PBS Teachers™
Science & Tech
recommended books archive
Published: August 2002
From the marvelous to the mundane, this visually rich encyclopedia covers technology and discovery from 3,000,000 B.C. (stone tools) to the present (self cleaning glass) and the men and women responsible.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2003
This up close look at arachnids, creatures often overlooked or shunned, features sixteen unusual animals such as the Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, the Giant Vinegaroon, and the Velvet Mite and some that are as familiar as the Jumping Spider. This frequent house guest can eat up to 40 Fruit Flies in one sitting. Bon appetit! An afterward provides additional information on each plate.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2002
How do new species arise? Darwin could never solve the problem. Margulis and Sagan argue that random mutation is only marginally important and suggest that the acquisition of new genomes by symbiotic merger is more important. Symbiotic relationships are mutally beneficial relationships between creatures of different species, and if you think humans are exempt, you are forgetting eyelash mites and the bacteria found in our intestinal tracts and under our arms. It is estimated that symbionts make up 10% of our dry body weight. This book has created some critical heat, but that is not unusual in science.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2005
Riley is on Moorea, one of the Tahitian islands, with his Uncle Max. They are in the South Pacific to study spinner dolphins. When some become trapped in a lagoon, Riley is determined to help. The bright illustrations combine photos and art. The pages feature facts about other reef animals and Polynesian culture.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 1999
Authored in 1916, but newly translated by Neely Swanson for MIT Press, this book offers intellectual wisdom and scientific insights to both researchers and students from an accomplished scientist.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 1999
Readers age 10-14 will be inspired by the stories of twenty-five African Americans whose contributions were invaluable in medicine. The book also features vintage photos, a timeline, bibliography, and a glossary.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2002
A study commissioned by Symantec in 1999 found that 70% of computer users admitted to swearing at their computers. More than 30% admitted to physically attacking them. This examination of our relationship with machines illumines a 200 year tradition of resistance from the machine breaking Luddites to those who, like the author, refuse to use Call Waiting, TVs, or electric coffee grinders.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2002
In 1995, Dive Barge 269 was tethered to three tugs when Hurricane Roxanne unexpectedly reversed course and struck. The storm's thirty foot seas and ninety mph winds broke the towlines securing the barge and the crew of 245 went into the water. This exciting book tells how all but eight were rescued by the crews of the tugboats.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 1998
The Collective Biographies provides insight into the major players who revolutionized technology in the twentieth century. Through these brief biographies, Northrup gives a chronological overview of computer technology's evolution from the punch card system to the ease of Internet travel. High school students will, no doubt, find excellent role models here and learn the rewards of risk-taking and hard work.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2004
There are good ideas and bad ideas, but novelty will make any idea patentable. Take for example, the “partuition assistance device” that proposed to spin a laboring mother to ease her delivery. This fascinating exploration of invention looks at child care, toys, sports, entertainment, housing, food, health, transportation, advertising, beauty, and computing. Anyone interested in further study will find plenty of print and web recommendations.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 2003
Take a look at science from a historian’s point of view in this collection of forty activities. Do science and gain insight into the thinking of civilizations like Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, Mayas, and the Aztecs. Each activity lists materials, describes procedures, and provides explanations. A glossary is included.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2005
Roy and Silo were two male chinstrap penguins in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. In 1998, they paired and made a nest just like other pairs, but two dads can’t make an egg or hatch a stone. When another penguin laid two eggs, a zoo staffer put one in Roy and Silo’s nest. Tango was the result. Cole illustrations are realistic, yet add humor to this story about two bewildered birds.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 1999
For middle school children and older planning to become vets, this book presents a glimpse into the work of dedicated professionals in a hospital providing 24 hours a day emergency service, 365 days a year. Be prepared, many of the animal injuries are ghastly, and the writing is direct and graphic.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 200
This book presents a representative cross section of mammals to explain how the requirements of different habitats have led to the evolution of different forms and behavior. Each of 51 entries has key facts, photos, maps, charts and graphs, and neighbor animals. This book will make a great resource for the middle school library or science classroom.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2006
There are 4,500 neurosurgeons in the U.S. Only 200 are women. Firlik was the first woman to be admitted to the neurosurgery residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She describes the high pressure world of brain surgery with fascinating and graphic scenes from the ER and OR. Her style is smart, witty, and humane. She’s the kind of surgeon you’d want tinkering with your brain.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2001
The Ache are hunter-gathers who live in Paraguay. Learn about a way of living hundreds of thousands of years old and discover what it’s like to be an anthropologist. Meet Magdalena and her husband Kim who have studied the Ache since 1981. For anyone interested in fieldwork, the description of Magdalena’s first foraging trip with the Ache will make clear the difficulties and the rewards.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: July 2004
Gunpowder and cannons superceded catapults, yet in a moment of desperation Cortes tried using a trebuchet during his assault on Mexico City. The machine was destroyed by its own projectile. Students learn about advances in artillery and can construct slings, catapults, and trebuchets from clearly written directions. Plans include a materials list, step by step instructions, and illustrations. The book emphasizes safety.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2004
Aspirin is so common that few of us think it a wonder drug, but consider a moment. It relieves headache and muscle aches, lowers a temperature, and treats deadly disease. New evidence suggests it helps with a variety of other afflictions, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Jeffreys relates the strange and fortunate discovery and often stranger marketing of the closest thing to a panacea the world has yet seen.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2000
You have probably read or heard the theory that an asteroid impact brought an end to the age of dinosaurs. This book for 9-12 year olds describes and shows how it might have looked had you been unlucky enough to be present. Henderson makes clear with a sequence of drawings just how much energy would have been released during a collision with an asteroid six miles across. His paintings are amazing and scary. Read this and search the night sky for suspicious objects.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2004
