Saturday, June 27, 2020

NSTA Award Winning Frog Trade Books 2000---

Froggy Winners
Rationale: Science is passion: science is wonder--that’s what my science teacher husband tells me AND I support his claim and belief completely. Each year a National Science Teachers’ Association committee and representatives from the Children’s Book Council select books that they consider to be the best science books of the previous year.


This My Books Alive post features the frog  books selected by NSTA and CBC between the years of 2000 and 2019. Why separate award winning frog books from all the other wonderful books and have a lone entry for them? The topic of frogs runs through the science curricula grades K-12.  This entry also serves as a way to introduce the reader to the NSTA Science Trade Books and how they are selected.


In my school, frog life cycles are part of a larger theme about life cycles in general, for the primary grades. In the middle grades, the pond habitat is part of the curriculum and frogs are included as part of that study. Finally, in middle school, students study the animal kingdom and animal classes, including amphibians, and expand that study to include contemporary ecological problems. There are many books about frogs for grades K-3, both fiction and nonfiction. The result a separate and  complete blog entry filled with two story hours or lessons, one featuring fun new frog books and the other the life cycle and some hands-on activities to supplement the lessons occurring in the classroom. The upper grade students segment of the entry, or grades 3-6, take a closer look at the difference between frogs and toads. In the grades 5-8 portion of that entry, students learn about specific amphibians and become that species’ “expert.”


“The practices the NSTA and CBC committee uses to explore the natural world and to create new products now include mathematics and engineering. They also recognize the importance of the arts, history, and human perspectives in these explorations. Science is not just one “way of knowing,” but many. The same is true for our vision of outstanding science literature. Today’s best science trade books include captivating stories of human achievement, combine science and engineering,  feature outstanding art, lyric poetry, and plenty of ideas for hands-on activity.


Specifically, the panel looks at both content and presentation. Selection is based generally on the following criteria:
  • The book has substantial science content.
  • Information is clear, accurate, and up-to-date.
  • Theories and facts are clearly distinguished.
  • Facts are not oversimplified to the point that the information is misleading.
  • Generalizations are supported by facts, and significant facts are not omitted.
  • Books are free of gender, ethnic, and socioeconomic bias.
The panel also uses rigorous selection guidelines relating to the presentation of material, including the following: logical presentation and a clear sequence of ideas; appropriate content level for the intended audience; compatible text and illustrations; illustrations that are accurate representations in size, color, and scale; appropriate trim size and format of the book for the subject and audience; and well-organized layout that advances the text. The panel also gives attention to the quality of binding, paper, reproduction, and the appropriateness of typeface.” Quoted from the NSTA and CBC guidelines for selection.


Frog NSTA Awardees by Reading Level--Several of the titles will have their own entries as My Books Alive continues to grow--one such single entry is Nic Bishop’s Frogs that forms an author/illustrator study. Included with most entries are links to teaching ideas for that specific title.

Ribbit by Hurley, Jorey — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017. Dewey: -E-; Int Lvl: K-3. Minimal text and color illustrations tell the story of a year in the life of a frog family. From tadpole to froglet to frog, there is more to a frog's life, above and below the pond, that can be clearly seen.
Pond by Morrison, Gordon  — Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Dewey: 577.63; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.6. Observes how a glacial pond and the abundance of plants and animals that draw life from it change over the course of a year. OP
Over and under the pond by Messner, Kate — Chronicle Books, 2017. Dewey: 577.63; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.8. Celebrates the forms of life that live above and under a pond, including turtles, red-winged blackbirds, blue herons, minnows, frogs, and catfish.
Hip-pocket papa by Markle, Sandra — Charlesbridge, 2010--597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.9
A male hip-pocket frog--Assa darlingtoni--protects his offspring while they grow from tadpoles to froglets in pouches located inside his legs.

The frog book by Jenkins, Steve  — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. 597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.1. An introduction to an assortment of the world's frog species, discussing their colors, shapes, and sizes; many different habitats; their lifecycle; and how they find food, escape danger, and attract a mate. Educator’s Guide from Houghton Mifflinhttps://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HMH/Jenkins.w.Frog.pdf#page=21
Frog song by Guiberson, Brenda Z  — Henry Holt, 2013--597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.1 Discusses the songs of many different frogs from all parts of the globe.


