Green Teacher Reviews Winter 2015

8/21/2019 Green Teacher Reviews Winter 2015

1/7GREEN TEACHER 103Page 44

Authors in this issue: Alan Crook,

Annie Levine, Grant Linney,

Phyllis McKenzie, Barbara

McMillan, Stacey Widenhofer,

Zackery Zdinak

The Lion Who StoleMy ArmIt is easy totalk about theimportance of biodiversity,ecosystem balance andthe value

of keystone predators from

the comfort of your armchair. It is a bit different when that predator haschewed your arm off. This happens toPedru, a young boy living in rural Mo-zambique, and the hero of this novella by Nicola Davies. Pedru’s journeyactually starts with the loss of his armand a vow of retribution; it concludeswith Pedru facing the lion again, spearin hand. But Pedru is a different boy,having learned much about lions. Will

his newfound knowledge affect hisvow? The book pulls no punches —lives both human and lion are lost aswell as the arm — yet there is sym- pathy here for the plight of both lionsand villagers. You are left feeling thatthe two can live in some degree ofharmony, as the lion changes Pedru’slife in positive ways that no one couldhave predicted. This is an excellenttreatment of a difcult problem foundaround the globe, and a good way tolaunch discussions about large preda-

tors and their roles with students ingrades four to six. –(AC)

Candlewick Press, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-7636-6620-0 (hb), 89 pp., US $14.99 from(800) 733-3000,

Nature SparksIf you are wondering how to interest preschool and kindergarten childrenin the natural world, Nature Sparks by Aerial Cross is an excellent placeto begin. Cross clearly articulates whyit is important to incorporate nature- based experiences in young children’seducation: outdoor play has a positive

Resources

correlationto physical,emotional and psychological

health. In the book’s fourchapters, aswell as theappendices ofresources as-sociated witheach chapter,

there are more ideas for subject-spe-cic activities and integrated cur -ricula than are often found in teacherresources of a similar length. Theserange from a variety of outdoor play

spaces, obstacle courses, nature hikes,and prop boxes to sensory-integratednature activities that include bughunts and building scarecrows for theschool’s garden. Cross also includessuggestions for children’s literature,chants, riddles, rhymes, tonguetwisters, and songs. As a result of thenumerous ideas offered, readers willhave more difculty deciding whatto implement than what to do in thenatural world with the children in theircare. –(BM)

Redleaf Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-60554-041-2 (pb), 134 pp, US$29.95 from (800)423-8309,

Basic WindExperimentKitIf renewable en-ergy, electricity,alternative tech-nology, phys-ics, or inquirylearning is part

of your curricu-lum, the Basic

Wind Experiment Kit should have a place on your lab table. From open-ended experimenting to more specicchallenges, this science kit will engageyour students in understanding energyfrom many angles. The kit allows budding engineers to experiment withdesigning blades, generating electric-ity and lifting materials. An electri-cal nacelle and a weightlifter nacelleallow students to compare various

blade designs and congurations, test-ing their understanding of how wind

energy is harnessed and converted touse. Included are basic instructionsand experiments for students and a primer on wind energy and electricity

for teachers. This kit is great for stu-dents in grade four and up. In addition,the KidWind website (http://learn.kidwind.org) has free, downloadablelesson plans for grades six-12. –(PM)

Vernier Software and Technology, 2013,US $97 from (800) 837-6437,www.vernier.com

MicrocosmosAt rst glance, Brandon Broll’s Micro-cosmos is a coffee table book; openit and lush photographs spring out at

you. Many of those images will seemalien but these highly magnied pic-

tures depictsome pretty prosaic stuff.Chocolateice cream.Eyelash hairs(completewith eyelashmites). Pol-len. But-tery scales.

Microchips. The microbial worldcomes alive with macrophages (white blood cells) engulng E. coli bacte-ria, or corona viruses attacking hostcells. Enhancing each photo is a shortinformative paragraph packed with biological terms. You could almost puttogether a Coles Notes version of a Bio101 course from the collected content.As much art as science, most photoswere taken with a scanning electronmicroscope, which provides previouslyunheard of depth-of-eld photography.The resulting black-and-white images

are then enhanced, sharpened and co-lourized, with added tone and shadow.The results, as they say, pop. Cells,chromosomes, molecules and evenatoms, previously seen only as illustra-tions, are now visible. Use this book todraw heretofore resistant high schoolor university students into microsci-ence, or gift it to that hard-to-buy-forscientist next Christmas. –(AC)

