differences between their incisors, canines, and molars. This book would be a great read aloud because it shows the teeth of the animal before it reveals the animal, asking "What kind of animal would you be if they were long enough to stick out of your mouth, even when it's closed?" This could create a conversation between elbow partners or the whole class, when you turn the page it says, "A beaver or a squirrel or a rabbit!*" The asterisk at the end points to another spot on the page that lists other animals with the same teeth. On this page, in particular, it has a picture of a beaver, gives a description of what type of animals have these teeth (herbivores) and the page also shows a skull so that we can see the teeth in comparison to the other teeth the animal has. Very fun book with great scientific terms and detailed pictures.

I think it would be a great resource to use when teaching about the characteristics of mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and teeth in general.

A great book on bones and what they do! Also is a fun way to talk about animals and recognize their bone structure. Has question and answering that includes "What If" statements to allow students to comprehend information in the book and engage kids on reading!

Summary:
It about comparing humans to other vertebrates. It points out the similarities and differences by imagining how we'd look with added bones in our spine. It shows many different imaginary ways we could look if we had the other bones.

Personal Reaction:
Thought the book was so cute. It was a very neat way to understand the bone structures in different things. It was a very entertaining book to read.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Have the students use tooth picks and pipe cleaners and make their own version.
2. Have them draw a picture of what they would look like if they added more bone structure.

TOOTH BY TOOTH: COMPARING FANGS, TUSKS, AND CHOMPERS by Sara Levine is a fun follow-up to the popular Bone by Bone.

This informational picture book designed for the primary grades introduces readers to the teeth of mammals. Taking a question-and-answer approach, children are asked to look at their own teeth, then think about the teeth of other creatures including dogs, cats, and bears.

T.S. Spookytooth’s illustrations add to the fun, but they also contribute to the high-quality learning experience.

Information about animal adaptations adds depth to the text. The book includes additional facts, a glossary, bibliography, and online resources.

Librarians will find the humorous approach will appeal to young readers who enjoy informational reading. Use this book as the focus of a dental health display that includes nonfiction works along with models of teeth.

Published by Lerner Publishing Group on March 1, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.