Flying frogs and walking fish : leaping lemurs, tumbling toads, jet-propelled jellyfish, and more surprising ways that animals move by Jenkins, Steve — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. Dewey: 591.5; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.2. Text and illustrations explore unusual animal locomotion.
Educator’s Guide for multiple Jenkins & Page books https://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HMH/Jenkins.w.Trick.Dead.pdf
Slippery, slimy baby frogs by Markle, Sandra  — Walker ,Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrinck, 2006--597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.4. Colorful photographs and text describe how tadpoles grow into frogs.
Fanatical about frogs (Owen Davey) by Davey, Owen — Flying Eye Books, 2019: 597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.6. Shares information on different types of frogs.
Nic Bishop frogs. by Bishop, Nic, 1955- — Scholastic, 2008--597.8; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.7
Full-color, illustrated photographs describing the characteristics and behaviors of a variety of frogs around the world.
Nic Bishop Personal website http://www.nicbishop.com/
Nic Bishop introduces and shares some of the backstory for creating Nic Bishop Frogs https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=3820
Catching air : taking the leap with gliding animals by Collard, Sneed B — Tilbury House Publishers, 2017. Dewey: 591.5; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. Introduces children to the different types of animals that glide, including bats, birds, fish, frogs, and more. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.
The case of the vanishing golden frogs : a scientific mystery by Markle, Sandra — Milbrook Press, 2012--597.8; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.7 Follows a team of scientists as they try to save Panamanian golden frogs, which began to disappear fifteen years ago, and looks at the reasons behind their decline. Lexile 910 Grades 4-5
Survival at 40 below by Miller, Debbie S — Walker, 2010. Dewey: 591.75; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.9. Describes how animals survive winter on the Arctic tundra, discussing ground squirrels, wood frogs, woolly bear caterpillars, and other species. OP
Debbie Miller Website--Featured Arctic animals https://www.debbiemilleralaska.com/survival-at-40-below
Frogs! : strange and wonderful by Pringle, Laurence P — Boyds Mills Press, 2012--597.8; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.4 Facts and illustrations introduce readers to the characteristics of frogs living in different habitats around the world. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at Follett.
Animals that make me say wow! by Cusick, Dawn — Imagine! Publishing, 2014. Dewey: 591; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 8.2. For more than forty-five years, the National Wildlife Federation has been dazzling families with amazing images and stories. Get ready for some supersonic fun that will make you say WOW! Discover jet propulsion in squid and dragonflies, camouflage in cuttlefish and katydids, photosynthesis in salamanders and sea slugs, vocal sacs in frogs, balance in giraffes and spider monkeys, and antenna fencing in crickets. Want more? How about spiders that use air bubbles like gills, skunks that eat bees, sea slugs that steal stinging cells from jellyfish, bower birds that build sparkling nests, and jawfish that brood eggs in their mouths! This book celebrates amazing animal surprises from all over the world with one-of-a-kind photographs from the NWF archives.
The case of the monkeys that fell from the trees : and other mysteries in tropical nature by Quinlan, Susan E  — Boyds Mills Press, c2003 p2010--508.313; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 8.4 Presents scientific investigations of twelve tropical forest mysteries, looking at why monkeys sometimes fall from the trees, how passion flower vines foil their predators, how poison dart frogs make their poison, and other questions.


Animals that make me say ouch! by Cusick, Dawn— Imagine! Publishing, 2014. Dewey: 591; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 8.5. Discover talon strength in birds of prey, sharp claws in lions and pumas, chewing mouthparts in insects, venom in snakes, and toxins in frogs. More? You want more? How about skunks that eat bees, stinging cells in jellyfish, meerkats that eat scorpions, caterpillars with spines, badgers and bears that bite, and zebras that kick! This book celebrates amazing animal surprises from all over the world with one-of-a-kind photographs from the NWF archives.
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