Firey Books Ltd., 2010, ISBN 1-55407-714-1 (pb), 224 pp., CDN/US $19.95 from (800) 387-5085,

http://www.vernier.com/http://www.fireflybooks.com/http://www.fireflybooks.com/http://www.fireflybooks.com/http://www.vernier.com/


2/7GREEN TEACHER 103 Page 45

Counting on Fall; Sizing Up Winter; Sorting through SpringBeautifully illustrated with AshleyBarron’s cut-paper collages, this won-derful series of books by Lizann Flattteaches math skills to early learnersthrough seasonal natural events. Eachfacing page shows a seasonal tableau

and follows with a math-orientedquestion. For example, one illustra-tion in Counting on Fall shows bearsmunching on berries and ponders,“If the bears were aware, would they

think thatit’s fair, ifone wereto gobblemore thanhis or hershare?”Anotherasks,

“Which bear has 2 berries more than5? Which bear has 2 berries less than10?” The topics in Sizing up Winter include days of the week, sequencingevents, and how many days make amonth. “So how long is winter, andhow do you know?” Sorting throughSpring includes more advancedconcepts like ratios and patterns. Also provided are extensions for using the books in classroom, and backgroundinformation on each of the seasonals.This terric series provides cross-

curricular activities for K-2 classroomsand non-formal learning environ-ments. –(PM)

Owlkids Books, 2013, ISBN 978-1-926973-36-4 (hb; Counting on Fall), ISBN978-1-926973-82-1 (hb; Sizing Up Winter),ISBN 978-1-926973-59-3 (hb; Sortingthrough Spring), 32 pp., CDN $14.95 from(416) 340-2700 x 227, www.owlkids.com

Last Call DVDI rememberthinking asEarth Daygained tractionin the early 70s,“We’ve madeit! Now peopleare nally go-ing to take theenvironment

seriously.” It’s obvious from Last Call ,a retrospective on the famous 1972 publication The Limits to Growth thatits young authors felt much the sameway. Boy, were we wrong. This DVDis narrated by some of the survivingwriters of the seminal publication,and tracks the actions and thinking ofthose people in the years since. Whileits scenarios have been conrmed— you can’t continue to grow exponen-

tially in a nite system—almost com- plete inaction relative to the problemover the past forty years has led to newsituations, e.g. near-rampant globalwarming. The authors probe why thishas taken place, and what might bedone about it (think adaptation, notmitigation). While the documentaryis vaguely positive at the end, I wasleft with the feeling that we missedthe boat all those many years ago.Interesting graphics include a chill-ing time-lapse of global temperature

changes over time, but many are of poor quality. Do look into this lm fora primer on the history and challengesof the environmental movement, butit may not energize you for the battlesahead. –(AC)

Video Project, 2012, Item#: LAC-1029, 90min., US $295 (colleges/universities) or$89 (K-12) from (800) 475-2638,

Eco Action Trumps GameIntroducing simple steps to engageothers in living more sustainably iseasy when playing this entertainingcard game. Each card describes anenvironmentally-friendly action likecarpooling, riding a bike, hangingclothes on the line to dry, or wrap- ping up your hot water heater to saveenergy. Each action is rated for its CO2 savings, out-of-pocket cost, savings,

payback, andresourcesavings. Eachaction also has atotal ‘eco-point’rating. Two tosix players tryto out-do eachother in termsof nding theaction with the

best environ-mental impact

in any of the ve categories, whethersaving CO2, paying little to enactregulations, or having a high eco-pointrating. While the cards include costsin British pounds, they can be spe-cially customized for your needs as aneducational or training tool. Designedfor ages “7 to 107,” the cards can beused as an introduction to lessons insustainability, energy, natural resourc-es, or consumer science. –(PM)

Paula Owen Consulting, 2011, GBP £4.95(approx. USD $8.21) from +011 7920090931, www.ecoactiontrumps.co.uk

Nature’s AmbassadorTeachers who have introduced chil-dren to Thornton Burgess’ storiesabout Old Mother West Wind andthe animal inhabitants of the GreenMeadows, the Old Briar-Patch and the

http://www.owlkids.com/http://www.ecoactiontrumps.co.uk/http://www.ecoactiontrumps.co.uk/http://www.ecoactiontrumps.co.uk/http://www.owlkids.com/



