Libby Loves Science

Cece Loves Science

by Kimberly Derting, Shelli R. Johannes, Joelle Murray (Illustrations)

Libby and her friends volunteer to run the science booth at their school fair and have some great ideas, but Libby does not always follow directions precisely. Includes a worksheet for each experiment mentioned.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Stem, African American, School Stories, School

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2020

About the author

Kimberly Derting once wanted to be a “foxy lady trucker” but changed her mind when she took 7th-grade journalism and discovered writing. She hasn’t looked back since.

She’s the author of award-winning young adult novels, including The Body Finder series, The Pledge trilogy, and The Taking trilogy. She’s also co-written many popular picture books, including the Loves Science series, the Farm Friends series, and Penny: The Engineering Tail of The Fourth Little Pig. Her first solo picture book is Baby Steps: A Picture Book For New Siblings.

Her young adult books have been translated into over 15 languages, and both THE BODY FINDER and THE PLEDGE were YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults selections. Her picture books have received starred reviews, been Amazon book-of-the-month picks, and were featured in Good Housekeeping.

These days, Kimberly lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she watches WAY too much Netflix, orders 20-pound boxes of Nerds gumballs from Amazon, and loves to complain about the rain even though she lives in Seattle, where it rains ALL of the time! You can find her online at www.kimberlyderting.com


Note: I'm the worst about checking my Goodreads email...I apologize if I don't get back to you! If you need to reach me, try emailing me at kim(at)kimberlyderting(dot)com

Reviews

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for kids! I love the added experiments for them to try at home!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

LIBBY LOVES SCIENCE is a cute picture book that brings a love of science to all the fun of ice cream and other experiments. Science is made really tangible through Libby, who talks about the need to measure ingredients precisely and test your hypotheses. Scientists do make the best bakers afterall! Libby loves science so much that she volunteers to help design her class's booth about science at the fair, and the prize for the winning booth is an ice cream party.

What I loved: I adore books that feature girls excelling in STEM, and this was an excellent example. Libby is such a fun character, and her love of science shines through every page. I also love the diversity of characters here, which is so important in books. The illustrations were all full of color and fun details that make this a delight to look through.

The book is pretty wordy, although the story itself is great. This would be better for older picture book readers (elementary school aged children) who can appreciate the story without minding the length.

Final verdict: Bringing the love of STEM to children, LIBBY LOVES SCIENCE is a pleasure to read and share with elementary school-aged readers. Recommend for children who may be exploring the sciences and those who don't yet see the appeal.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Abby Johnson]

This STEM-centric story includes actual science experiments for kids to try as Libby and her friends run their class science booth at the school festival. Hand this to readers who love stories and science equally or anywhere you're trying to highlight girls' excitement in science.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby and her friends love science - especially experiments. They offer to run the class booth at the annual school fair. I love that Derting included the instructions for doing the various experiments as part of the story. Readers (with parent permission) can recreate these experiments and celebrate science too.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The “Loves Science” series grew earlier this summer when Libby Loves Science was published in June. Libby also loves science, but rather than zoology, her passion lies in chemistry (mostly through cooking!). She loves to mix, pour, measure, and stir to see what she can create. As a member of the science club, Libby and her friends Finn and Rosa volunteer to run the science booth at the school’s fall festival. They set up materials needed for students to run three fun experiments (giant bubbles, fluffy slime, and a rocket launch), and Derting and Johannes were thoughtful enough to include materials and instructions for each as a part of the narrative. Though their booth isn’t as successful as they’d like, Libby learns a few important lessons along the way, such as “mistakes can lead to discoveries,” celebrating others’ victories over your own, and looking for the positive when you’re feeling down about your performance. Even so, the story never reads as didactic and is instead purely entertaining. Back matter once again includes “Libby’s Science Facts,” a glossary of scientists and science/chemistry terms introduced in the book.

The whole series is wonderfully diverse, featuring interracial families, highlighting women in science, and celebrating friendships between boys and girls. My girls love the stories themselves, and I am delighted by how much science they learn (without even realizing it) and are inspired to do themselves (we’ve got grand plans to do all 4 experiments outlined in Libby Loves Science over the next few weeks). Though Derting is an accomplished author, she did major in biology, and her deep understanding of scientific processes shines in each book.

[Madison Impton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for a read aloud not only to instill a love of learning and science into children but also to show them how to persevere through difficult times and how to problem solve. When Libby's booth was getting little attention from the fair goers, she decided to begin conducting the experiments herself in hopes that it would draw peoples attention their way, and the was right! When people began to see the experiments her booth became crowded quickly. Libby was able to problem solve and find a solution to their problem instead of giving up. Libby never gave up on anything she pursued and when things did not go her way she sought out to fix them, this is an important message to portray to children and this book is a great way to do it. Libby was consistently portrayed as a strong, motivated, persistent young girl and her portrayal throughout this book is a great representation for young children to be exposed to.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the school fall festival comes around, the science class needs volunteers to run their booth. Libby, Rosa, and Finn volunteer and come up with fun science experiments to do with festival attendees. They are really hoping their booth can with the prize of an ice cream party for getting the most customers. But will their booth attract enough people to win?

This kind of felt a bit contrived just to include all the experiments it does (with ingredients and instructions displayed on page when each one is mentioned). The story was definitely secondary to the experiments. That said, kids who love doing science experiments at home will love this. It includes elephant toothpaste, slime, a foam-propelled rocket, giant bubbles, and homemade ice cream instructions.