The last time a complete Bird’s of America sold at Christie’s it went for nearly nine million dollars, yet to scrape together the money to complete his monumental project, 435 life-sized prints, Audubon traveled four times to England in twelve years. Hart-Davis reveals how a failed businessman became a celebrated artist. The book includes many of Audubon’s bird portraits.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2003
Audubon’s paintings and journals reveal an America long past: flocks of passenger pigeons so large they darkened the sky for hours, Sycamores so big their hollow trunks could shelter 9,000 swifts, and packs of hungry wolves driven off by flocks of geese. The events described in this illustrated biography took place from 1804-1812. Extended author and illustrator notes explain their techniques and suggest resources for further study.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2003
The author has answered more than 50,000 emailed questions submitted to his website “The Astronomy Café” since 1995. This second selection of 365 questions and answers is in ten chapters covering the earth and moon, sun, solar system, stars, universe, cosmos, and more. The book includes a glossary of “annoying terms” and set of twelve tables, including a cosmic timeline from Big Bang to a final collapse so far in the future there will be no one around to remember Elvis.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 2002
Common critters, 125 insects and other small animals appear in this ingenious field guide to the backyard. Creatures found in seven areas including on the ground, around flowers, and in tool sheds are presented in two-page representative settings. Two pages of explanatory field notes follow. A section called “Be a Backyard Detective” supplies hints and project ideas. The book features a picture index. Bishop’s photographs are amazing. Wait until you read how he created them
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2000
In this follow up to their 1984 Where Bald Eagles Gather, Patent and Munoz document the success of conservation efforts to save our nation's symbol. This book, for readers 9-12, combines great nature writing, color photos of eagles in their natural habitats, and maps.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2002
Battlebots are homemade robots designed to rip, crush, and outmaneuver the competition. This is demolition derby for the information age and won't appeal to everyone. In three amply illustrated sections, Clarkson presents the sport, the bots, and how to build your own. This last section includes plenty of URLs for additional help. Two appendices list the winners and statistics.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 1998
No one can resist these far-out tales of mythical monsters; children age 4-8 will be no exception. The text includes full-color illustrations, a glossary, and vocabulary objectives.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2005
The honey bee has been a symbol of industry and cooperation in America since its introduction by the British in the Colonial period. Horn presents a cultural history of bees and beekeeping filled with science, ecological lessons, and fascinating anecdotes.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2003
From African Goliath Beetle to Zinc Metallic Beetle, this alphabet book is crawling with colorful and bizarre creatures. The illustrations of each specimen are realistic and are accompanied by life-sized silhouettes. Students learn the alphabet and some entomology to boot.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2005
If you spend as much time watching the bonus DVDs explaining special effects and other film techniques as the feature itself, you’ll find Clee’s history of visual entertainment fascinating. Some of the technologies are still used today. Read about the camera obscura, magic lantern, fantascope, panorama, diorama, phenakistiscope, thaunatrope, praxinoscope, and plenty more to twist your tongue around. The second half of the book traces the development of true film. Appendices include a timeline and bibliography of print and web resources.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2002
This large format introduction to 5,000 years of cosmology features art and photographs depicting our growing understanding of the cosmos. Some are beautiful. Some are awe-inspiring, as is the photo showing scores of galaxies each containing billions of stars all of which could be concealed behind a pinhead held up to the night sky. Essays by different scientists, men and women, are collected in three sections: the classical universe, the modern universe emerges, and the current universe.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2004
We may one day travel in time, but chaos in the atmosphere will always frustrate those who try to predict the weather. Science may not always provide a way. Dewdney examines the limits of science and technology. Chapters address perpetual motion, traveling at the speed of light, quantum uncertainty, chaos, problems requiring infinite computer time to solve, and more.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2003
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the last completely wild places on Earth. Follow a caribou band from the Porcupine River Valley as it joins the larger herd migrating to the calving grounds on the Beaufort Sea. Hiscock’s realistic watercolors portray the changing plant and animal life along the route. A final section provides additional information on many of the animals encountered, a description of the caribou year, and an author’s note.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2001
Matthiessen recounts his journeys to India, Bhutan, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Africa, Western Europe, and the U.S. in search of the world’s fifteen species of crane. He describes their struggles to survive and introduces readers to the ornithologists who study them and the local peoples who live with them. Bateman’s paintings and drawings make clear why cranes are venerated by many cultures.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2005
Don Kroodsma is an expert on birdsong and the author of The Singing Life of Birds. Stap accompanied Kroodsma and his high tech audio gear from Massachusetts to Central America to record and study and possibly discover why some birds learn their songs while others are born with them. Stap examines history, work, and personalities in an engaging account of ornithologists and their fieldwork.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 1999
The author, a renowned historian and scientist, presents compelling portraits of the people responsible for founding the study of cells.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 1998
Students age 7-11 will be amazed as they read how in 1934 Admiral Richard Byrd spent a dark winter in frigid Antarctica. He recorded the weather and confronted life completely alone in some of the harshest conditions. This telling text is complemented by Walter Krudops dramatic illustrations and also contains excerpts from Byrd's firsthand account of survival. This book is the perfect addition to a unit on Antarctica.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 2005
Sometimes relevant information isn’t recognized. Why did four policemen kill Amadou Diallo, a frightened and innocent man? Sometimes too much information gets in the way. Why did antiquities experts recognize a fake statue with a glance while scientists were fooled? Gladwell presents examples of an aspect of human perception, what he terms “thin slicing” and examines the scientific research aimed at understanding a skill used by many successful decision makers.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2000
From March 11-14, 1888, before Doppler radar, before long range weather forecasting, before snowplows, the East Coast was hit by hurricane-force winds and so much snow that every city from Virginia to Canada was shut down. Hundreds died. This history of a natural disaster is filled with maps, etchings, and photographs.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2001
Although 1.5 million bobcats live in North America, they are rarely seen. This photo-filled book examines the life and habitat of the bobcat. Sidebars provide bobcat facts. Join a Vermont sixth-grade class as they look for bobcat sign.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 2001