Smiling Poolwill want toread ChristieLowrance’s biography Nature’s Ambassador .Burgess is por-trayed not only

as a beloved sto-ryteller, but asa keen observer

of the social and natural worlds, astruggling newspaper reporter, pho-tographer, conservationist, and vocaladvocate for animal rights. Lowrancemaintains that Burgess’ legacy needsto be reassessed; too few peoplerecognize that Burgess spent his lifehelping children ages 6-12 to see theneed for protecting wildlife and theenvironment in so many ways they

could understand and act upon. –(BM)Schiffer Publishing Limited, 2013, ISBN978-0-7643-4445-9 (hb), 304 pp.,US$24.99 from (610) 593-1777,

Arise DVDLooking fora new way tooffer inspira-tion to youngwomen? Arise,directed byLori Joyce andnarrated byDaryl Hannah,offers a view of

communities facing environmental is-sues from the USA to Africa to India.Each community faces its own uniquecultural challenge, but all of the strongwomen whose stories are featured areable to overcome signicant commu-nity problems. The challenges rangefrom energy use to food production toendocrine disorders. The lm high-lighted villages and towns all over

the world; focusing on the locality ofeach problem helps engender a senseof global awareness. This lm could be used for teaching about culture, problem solving, and is a good t forall older students about how small suc-cesses add up to large results. Arise ismade by women about the subject ofwomen, but it has lessons for everyoneregardless of gender, culture or loca-tion. –(SW)

The Video Project, 2013, Item#: ARI-1022,80 mins, US $295 (colleges/universities) or

$89 (K-12), from (800)-475-2638,

How Advertising Works Made You Look: How AdvertisingWorks and Why you Should Know byShari Graydon rst came out to muchcritical acclaim in 2003. Now it has been revised to reect a fast-changingad landscape with its cookies, social

media, textmessaging anduse of realityTV. Writtenin a slightlycheeky waythat willappeal to itsyoung audi-ence (gradesve to eight),this publica-

tion will signicantly expand its read-ers’ awareness of just how pervasiveadvertising is and the many different

techniques of “the sell.” An informa-tive, entertaining and empoweringread with colourful and appealinggraphics. –(GL)

Annick Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1-55451-561-5 (pb), 155 pp., CDN $16.95 from (800)387-6192,

The Youth Guide to BiodiversityDeveloped by the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations(FAO), this guide is an educationalresource for schools, as well as anyone

curious about biodiversity. Biodiver-sity is explained in terms of genes,species and ecosystems. It is alsoexplored in the water, in the air and onthe ground. The rst half of the guide

conveysthe impor-tance ofsupporting biodiversity,while thesecond halflooks at

how we ashumans areimpacting it. Real-world accounts ofconservation and sustainability effortsshould provide students with a greaterunderstanding of their ability tocontribute. The design of the guide is busy, colourful and attractive, yet thesimple layout allows a reader to navi-gate the chapters with ease. It would be most suitable for students fourteento nineteen years of age. –(ZZ)

Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations, 2013, Available for free

download from < www.fao.org/docrep/017/ i3157e/i3157e00.htm>

Dolphins of Shark BayDo you want to observe bottlenosedolphins in the wild? If so, The Dolphins of Shark Bay is the book foryou. The breezy, informal tone andconversational style of author PamelaTurner perfectly matches the approachof Dr. Janet Mann and her team whostudy the behavior of dolphins in therich, relatively pristine waters of SharkBay, Australia. Numerous colour pho-tographs put you both on and in thewater. From the deck of the Pomboo,you will meet Puck, Nicky, Piccolo,Dodger and Barney, as well as theirarch rivals, the Red Cliff Rascals. Per-sonication? Perhaps, but this research

spanning 25years hasidentiedsocialgroups

and behav-iours, anddiscovered

the rst ever use of tools by dolphinsanywhere. By examining “why aredolphins so smart?” you will learn basic dolphin biology, a bit of bayecology, and the remarkably differ-ent personalities of the animals understudy. As Turner states, “Dolphinsaren’t noble elves in wetsuits.” Thequestion of captivity is touched on, butleft for the reader to answer. Written

like a good kid’s movie, the book willhold the attention of adults as well asits key audience of young readers aged10 to 14. –(AC)

Houghton Mifin Harcourt, ISBN 978-0-547-71638-1 (hb), 80 pp., US$18.99 from(617) 351-5111,