[Mia Martinez]

'Libby Loves Science' is a book about Libby and her friends joining a science fair to show off libby's and her friends love for science. Her creativity and experimentation allow her to fully express herself and to create fun for her fellow classmates. I would say the intended audience would be 3rd grade-4th grade due to the density of the sentences. The illustrations are vibrant and descriptive. There also instructions to different experiments on the pages. I would include this book within my classroom, specifically for a science activity to introduce a small experiment. It would be a great introduction for a science lesson.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture book to encourage young scientists. Published in 2020, this is the first book about Libby and her friends. A second title, Libby Loves Science: Mix and Measure was released earlier this year. It's an I Can Read! book and IMHO the more enjoyable of the two titles.
The best part of this book is that it includes an easy recipe for making homemade ice cream. Sugar, vanilla, milk, ice cubes and a couple of Ziploc bags is all you need to have ready-to-eat ice cream in about 20 minutes.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great STEM-centric books that includes accessible science activities for the readers. The story, though, feels like it was written to the activities instead of standing on its own, that is, if you take out the activities, the story wouldn't be all that interesting. The many ways of trying to convince kids that "Science is fun!" "Chemistry is fun!" "Science is a blast!" was heavy handed. And please, there are simply too many exclamation points in the dialogue!!!!!!!

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about science. Libby and her friends are going to head the school science booth at the fair. But nobody wants to stop by.... what can they do? Included are kid-friendly science experiments and lots of information about science, experimenting, making mistakes and messes, and giving it your all!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series by Kimberly Derting. It's a great book to read to kids who love science and even those who don't, because it will help them realize that science isn't boring. I love the activities included throughout the book that kids and adults can do at home. The glossary is also very nice for the "older" kids who want to learn more.

[Diana Nabin · Rating 5 out of 5]

the genre of Libby Loves Science childrens's literature. In this book Libby and her friends are put in charge of a science booth. I like how the character are doodled. This book is very educational it is something I would suggest this book to kids. I like this because I want my kids to learn new things. This book has no awards.

[Christine Turner]

Libby loves science! In this STEM-themed picture book, a companion to the popular Cece Loves Science, Libby and her friends are put in charge of the science booth at their school fair. There's only one problem: No one is visiting their booth! Does everyone think science is boring?

Note: Includes projects.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun introduction to chemistry and some kid-friendly experiments (with adult supervision) are sure to peak the interest of kids who enjoy science. Recipes for making giant bubbles, rainbow slime, and more are shared in a colorful and informative way. Perfect addition to classroom or home-school science curriculum for the youngest kids.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby wants to do something special for the fall festival with her friends. Their booth teaches kids about science in a fun way with bubbles, slime, and bottle rockets. Even though they don't win the ice cream party Mr. Darwin wants them to celebrate due to all their hard work and they do with the ice cream they made.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book has instructions and ingredient lists for multiple experiments. I love that they don't win, normalize accepting loss with grace (Maybe Trump should read this book). I love that they make ice cream at the end instead of winning the ice cream. I love that they love science, normalize real-world skills!

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a good idea - a picture book with a STEM theme! I think it is amazing to find some simple science experiments in a picture book; I can definitely see using this book for next year’s summer STREAM camp as a read aloud and then replicating at least one of the experiments. Two thumbs up for this book!

[Gita · Rating 3 out of 5]

عنوان فارسی: لیبی عاشق علم است
انتشارات مهرسا

خوب بود. ماجرای لیبی و دوستانش بود که در نمایشگاه مدرسه مسئول غرفه‌ی علوم می‌شوند. در طی داستان تلاش بر جذاب نشان دادن علم است. چند تا آزمایش جالب هم نوشته شده که بچه‌ها در خانه هم می‌توانند آنها را انجام بدهند. چیزهایی مثل ساختن حباب، درست کردن بستنی، و یا درست کردن اسلایم.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libby leads the charge on a class chemistry booth at the school fair to show peers the excitement of science. Includes instructions for several experiments to help young readers recreate giant bubbles, homemade ice cream and more at home!

[Rebecca Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read aloud picture book for elementary students who love science. A group of three friends decide to bring a science booth to the fall festival, but will they be able to win best booth over face painting? A fun book that also included the steps for the various experiments .

[Jaemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story about the ways science can be exciting. Includes instructions for all experiments mentioned in the tale. Even though we're not ready to do those yet, I like the positivity and the exploratory minds the story portrays.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent STEM book with multiple experiments that you can do with your kids. It’s also a cute story about a little girl who loves science and who sets up a science themed booth at her school’s fair with some of her science-loving friends.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libby loves science and it's the perfect thing because for the school fall festival, Libby's science class is in charge of a booth. The booth with the most visitors wins an ice cream party.

I really liked how various "experiments" were included throughout the book.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Appreciate the fun science experiments embedded throughout the story.

[Suzi Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for any science teacher!

[Lindsay Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes experiments!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great ideas for fun things to do at home

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's great to see more and more characters of color in picture books that aren't specifically about people of color. Plus girls and sciences together! Hooray! More, please!

[extraordinary ordinary whimsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud (together as a family), used the Fluffy Slime Experiment, and used it as an opportunity to discuss and learn about polymers. The slime turned out so soft and fun.