In an age of quarks, it's hard to imagine a time when respected scientists didn't believe in the existence of atoms, but that time was only a hundred years ago. Readers in middle school and up will learn the nearly forgotten story of Ludwig Boltzmann who labored for forty years for the acceptance of the atomic theory of matter and clashed with such notables as Ernst Mach, whose name is attached to the speed of sound.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2001
What makes the Big Bang science and Big Foot nonsense? Shermer’s purpose in his assessment of current big ideas is to distinguish between valid science and what he terms borderland science. In three sections, he examines theories, thinkers, and history. If science is your lens to view the world, make sure it’s clean by reading this book.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2004
This illustrated biography introduces a young Audubon and his early and consuming interest in birds. The pages are collages of watercolors, photographs of artifacts, journal entries, letters—a look into his muse, his naturalist’s study. Davies focuses on Audubon’s efforts to discover where birds went in winter and his first bird bandings to learn if a pair of Eastern Phoebes would return to the same nest.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2001
The Brooklyn Bridge took thirteen years and twenty lives to complete and was the world's greatest bridge for fifty years. This picture book describes its design, engineering, and construction under the direction of John and Washington Roebling, father and son. The book includes cut away diagrams of architectural details, a timeline, and technical specifications.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 1998
Learning words has never bugged you this much! Ants and other bugs will present children, grades 3-6, with new words through facial expressions, body language and sophisticated humor.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2002
If the cricket-spitting contest in the first paragraphs doesn’t totally gross you out, this book will introduce some amazing bugs and the men and women who study and use them in their work. Valerie Cervenka is a forensic entomologist who investigates insect evidence at crime scenes. Steven Kutcher directs insects and spiders in movies and music videos. And Tom Turpin, the guy on the cover with the really big bugs on his face, what does he do? Read the book. Cricket-spitting is just the beginning. Appendices provide more interesting facts, frequently used entomological terms, and print and Internet resources.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 1999
Children 3-6 will love the bold, bright colors and lively rhyming in this picture book. It should make a wonderful book for story time.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2000
In this companion to his PBS series, Macaulay reveals the science behind construction. He outlines developments in building technology by examining successive examples of bridges, tunnels, dams, domes, and skyscrapers, paying special attention to new design elements. In this book for all ages, Macaulay's prose is clear and his illustrations, as always, are wonderful. The book includes a glossary.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2001
First published in Venezuela in 1999 and newly translated into English, this picture book is about two sleepy children tormented by a buzzing mosquito. In desperation, they climb from their bedroom window and run into the forest looking for a creature to help. Mosquito follows. Howler monkey, coral snake, and alligator are all sleeping. Only owl is awake. After flying home on owl's back, the children discover the solution to their mosquito problem has been squatting on the windowsill from the start. Calderon's illustrations resemble woodcuts.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2004
Like it or not, we share the world, even out houses and beds, with insects. This Who’s Who of our bug buddies features color electron microscope photos, many of them full-page. The text is organized in sections titled home, food, medicine, control, crime, and pets, so if the thought of eating chocolate-covered locusts disgusts you, check out Madagascar Giant Hissing Cockroaches as pets. The photographer has included a note on technique.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 1998
Help junior high and high school students in narrowing their choices among the many computer-related professions either for research or real life. Includes interviews and suggestions for further reading, people to meet, and organizations to contact as well as a number of related Web sites.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2005
Have you thought about working with animals? The author outlines careers in breeding, training, caring, preserving, harvesting, and observing. She suggests how to choose the right job, provides job descriptions for animals large and small, and offers tips for job-searching.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 1999
Why are monarch butterflies so brightly colored? Why would a herd of reindeer suddenly die off? Discover the scientific research behind some of nature's most mysterious events. You and your students will be fascinated as Quinlan reveals the data, clues and explanations given by scientists.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2005
Follow a hungry panther chameleon as he searches for food. He encounters other creatures, some with fantastic camouflage and others that don’t need it, like a scorpion. Chameleon finally spots a tasty caterpillar. Bishop captures the chameleon’s lightning fast tongue as it snaps up the caterpillar. Jar-Jar Binks has nothing on this guy. Author and photographer provide information on the chameleon and the techniques used to make the photographs.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2006
Why do some gadgets succeed while others fail? The author suggests that we are willing to accept new technology when the pain of our current situation outweighs the perceived pain of trying something new. Most of us are reluctant to try something new but will if we’re given a good reason. Coburn examines recent successes and failures and predicts the next winners and losers.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 1999
How has human behavior affected climate and are we too late to do anything about it? In this book, high school students are introduced to the science of climatic change; meet the international community of scientists trying to determine if we have entered a new era of climate; and explore the links between humanity and climate, from human evolution to the destruction of civilizations.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2000
This memoir by an award winning science fiction writer takes readers on a tour of astronomy, space exploration, volcanoes and earthquakes, water, cave sand tunnels, fossils, and archaeology and more. Part science primer, part travel guide, this book is for middle school students and up.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2004
This introduction to astronomy explores what is out there, visible and invisible, and how it is studied by scientists on Earth. The last section explains what students and their families can do to explore at home. Sidebars define terms, provide biographical information, and supplement the text with data. A timeline highlights great moments in astronomy.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
Since the early 1960s, Jane Goodall has studied the chimpanzees of Gombe on Lake Tanganyika. This autobiography outlines her career from enthusiastic 22-year-old in a largely unmolested forest to her present efforts to protect what little remains of Africa’s forests and chimpanzees. The book features marvelous full-page photos, many close-ups, of chimps in their natural environment.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2000
This illustrated history for 9-12 year olds examines the development of time keeping from the sundial to the Clock of the Long Now, that will tick once a year, have a century hand that advances every hundred years, and a cuckoo that sings every millennium. A three-page foldout features the mechanisms of a number of different kinds of clocks.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2000