GarbageIn the introduction to Garbage, authorDonna Latham asks her 9 to 12 yearold readers to re-think their consumer

choices and

habits, keep-ing in mindthat somedaywe may “runout of out andaway” placesto put trash.In the subse-quent chap-ters, Lathamacquaints

readers with ancient garbage dumpsknown as middens, dealing with thedisposal of hazardous and electronicwastes, pre-cycling, recycling, and


4/7GREEN TEACHER 103 Page 47

upcycling to name just a few. Sheincludes interesting trash facts, deni-tions of relevant terms, riddles andknock-knock jokes, plus 25 activityideas. The activities range from trashaudits and cleaning up an oil spillto vermicomposting and evaluatinghomemade vs. commercial cleaners.The end goal is to become a “rubbish

warrior” and to keep as much trash outof landlls as possible. –(BM)

Nomad Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-936313-46-4 (pb), 118 pp., US$15.95 from (802)649-1995,

The SuzukiDiaries DVDIn 2008, DavidSuzuki andhis youngestdaughter took athree-week road

trip to explore promising Euro- pean models of a

sustainable future. In Germany, theylearned how the third largest industri-alized nation in the world aims for afuture where all its electricity comesfrom renewables. Denmark used to bea country that got 98% of its energyfrom abroad; no more from a nationthat now exports its leading edge wind power all over the world. Copenhagenalso boasts 400 km of bike trails with

close to 40% of its commuters bikingto work. A visit to France exposed theSuzukis to the principles of biodynam-ics in agriculture where all phases of afarm operation fully complement eachother. Finally in Spain, the country iswell on its way to its goal of havingeasy access of high-speed trains for90% of the population by 2020. Thisis a hopeful documentary, full of con-crete, positive and much-needed stepstowards a sustainable future. Ideal forhigh school audiences. –(GL)

Bullfrog Films, 2013, ISBN 1-93777-278-0,45 mins, US $250 from (800) 543-3764,

Teaching Controversial IssuesRichard Woolley’s Teaching Con-troversial Issues in Primary School: Facing Life’s Challenges with Your Learners is an inspiring and instruc-tive book for teachers of children be-tween the ages of 5 and 11. The bookis grounded in research on the experi-ences of student teachers and youngchildren with controversial issues. He begins by identifying and dening

controversial issues—racism, genderidentity, death—explaining why theyneed to be addressed, and outliningwhole school, school-community, andexperiential learning approaches bywhich they can be tackled. Using casestudies and thoughtful discussion,Woolley assists teachers in knowingwhen and how to prepare and support

children who are facing or will facethese challenges in life. –(BM)

Routledge, 2010, ISBN 978-0-415-55018-5(pb), 162 pp, US $39.95 from (800) 634-7064,

E-waste CurriculumKindergarteners through fth graderswill benet from this collection of les-son plans that focus on self-reectionand technological awareness. Itsformat capitalizes on the ability ofyoung children to identify electronic

devices in order to begin solving theglobal e-waste epidemic by identifyingit . The plan asks students to recognizecellphones, portable music listeningdevices, tablets, et cetera, and includesvocabulary words such as landll,

waste, plasticand electronic. Next, it asksthe students toexpress howthey feel aboutthe pollution

and e-waste problem. Thislesson planis inuential,

maybe even downright inspirationaland truly relays the message that e-waste is a global issue that can haveserious effects on our health and thatof our planet. At its heart, it is an in-depth study of a controversial globalissue. –(AL)

Funding Factory, 2013, (online), 64 pp, freefrom The Curriculum Solutions Center,1-888-883-8237, .

Cultivating Outdoor ClassroomsThis is a comprehensive, attractiveand well-organized book for EarlyChildhood Educators who wish tocreate a viable and engaging outdoorclassroom. It provides a compellingrationale for outdoor settings thatare child-centered and that spark allaspects of their development. AuthorEric M. Nelson details highly practi-cal suggestions for teaching outdoors

as well as designing both the program

and the site. Italso includestips on getting buy-in from keystakeholders suchas other teachers,administrators, parents, and thecommunity as a

whole. Six ap- pendices provide additional tools, sug-gestions and resources. The publicationalso includes a wide variety of detailedand inspiring photographs. –(GL)

Redleaf Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1-60554-025-2 (pb), 203 pp., US $49.95 from (800)423-8309,

There Once Was an Island DVDI still tend to think about globalwarming as something that’s goingto happen in the future, but for some

