How Things Work: In The Yard

by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Award-winning author and illustrator Lisa Campbell Ernst takes a closer look at the great outdoors as she celebrates young children's inquisitiveness about the world around them. Ernst describes the inner workings of acorns, bubbles, puddles, ants, wagons, clouds, and birds in detailed, yet easy-to-understand language. Her meticulous and cleverly labeled drawings inventively illustrate the functioning of everyday objects.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Childrens, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2011

About the author

Lisa Campbell Ernst was born in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in 1957. She received a Bachelor's degree in art from the University of Oklahoma, and then won an internship as a guest editor for Mademoiselle Magazine in New York City. She has written and illustrated over twenty picture books including Stella Louella's Runaway Book, which won the Children's Choice Award in Kansas, and Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt.

Reviews

[Stephanie Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book How Things Work: In The Yard is a book written about all sorts of things that could be found in a yard and how they work. The author defines each item, gives examples of how it may be used, and even gives tips on each item.
I really enjoyed reading this book because each page had not only text but also labeled diagrams which I thought was really cool. This is an easy book to learn from in a way that doesn’t feel like learning. You could use this book in a class to create a class book of how things work in the classroom so younger students can understand what certain supplies are for.

[Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A curious mind would love this book! I absolutely love the question and answer method to give the reader insight! This book was well thought out and I love the illustrations as well. It’s a very fun informational book that is both interesting as well as informative! This is a book that all teachers need in their classrooms for this curious students!

[Annburnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this book. It tells about the butterfly, bubbles, pebbles,dandelions and such that you find in the yard.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short kids book with some facts about things commonly found in the yard, especially about how they work! Great book for kids that like nonfiction!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art in this book makes me happy to be alive!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Not a group read aloud - more like a visual dictionary set-up.

[Anna Hernandez]

This book answers lots of questions about how things in nature work together to take care of each other throughout all the seasons of the year. It especially refers to things that are found in everyone’s yard. This explains lots about things that are very familiar to most children.
This book is very relatable for everyone. It was informative and I learned things I did not know about things I see every day in my own yard. This book has a lot of information, but it is not too hard to read. Even though it has illustrations, this book contains many text features that are important for nonfiction books.
I would use this book as a read aloud to discuss in the classroom. It could also be used to teach about life cycles, seasons, and patterns in Science. I would add it to a reading center, so students could examine it more closely on their own.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cool but simple nonfiction book. Lisa Campbell Ernst creates simple, collage-style examples of all kinds of things you might find in a yard. She defines them, gives examples, provides cool tips, and shares fun ideas. Each page includes text boxes, labeled diagrams, and plenty of visual interest.

Teaching ideas: It is so easy to see how this could be used to inspire a class book. How Things Work in School or the Classroom, or the Media Center... So many great ways to use this book!

I'm certain that preschool students would enjoy this book and it's appropriate for use with lower elementary students as well.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful cut paper illustrations and clear information make this a real nonfiction standout. Dirt, acorns, butterflies, or dandelions, How Things Work in the Yard covers the things kids might encounter when out of doors. Short bursts of text keep things lively as diagrams point out important facts. More well suited for pleasure reading, kids with a thing for the natural world will be glad they picked this book up. -TJ

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple explanations of how things work and the science behind everyday things like bird nests, wheels, and insects. Straightforward enough for preschoolers, but interesting enough for school-agers. Neat little facts sprinkled throughout, as well as a bit of humor.

Would make a nice gift for a young nature-lover or outdoorsman. The book is illustrated and bound like a field guide.

[Sarah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the layout of this book and the collage like feel. It'd be a great tool in teaching children how to label drawings. It has short explanation of how different things and animals in the yard work as well as some fun advice (Puddles work best when jumped in).

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the collage illustrations. And it was interesting.

Just ... it felt a little discombobulated to me. Like some of the items were just thrown in there. And the descriptions were not very detailed. This is surface level how things work.

But I still love the illustrations. ;]

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Award-winning, best-selling author and illustrator Lisa Campbell Ernst’s newest book celebrates young children’s inquisitiveness about the world around them—and, specifically, the things found in any yard.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent nonfiction book for toddlers. I hope more are created like this!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for the budding naturalist with lots of questions.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat little nonfiction book. Lots of labels

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

MIght make a great mentor text for informational reports. There is another How Things Work: In the House.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think it is amazing nonfiction for younger kids. Great collage illustrations! Excited that there is another book!

[Hgf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the paper illustrations. Just enough pictures to keep kids interested. M. F. 8 yrs.

[April Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book felt a lot like one of my favorite podcasts, Stuff You Should Know, and I found it very practical and interesting. This would be a great nonfiction book for your lower level science classes or for a gardening unit.