Anyone familiar with Locker's previous books knows what to expect with a book devoted to clouds. His illustrations resemble the work of the Hudson River painters. Children 4-8 can follow two figures, one old, one young, as they move through a landscape dominated by clouds at different times of the day and under different weather conditions. An appendix provides general information about clouds and images of different cloud types.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2006
A cloud is a cloud is a cloud. Until you look at the sky closely with this guide in hand. The author, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society (see: www.cloudappreciationsociety.org), describes and illustrates the low, middle, and high clouds. A final section looks at lesser known clouds. The book opens with a classification table and cloud chart keyed to chapters. The book features many line drawings and photos.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2005
This concise primer on the cosmos provides two-page spreads treating concepts about space and time from the origin of the universe to dark matter. Each concept is illustrated as well as described. The book includes star and galactic maps and data tables.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2002
After the introductory chapter discussing different seasonal changes, each season is examined in turn. Activities, festivities, and natural phenomena are highlighted. A final section is a calendar of seasonal events.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
Girls interested in environmental sciences will read about eleven women who share their interest and who have made careers pursuing it. Fields covered include botany, naturalist, biologist, electrical engineer, farm manger, entomologist, researcher, and more. Each entry examines the background, training, and career path of each environmentalist. A final section suggests ways girls can get started on their own careers.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2005
If you like to make things happen, here are fifty experiments from the gross to the eatable. The book opens with eleven absolutely essential life-preserving and mother-pleasing lab rules. Read them well. Each activity lists what you need, how to do it, and why it works. A glossary is included.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2001
Amy is an African elephant who was spared when her family group was destroyed in a "cull." Transported to the United States, she was taken in by Bob Norris, a cowboy and former Marlboro Man. Norris helped Amy overcome her trauma, her distrust of humans, and her fear of the world. This book relates her days as a ranch hand and circus performer and tells of her return to Africa.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2005
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 lasted a minute and destroyed 25,000 buildings. The fire that followed left 250,000 homeless. The quake and fire killed 700, though some estimates have the total three to four times greater. Winchester looks at the San Francisco quake as well as others not so well known, such as the New Madrid Sequence of 1811 that caused the Mississippi River to run north, and explains the underlying geology.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2005
This is a guide to creating your own instructional multimedia such as computer-based training and presentations. Sections present the basics; the how and why of instructional design; types of media: text, audio, visuals, video, animations; interactivity; screen design; and storage Appendices provide tips, checklists, and other tools.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
This photo-packed introduction to deep-sea life is divided into three sections providing a tour through the ocean layers; a selection of ocean creatures, from sharks to dragonfish; and finally a descent to the longest mountain range, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and hydro-thermal vents. If you are a monster movie fan, wait until you see the deep-sea dragonfish, then sleep soundly knowing the largest is only a foot long.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2005
When the sun goes down and the moon comes out, nocturnal animals like raccoons, owls, crickets, possums, and coyotes mooch about. This picture book introduces the concept of diurnal and nocturnal life in a playful, reassuring manner.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 1998
The capers of the world's greatest criminals, inner workings of the world's top spy and police agencies, and crime-solving science and technology are presented in this richly illustrated reference book for kids age 9-12.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2006
If forensics interests you, you might want to try one of these twenty activities for your next science fair. Projects include examinations of blood and DNA, eyewitnesses, prints and other traces, and documents. Side bars discuss careers, techniques, history, and provide tips and suggestions for further research. The book has many illustrations.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2006
This introduction to the sciences employed by forensics experts opens with three cases that attentive readers will be able to solve after reading the book. No clue is too small. Even a fragment of a pistachio shell found in a trouser cuff can help establish that a suspect was at the crime scene. Chapters look at evidence, counterfeits and forgeries, computer crime, identification, and the crime scene. Along the way, readers have a chance to display their crime solving skills.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2004
The author looks at human behavior through the lens of physics. How do trail patterns develop or cities grow? How do people make decisions? How do they vote? How are financial markets influenced by networks of social and business contacts? After looking at traffic, economics, cyberspace and other aspects of society, he considers whether physics can help predict as well as describe. Can physics help us avoid problems?
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2004
Young readers follow a black bear cub as he encounters other creatures, some harmless, others dangerous. Sycks provide realistic illustrations of bears and habitat. The book concludes by answering common questions about the American black bear.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: July 1999
Young adults will appreciate the authors' discussion of the high tech crimes committed by "hackers, crackers, and phone phreaks" using computers.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2006
How is the cosmos like a computer? Everything is information, argues the author, every creature on earth, every particle in the universe. Seife provides an overview of Information theory: how it began in code breaking, underlies computer science, and is increasingly used to talk about genetic material, the behavior of light, and the weirdness of quantum mechanics.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2005
Earthquakes have their Richter Scale. The wind has its Beaufort Scale. Set down in 1806 in nearly its present form by Sir Francis Beaufort, the scale defines an everyday phenomenon—the movement of air. That is the simple version of history. In reality, others contributed to its development: Defoe, Cook, Bligh, and Darwin. This is an engrossing investigation of science in the age of sail.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2006
Learn how to get the most out of your digital camera and software. Eight chapters cover the basics, camera tricks, color and light, composition, close-up photography, subjects, optical illusions, and advanced editing. There are plenty of photographs, a glossary, and useful charts.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2003
This look at the ethical issues inherent in artificial intelligence is written for a general audience. The author, a physicist and science writer, explores What is consciousness? Can computers be conscious? Should thinking and feeling machines be entitled to human rights? Will we evolve into biomechanical race? And Should we worry about being taken over by machines?
