Droughts

Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2

by Melissa Stewart, André Ceolin (Illustrator)

The earth—and everything on it—needs water. But lately, it’s been unusually sunny, warm, and dry. The weather anchor announces that your area is experiencing a drought! Where do droughts happen? How do we know that we are in a drought? Why is rainfall important? Do droughts just affect people? Can scientists keep track of rainfall? Read and find out!

This book is full of activities, like how to measure rainfall, how to visualize how much of the world’s water is freshwater, and how to create a cloud in a jar. It’s also full of graphic features perfect for visual learners, like a diagram of the water cycle,  and rich vocabulary bolded throughout the text, with a glossary.

This is a Level 2 Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science title, which means the book explores more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) standards. Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Environment, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 180 science and nature books for children. She offers a wide range of programs for schools, libraries, nature centers, and conferences. www.melissa-stewart.com"

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- This is a nicely presented science book that capably explains the concept of droughts to a grade school age audience. The illustrations are surprisingly pretty and well-done--it seems that artwork quality often takes a backseat in other juvenile nonfiction books.

Science experiments are presented in sidebars, which would make DROUGHTS especially suitable as a classroom resource. The importance of planning ahead for drought conditions, as well as not wasting water resources, are emphasized throughout the text.

However, I'm docking this otherwise excellent book half a star for the lapse in judgement displayed on its final page. The text reads, "if we use water wisely, droughts will cause fewer problems in the future," as a family is shown sitting around a dinner table. Our attention is supposed to be drawn to the covered-up, unfilled pool in their backyard. However, what immediately caught my eye was that each family member had a sizable piece of meat on his or her plate. The livestock industry is an incredible user of water, at levels that put individuals' showers and backyard pools to shame. If we really care about reducing water waste and the effects of droughts, we need to look at our plates, too. Nowhere among the water-saving tips are food choices mentioned, however.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Droughts is a useful science book in the “Let’s Read and Find Out” series. Melissa Sweet’s primary narrative text explains the science behind droughts in clear, straightforward language. The human touch comes through the warm Andre’ Ceolin illustrations showing children and adults dealing with various stages of drought, as well as taking steps to conserve water. The vocabulary and syntax in the sidebars and back matter is slightly more complex than the rest. This is fine because adults are more likely to be involved in the experiments and explanations described in those sections. Sweet and Ceolin’s book is more friendly than flashy as it makes accessible the science behind droughts.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction picture book explains what droughts are, why they happen, how to preserve water, and includes some related, easy experiments/activities that kids can do.

A concise and informative read that does a great job of breaking down the science of why droughts happen and clarifying what a drought is. It also does a good job of explaining why things like watering gardens or washing cars may be discouraged during a drought. (There's a very eye-opening activity towards the beginning of the book you can do to demonstrate how precious drinkable water is in the world.) There are some very easy suggestions of how to preserve water shared in the back of the book. I love the illustration style. You wouldn't think a book about droughts would be beautiful to look at, but the illustrations in here are amazing. Highly recommended for kids in areas facing a drought, studying the water cycle, or who hear about droughts in the news.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and perfect for a young reader. Text is simple and concepts are explained in very understandable ways. I especially like the easy-to-do experiments that provide excellent support to the ideas. It isn't easy to write science nonfiction for younger readers and this one is clear and accurate while also being appealing and interesting too.

Glossary, activities and a suggested online resource are included as back matter.

A perfect book for the classroom or for a science-minded child to read on his/her own.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this nonfiction picture book was written about a dry topic 😉, the text is engaging and easy for kids to understand and the illustrations are gorgeous! The information in this book explains the water cycle and how lack of rain affects the environment. The diagrams and step-by-step experiments kids can perform make this an awesome nonfiction resource for any bookshelf!

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worked as a perfect read aloud to explain to students what is happening outside of the classroom right now. Love the extra features to help readers dig into hands on experiences to understand what a drought is.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and understand information about droughts, including water related activities, love the how you can save water section in the back. Pleasant illustrations make the info relatable and accessible to young readers. Timely book for north Texas this summer.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the new look to this series and enjoyed Stewart's explanation of droughts and the activities for students to try.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engagingly written with accessible information and appealingly illustrated with age-appropriate activities and good conservation tips.

[Laura Salas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource explaining the effects of droughts and why we need to protect the earth's water!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prose: Informational Text

[Esther May · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview about what a drought is and what causes it.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this informative book about droughts with activities

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and informative picture book about droughts, including what, where, why they are, and how water is needed. There is an explanation of the water cycle, where to find the world’s water, surprising facts, how to measure rainfall, and activities to try. A glossary is at the end of the book. Great illustrations.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through Edelweiss.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially loved the supplemental experiments and activities!

[Margaret]

Water levels in the Great Lakes have been on the rise in the last several years after severe lows ended. A combination of circumstances leads to a prediction of fifteen trillion gallons of water being added to the Great Lakes by the summer of 2017. Although water levels earlier this summer were close to breaking records (and did) and the levels remain high they are not expected to surpass records set more than thirty years ago for highest recorded monthly mean in the month of August.

What has prompted this research in Great Lakes water levels? As a lifelong resident of Michigan I have seen the rise and fall of the water levels from one extreme to the other and quite frankly we have had so little rain the past six weeks the leaves on trees are turning yellow and dropping but a new title in the Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science 2 series heightened my curiosity. Droughts (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, August 1, 2017) written by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Andre Ceolin showcases and defines droughts. They can and do happen anywhere on our planet.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...