Pacic islanders, the future is now.Briar March, the director of ThereOnce Was an Island brings the pointhome very personally in her multi-award winning feature documentary.The island in question is part of a tinyPapua New Guinea atoll, where theTakū people have made their home forover 1000 years. The community of400 subsists in what most of us wouldconsider paradise, but are beset withthe issues of reconciling their tradi-tional culture with the Western world,

and the creeping, long-term effects ofrising sea level.The govern-ment is offeringsettlement on a“nearby” islandalmost 250 kmaway, but as avisiting scientistsays; “This istheir world” andmany do not

want to leave. When an extreme hightide oods the village, it is heart-rending. The Takū are real people, andnot simply statistics. The sense of lossis palpable. There is no conclusion yetfor the Takū – they remain on theiratoll, the government offer mired inred tape, no decisions made. But thereis one conclusion. The people, throughno fault of their own, are on the frontlines of a battle that we are doing avery poor job of ghting. Essentialviewing for everyone. –(AC)

On the Level Productions, 2010, 80 mins,CDN $225 (colleges/universities) or $100

(K-12) from



Plastic,Ahoy! Plastic, Ahoy! by Patricia Newman tellsthe story ofthree gradu-

ate students who participated in a

scientic marine expedition to studythe Great Pacic Garbage Patch.Aboard the New Horizon —a researchship the length of four school buses— the students studied the impacts of the plastic garbage on microscopic andmacroscopic species. Geared towardsmiddle school students, the bookhighlights the deeper impacts of trashon the natural biospheres, specicallyon the North Pacic Gyre, a massivecalm area of the sea where trash swirlswith the currents. An important partof the research was looking at how thechemicals emanating from the oceantrash affected phytoplankton and zoo- plankton, the catalysts of the naturalreactions that create oxygen. Plasticwas found in 130 of 132 net tow sam- plings over a stretch of 1,700 miles.One of the students, Chelsea, con-cluded that “to see plastic debris in the

middle of this large stretch of ocean,far from land, offers a wake-up call forthe way we leave our footprint even onremote places of the Earth.” –(AL)

Millbrook Press, 2014, ISBN-978-1-14677-1283-5 (hb), 48 pp., US $36.60 from (800)328-4929

Ultimate BugopediaFrom the Praying Mantis loom-ing out of the frontispiece, NationalGeographic Kids uses visuals (over400 colour photos, maps and graphs)

to draw inthe younginsectophile-to-be. Ashort intro-ductory sec-tion presentsthe basicsof bugs; we

learn whereinsects twithin the

biodiversity and evolutionary historyof the planet, basic life cycles, keyadaptations and behaviours, habitatsand functions within ecosystems, andmigratory patterns. This rm base

allows 80% of the book to focus onthe major insect orders and specieswithin them, and the key elements thatmake those species or orders uniqueor particularly interesting. The insectscovered in-depth range from the com-mon or iconic to the unique and truly bizarre. Who wouldn’t want to learnabout blood-sucking moths, beetle

larvae heavy as a cellphone, or antsthat use their larvae as a glue stick?Each order/family/species gets a basictwo-page spread. Identication is donemore or less by eye, using the basicfeatures of each order or family. Spe-cic identication requires additionalresources, some of which are provided.Scientic terms are used, explainedand backed up by a good glossary.This is an excellent basic resource forstudents in grades ve to eight, andshould sit on outdoor centre shelves as

well. –(AC)National Geographic, 2013, ISBN: 798-1-4263-1376-9 (hb), 272 pp., US $24.95 from(800) 647-5463,

Why Do We Fight? Conictsarise in dailylife fromeverydaychoices we

make, basedon the wayin whichwe interact

within our community. Conicts overresources seem to be the root causeof many modern day political issues.Why Do We Fight? Confict, War and Peace by Niki Walker discusses howforming groups is part of our hu-man nature and conicts arise whentwo parties want different things.Walker uses powerful quotations fromrelevant and groundbreaking scholarslike Mahatma Gandhi regarding thetopics of peace and war. The book isgeared towards high school studentsand provokes thought surroundingthe intricacies of our social construct.Walker is a talented writer who offersgreat wisdom in a compact edition. –(AL)

Owlkids Books, 2013, ISBN 978-1-92697386-9 (hb), 80 pp., CDN $16.95 from(416) 340-2700,

http://www.lernerbooks.com/http://www.lernerbooks.com/


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Green Teacher Reviews Winter 2015

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