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2005
If you know a dinosaur fan who is worried that all the cool fossils have already been found, you can reassure her or him that most have not. Gibbons has created a primer covering 165 million years—the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods. She describes the discovery of fossils, their preservation, and the major classes of dinosaurs. The end papers are a world map locating dinosaur fossil sites.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
Artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins spent his life trying to recreate the ancient creatures we call dinosaurs. This wonderfully illustrated biography relates his first triumphs in Victorian England; his efforts in New York to build a museum in Central park, which were thwarted by the corrupt politician, Boss Tweed; and, his return to England. Extensive notes provide additional information about aspects of Hawkins career and time.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2000
Even the charging Tyrannosaurus rex on the cover of this monster of a book will make you glad you live in the age of mammals, but wait till you look inside. Readers 4-8 will meet Gigantosaurus, which is the longest and heaviest meat-eater ever discovered, or the Utahraptor, which may have been the deadliest dinosaur to ever live and at 20 feet probably made Velociraptor look like a lapdog.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 1998
Dorling-Kindersley's encyclopedia can make anyone feel like a scientist! Not only will students find fascinating facts on everything from atoms to zephyrs, but will also discover the 'science' of being a scientist! Topics are organized thematically and will be sure to occupy students age 9-12 for days. Also included is a "Fact Finder" section in the back, with charts, tables, and maps to use with each section.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2003
Nobel Prize winner James D. Watson’s history of the genetic revolution covers the speculations of the Ancients, Gregor Mendel’s insights into inheritance, the discovery of the structure of DNA, and the possibilities of the future. He presents a solid foundation for considering today’s social and ethical questions. The book contains 159 color and black and white illustrations.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2004
Do you pronounce Friday Fri-dee or Fri-daa? You’ll find an extended and fascinating entry in Feldman’s latest (#10) collection of imponderables. Why is peanut butter sticky? Why are wells round? Why are new CDs released on Tuesdays? Or is it Tues-dees? You find more than 100 answers to questions and a comprehensive index of all ten collections.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2000
Dinosaur fans 4-8 will meet more than 70 animals, including some of the newest finds such as the feathered dinosaurs from China. Each entry provides pictures, vital statistics, and other interesting facts about dinosaurs and paleontology. A reference section answers frequent questions, supplies a glossary, and suggests other books to read.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2000
After graduating from college in 1906, Andrews went to New York City where he took a job washing floors in the American Museum of Natural History. He was named its director 28 years later. In the years between, he led five expeditions to the Gobi Desert in search of fossils, narrowly escaping death on so many occasions that Indiana Jones movies seem old hat. Speaking of hats, Andrews wore one too. After reading this book, adventurers 9-12 will want to grab a pick and head for the boondocks.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2002
Lawyer and law professor, Steven Wise has been a pioneer in animal rights law for twenty years. The fundamental question in the debate over legal rights for nonhuman animals is: where do we draw the line? Wise examines intelligence in animals from his son to dolphins, elephants, parrots, dogs, and honeybees. He shows how some creatures meet the legal criteria for personhood. This is an intelligent discussion of a subject that often inspires strong emotions.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 1999
Originally published in 1965, this newly illustrated edition for children 4-8 describes different kinds of ducks and their behavior, particularly preening, which helps keep feathers dry. Davie's watercolor, pencil, and pastel illustrations are gorgeous. The book includes an experiment to prove why ducks stay dry and a bibliography of books and Web sites about ducks.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2000
Children, and observant adults, spy creatures as they do chores, board school buses, garden, play, swim, and get ready for bed. This book for children 4-8 suggests we take time to be careful about the animals that share our yards and neighborhoods. Ryder's verse and Wolff's detailed illustrations are a great combination.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2004
Geologic processes, for the most part, happen too slowly for us to notice, but nevertheless, Earth is constantly changing. Fortey, who has written previously about life and trilobites, takes his readers on a tour of islands, volcanoes, continents, oceans, mountains, fault lines, and Earth’s center. The book has photos and line drawings.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2004
Do your parents have a kitchen drawer stuffed with widgets, “great ideas” that never lived up to their promise? The author selected one hundred doodads from his collection of more than four hundred 19th and 20th century curiosities and to include in this photographic museum. Sections feature items from the home, kitchen, business, medicine, transportation, and more. Each full page photo is accompanied by a short, entertaining description.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 2002
From Greek mythology to an eighteenth century mechanical duck and the chess-playing “Turk” to the artificial intelligence lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this book explores our attempts to create mechanical life. More historical overview than philosophical essay, the book will interest anyone curious about Thomas Edison’s talking dolls or MIT’s lonely robots
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2006
Birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, crustaceans, insects all lay eggs. This celebration of eggs features striking watercolors of eggs of all sizes, shapes, and colors. The author explains the biological advantages of coloration, texture, and shape.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2004
Einstein never warmed to quantum mechanics. "I still can't believe that the good lord plays dice," he said. This book examines scientific debate at the personal level, the opposed visions of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2002
El Nino and La Nina are driven by cyclic temperature fluctuations in the Pacific Ocean that lead to world wide disasters as seemingly unrelated as an outbreak of Rift Valley fever in East Africa and uncontrollable forest fires in Borneo. Nash has provided a history of the scientific observations that have added to our understanding of El Nino.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2002
Young inventors get a crash course in gadget building: illuminated forks, bumper cars, robot hands, and more. The book opens with a discussion of the tools and materials required. Directions for making three kinds of switches used in the projects are provided as well as step-by-step instructions for each gadget. Plans for a more sophisticated switch, the joy stick, conclude the book.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 1998
This hands-on book will make a junior detective out of any student by looking closely at "evidence" all around them in their natural world. Among the activities are testing for acid rain, making an ant farm and starting a mini-compost pile. Kids will not only learn how to investigate but, will learn that they can make a difference, too.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2005
This book about sharks has plenty to keep readers occupied: jokes, activities, coloring pages, fun facts, games, puzzles, and plenty of information about a group of toothy animals as fascinating as T.rex., and still with us. This would be a perfect book for summer vacation travel.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2006
This collection of awesome projects includes some that can be taken on by 9-10 year olds and some that require the manual dexterity and maturity of high schoolers and adults. Projects include cannons, demolitions, motors, strings, vehicles, controls, particles, illusions, lasers, communications, instruments, and electricity. Each project includes adequate warnings (yes, some more than one) and provides science and math explanations for those who want to understand why they are having so much fun.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 1994
American Scientist and Booklist both hail this work as a kid-friendly, appealing introduction to the science and technology of cheesemaking. Appropriate for readers ages 4-8.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2006
If you want to start your own blog or ezine, this introduction will get you started. Two sections cover the basics and provide mini-guides with plenty of illustrations and pointers. Appendices list helpful print resources and websites.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2004
This summer take a tour of the universe. Greene addresses questions about the nature of space and time and the likelihood of existence without space and time. How might time machines and teleporters work? Consider an eleven-dimensional multiverse. Explore Black Holes, the Big Bang, Superstring theory, M-theory, and more.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2000
For middle school students and older, this book is a personal look at the space program written by one its leading figures. Kranz started with the Mercury program, was flight director for Apollo 11 and the first moon landing, and headed the team that successfully returned the Apollo 13 crew to earth. This is an exciting and eye-opening read.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2005
Fall leaf color is limited to three regions: parts of eastern Asia, central South America, and North America. This photo-rich guide explains the science of kleaf color, presents the trees and shrubs of countryside and city, and tells you where and when to see the best color in North America.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September, 2004
Innovation doesn't guarantee success, as this look at twenty designs for buildings, vehicles, bridges and towers illustrates. And sometimes, as in the case of Apollo 13, failure can be turned into success. The representative projects are accompanied by photos, maps and diagrams. A glossary is included.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 1999
Feeling a bit rushed? Wonder why we need words like "multitasking" and "real time"? Author James Gleick tells why in this witty compilation of facts about the increasingly quick pace of life at the end of the millennium.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 1999
In July 1994, a series of errors led to the deaths of fourteen firefighters in a forest fire on Storm King Mountain in Colorado. Maclean examines why experienced men and women, smoke jumpers from Montana, hotshots from Oregon, and helitacks were trapped by a blowup, a violent, widespread burst of flame. This book is appropriate for high school students.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 1999
This book on physics for young adults is a revised, expanded, and updated version of the out-of-print Sympathetic Vibrations by acclaimed science writer K. C. Cole. Readers tour the wonders of modern physics, including quantum mechanics and the general and special theories of relativity, and eavesdrop on conversations with Richard Feynman, Victor Weisskopf, R. Robert and Frank Oppenheimer, and Philip Morrison.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2000
A young boy imagines what he would do if he were a clownfish. This picture book is a colorful introduction to life on coral reefs for children 4-8. A key at the end of the book identifies all the creatures pictured. The author provides interesting facts about the main characters and describes the biology of corals and reefs.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2002
In 1999, the author watched a colleague exit an elevator... thighs up all human, thighs down all robot, a cyborg. According to Brooks, director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, robots will never take over the world, but it might become very difficult to distinguish between robots and humans. Citing organ transplants and cochlea implants, he argues that the future will bring a merger of flesh and machine and the rise of robot-people.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2006
If the title doesn’t grab your attention, consider that there are about one million known insect species in the world or that for every pound of humans there are 70 pounds of insects. This entertaining collection of short pieces looks at butterflies and moths; ants, bees, and wasps; flies and mosquitoes; and others. It examines insect and human relations, insect biology, and insect ecology. Bug factoids are sprinkled throughout. Did you know that a honey bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime?
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 1999
The Flu of 1918 killed 40 million people, and no spot on Earth was remote enough to be free of disease. Entire villages of Eskimos disappeared. This exciting medical detective story for high schoolers and older follows scientists as they search for the 1918 flu virus and actually find bits of it in human remains frozen in the Arctic and in tissue samples preserved in a government warehouse.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2006
We use plumbing everyday but probably notice it only when it breaks. The author’s own interest started with a cracked section of PVC and its seemingly easy repair. He traces the development of plumbing from China seven thousand years ago to Australia’s water-saving dual-flush Caravelle.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2003
Five children on the dunes of North Carolina fantasize about flying while the Wright brothers prepare to make their first 12-second flight. The children's imaginings outline the history of flight from Kitty Hawk to the Moon landing. The final two-page watercolor is a timeline of manned flight.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: June 2003
An introduction to flying takes the form of a description of a young boy's first flight in his grandfather's home-built biplane. Generously illustrated with photos, diagrams, maps, and drawings, the book provides the basics in navigation, safety, maneuvers, flight control, and building a biplane.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 2006
No look at the future would be complete without a look at what the past thought the present might look like. Filled with contemporary illustrations, many from pulp science and science fiction of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, this book presents 20th century predictions of what might be in store for transportation, computers and robots, war, cities, medicine, and space. A final chapter makes predictions about life in 2050. Considering some of the "medical" content, the book is best suited for a teacher resource.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2005
Follow crime investigators as they collect evidence at the crime scene, establish identities, and analyze evidence. Chapters end with summaries and recommended websites. Plenty of photos illustrate techniques.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2004
Bishop’s incredible photos reveal the diversity of animal life right at our feet. Seven two-page spreads show more than 130 life-size creatures and plants in natural settings. Each photo, as the author explains in an end note, is actually a composite of 60 separate photos. He provides plenty of creature information and an identification key for backyard naturalists.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 1999
The Newbery Medal-winning author of My Side of the Mountain hits a home run again with the third installment in her trilogy about Frightful, Sam's falcon. In the latest book, Frightful is reintroduced into the wild.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2006
A vernal pool is a seasonal pond, one that fills and dries out over the course of the year. It may not always be full of water, but it is full of life. This beautifully photographed book will introduce readers to the yearly cycles of one vernal pool and the creatures: insects, amphibians, and reptiles that live in it.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 2004
What would life be like if there was no winter? Could Life survive? Retreating polar ice caps and melting glaciers seem to indicate a drastic climate change. The author who has made a career of cold meditates on wind, water, snow, ice, ocean currents, and weather cycles while traveling to Tierra del Fuego and Spitsbergen.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 2005
This picture book introduces some of the basics of astronomy: the planets, early scientists, the race to the moon, constellations, zodiac, and more. Each letter features a rhyming quatrain and factoids. The book concludes with a short quiz.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2004
Using his pulse to measure how long it took a pendulum to swing through its arc, seventeen year old Galileo determined that no matter how small or great the oscillation it took the same time. Isochronism, the principle behind a pendulum’s swing, is a fundamental system in nature. The author examines biorhythms, calendars, early clocks, pendulum clocks, marine chronometers, the physics of pendulums, oscillations of sound and light, and the quantum.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
This beautiful book catalogs the loss of creatures from the Upland Moa in 1500 to the Atilan Grebe in 1989. What was lost with the extinction of the included 103 birds, mammals, and reptiles is made evident by Schouten’s detailed full-page, and in some cases two-page, paintings. As Flannery’s introductory essay “The Age of Extinction” states, this is only the tip of the extinction iceberg. Many species have disappeared without being collected or drawn, some having never been discovered. This is a book to pore over and to take to heart.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: May 2006
Nature can suggest new products. Velcro’s inventor George de Mestral was inspired by burs sticking to his dog’s hair. The Lotus’s self-cleaning ability led to the development of Lotusan, a self-cleaning paint. The secrets of the Gecko’s foot may not enable us to cling to the ceiling like Spiderman, but it could produce better tape. Forbes examines bio-inspiration—engineering based on nature’s nanotechnology. This is an exciting tale of applied science and the scientists who look closely at nature for new ideas.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: July 2001
Is the water you drink safe? The author’s intention is to educate his reader’s about the science underlying many of today’s environmental fears. It appears that many of us are well intentioned but misinformed. This entertaining exploration of chemistry looks at health, food, sanitation, asbestos, methane, soap, and a lot more.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2002
Gears are cool, and this introduction to gears provides a built-in motor, gears, and other mechanical parts to accompany the text. Learn gear basics and tinker with spur gears, compound gears, rack and pinions, crank and rockers, and planetary gears. The final sections provide instructions on building a working gizmo and a pegboard to experiment with your own doodads.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2006
Endangered animals from around the world are featured in this Caldecott Honor Book. Each animalÂ’s entry has a stylized letter and information on class, habitat, range, threat, and status. More details on each creature are grouped at the book's end.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: August 1999
This book recounts the Lewins' 1997 trip into the Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and their experiences with endangered mountain gorillas in the wild. Although rich watercolors add appeal to the story, students in need of material for research reports will want to seek additional sources of information.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2000
Dad's hair may be gray, but what if he weighed 500 pounds, had an arm spread of eight feet, and ate 50 pounds of plants a day? This book for readers 4-8 examines the three subspecies of gorilla and features full-page color close ups of young and adult gorillas. Some of their facial expressions require no translation.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2002
Long Pond Cay, a Bahaman refuge for bonefish and osprey, is a favorite haunt for twelve-year-old Trey and his mute seven-year old brother Lou. Strange things begin to happen when a development group threatens to turn the cay into a resort. Trey and Lou are transported into a future drastically different from their own time, and Lou is welcomed as the mythic hero destined to change both the future and the present.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 1999
This book for preschoolers invites children to draw conclusions about habitats and the animals who live there. Pop-out hidden pictures and verbal clues provide help along the way.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 1999
Swinburne's book invites readers age 3 and up to learn all about light and shadow through full-color photographs and a shadow hunt game.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2004
Follow apprentice ironworker Kristen as she puts in a typical day’s work. Learn the different duties performed by the experienced men and women who build skyscrapers. Roth’s wonderful illustrations are constructed from photos, paper cups, envelopes, rice and mulberry paper from Japan, a pair of her own worn out blue jeans, and many other things from her overflowing closet.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2003
Gould argues in this his last book that the assumed conflict between the sciences and the humanities is a false one, that both are necessary "to any life deemed intellectually and spiritually 'full.'" Gould specifically rebuts the arguments in E.O. Wilson's book Consilience.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: February 2002
Henry David Thoreau was one of our earliest naturalists and nature writers. In 1845, he built a ten by fifteen foot cabin near Walden Pond for $28.12. This picture book describes how he cut and hewed twelve trees; bought and used bricks, boards and shingles; and employed the help of friends like Emerson and Alcott. A final author’s note provides additional information about Thoreau’s cabin.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 1998
This colorfully illustrated hardback gives parents and children a connection in the kitchen, as they whip up treats like Bananarama Bread and Cha-Cha Chili and ponder recipe-related ecological factoids ("Don’t kill the yeast, it is a sensitive fungus.") Later sections include recipes for non-food items like homemade glue and tie-dyed socks, using environmentally responsible ingredients.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: January 2003
Quarks are in the protons and neutrons that make up most of the universe’s known matter. The author explains what they are, how they behave, and why physicists believe they exist, even though no one has ever seen one. This brief, nonmathematical tour of quarks demands attention.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2001
Dennis Kunkel is a microscopist and photographer. He’s made scientific discoveries about bacteria, nerve and muscle cells, and protozoans. The photographs in this book are amazing. You’ll see a budding hydra, a dust mite, a series of increasing magnifications of an Asian Tiger Mosquito’s wing, and a lot more.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2000
In telling the tragic last voyage of the Hindenburg, this picture book reviews the career of Hugo Eckner and the development of dirigibles, lighter-than-air ships that could be steered. O'Brien supplies maps, detailed diagrams, and pictures filled with action and drama.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2000
This reference for Internet searching lists popular search engines and presents selected sites for homework, reference, math, language, history, geography, and science. Each site entry includes a copy of the homepage, URL, general description, and student testimonial. For students 9-12, this is the perfect book to keep by the computer.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2001
When an earth dam on the Colorado River failed in 1904 destroying the Imperial Valley’s irrigation system and flooding valuable farmland, it became clear that the next dam would need to be extraordinary. This history of the Hoover Dam project is filled with illustrations, maps, diagrams, and contemporary photographs revealing construction details and the lives of the thousands who helped build the dam during the Great Depression. Sidebars provide quotes from men and women who worked on the dam. A four-page foldout gives a bird’s-eye view of the construction site in 1934.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: July 2003
This is the companion book to the Ken Burns film on the first road trip across the United States. In 1903 when there were only 150 miles of paved roads in the whole country, Horatio Nelson Jackson drove with a mechanic and a bulldog from San Francisco to New York City to win a $50 bet. His was not a Jack Kerouac adventure. The contemporary photos present a very different view of the open road. The book has 146 illustrations and one map.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2002
In the past two hundred years, Ben Franklin has saved countless lives with his lightning rod. In this picture book history of accomplishment, you will follow the trail of discovery that led to Franklin’s invention and, in a series of “digressions,” learn about many others. An author’s note reveals even more Franklin firsts.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: December 2006
An epistemic game is a game that creates the epistemic frame of a community by recreating the process individuals use to develop the skills, knowledge, identities, values, and epistemology of that community. The author shows how video and computer games can teach children to think like engineers, urban planners, journalists, lawyers, and other innovative professionals. He offers a view of what education could become.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: July 2006
Are inventors isolated geniuses? The author thinks not. He argues that inventions are the sum of many contributions from others. He examines the airplane, steam and engines, and printing and books tracing the steps that produced the final product.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2006
This is a fabulously visual exploration of inventors and inventions (hits and flops). Think Where's Waldo with more content. Units cover lenses, steam, electricity, internal combustion, transistors, and gunpowder. Each unit opens with a four-page spread filled with facts and pictures. Don't forget to look for Brainwave. He'll be pushing a wheelbarrow from page to page collecting gadgets.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2000
These wonderful books combine photographs of the author, cartoon-like drawings of dogs and cats, and useful information about how you can talk to your pet. Readers 4-8, learn what your dog or cat is saying with barks and growls, purrs and meows, body and tail postures, and facial expressions. And if you don't have a dog or cat yet, read one of these books to your mom or dad. It will help soften them up.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2007
Build the sixteen cool projects described in this graphic do-it-yourself. Projects include a PVC marshmallow shooter, a bottle rocket charged with a bike pump, and a whoopee cushion made with a wire coat hanger and a washer. Along with the projects are ideas for setting up a workshop, equipping a tool bucket, and learning about the different tools. A glossary is included.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2005
Claire Montgomery, Monte Montgomery, and Hubert is a fifteen year old Sumerian who takes after his inventor mother. She disappeared when a gust of wind caught her umbrella. Hubert invents the wheel. It takes time for the new technology to catch on. Some of his neighbors think it’s a new fangled table. Trouble starts when the enemy, the Assyrians, decide to use the invention to attack Ur. The humor and anachronisms should spark a lot of discussion.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2004
This is an up to date presentation of what paleoanthropologists know about our ancestors. This National Geographic book features many photos, illustrations, diagrams, and supporting essays describing the methods used by scientists investigating human prehistory.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: April 2000
In 1916, young Tom Elson encounters an endangered animal, the farivox, in a crate on a stranger's wagon. The creature has a monkey's face, a weasel's body, a fox's tail, a lion's feet, a lynx's ears, and an owl's beak. And it can talk. When Tom tells the stranger he wants to buy it and has money at home, the farivox tells him to hurry. This picture book for children 4-8 is adapted from a story by Harry Hartwick.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2004
A boy takes the moon for a walk. Along the way, he and the moon observe the world around them. Curtis’s verse and Jay’s illustrations are engaging. The author has included a final science section on the moon and nocturnal creatures. PreK-2
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2001
Each animal in this picture book is introduced with a description and picture of its tail. Visual clues provide information to guess the animal's identity. Flip the page and the animal is identified. This book would be a great way to begin unit on habitats and adaptations.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2001
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of familiar things, like chewing gum, piggy banks, or animal cookies, this picture book will answer your questions. It describes the beginnings of fourteen common objects from high heel shoes to pies. Each two-page spread includes factoids.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: October 2000
November. Snow covers the ground, the trees are bare, and animals have burrowed deep to sleep till spring. Humans do special things in November too. This picture book for children 4-8 is a poetic introduction to seasonal change and would be perfect for a unit on hibernation and dormancy.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2003
No matter where you are if you look closely you'll discover animals observing you. That is the premise of this beautifully illustrated book. Weismuller presents an eye and an environment with enough verbal clues for attentive readers to determine who the eye belongs to. Stumped? All the animals are named on the last page. Readers old enough to remember black and white Tarzan movies should keep their eyes on the trees for a pictorial pun.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: November 1999
Today art and science are popularly thought to be opposed, but both provided inspiration for the intellectual revolution of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Focusing on the scientific and technological advances of a huge cast of well-known and little known figures, Jardine shows how discovery grew out of everyday life. This book is for high school students and older.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 1998
Elementary school students will delight in the playful language and hysterical illustrations of this book while learning about 21 different spiders and insects. The pages are filled with realistic, colorful pictures and thoughtful, informative poems. This is one group of bugs children will love to have at home!
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: March 2005
This book examines issues in planning, designing and developing interactive multimedia. It highlights multimedia applications in different settings. Individual chapters provide case studies of multimedia development and use in language learning, cartography, engineering education, health sciences, and science.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
Subject: Science & Tech
Published: September 2000
This alphabet picture book features sea creatures, from anemones to zooplankton. Children 4-8 year will find a lot to look at in Jenkins's paper collages. Told in rhyming couplets, this book would make a good introduction to a unit on the sea.
Resource Type: Recommended Non-PBS Book
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