STEM | Daddy Mojo

Earth Clock, an illustrated book on the history of the planet

“It’s criminal how cheap this is”, I said when I was checking out. I was a Mojo Vinyl (no relation) looking through some albums when I found the debut, eponymous album from The Producers. I couldn’t believe it was only $5, not that I wanted to pay more. However, it’s always worth talking to the record store employees so that they know what you’re looking for. Speaking of criminal behavior, I can’t believe that Earth Clock: The History of Our Planet in 24 Hours is only $8.23 on Amazon. Also, it says that it was released in 2022? What book vortex was I engulfed in to miss this one?

Earth Clock is the engaging STEM book that counts down a timeline of our planet that you didn’t know your library needed.

You know what time it is

Why Space Will Freak You Out knows what young (STEM) readers want

There’s a template that the irresistible non-fiction, reference books have. They cater to elementary school audiences. However, they’re enjoyable enough for older audiences to read them without being ashamed, as if they were caught reading Peppa Pig. They’re also smart enough to teach them facts they legitimately didn’t know. These are the cool facts they can share with family and friends like, “Did you know that the red spot on Jupiter is a massive storm that’s been happening for hundreds of years-at least?” Why Space Will Freak You Out got a copy of that template. It’s the planetary version of ‘things that go bump in the night’. This book baits the hook for science kids, as well as, reluctant STEM kids who avoid non-fiction, but love unusual or disgusting things.

Why Space Will Freak You Out takes the scary and odd path to entertaining, and educating kids aged eight and up.

In space, they can’t hear you scream because of this

Gird your loins for The Gland Factory, you’ll wish it was twice as long

Have you seen Inside Out or Inside Out 2? Both of those movies did a fabulous job in explaining emotions. They were especially effective with those complicated ones, like anxiety and jealousy. The Gland Factory: A Tour of Your Body’s Goops, Juices and Hormones is the literary sibling by another mother to those movies. This is a book that’s funny, legitimately LOL funny on so many levels that you’ll begrudgingly find yourself learning something in-between a chuckle, grin, guffaw or laugh. Author Rachel Poliquin proves that she knows her audience because The Gland Factory is sufficiently gross enough to attract upper-elementary through middle school readers.

The Gland Factory straddles the line between reference book and graphic novel in a funny, LOL, and educational way that kids will want to experience.

You’ll want to go back to your 10 YO self and read this

Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale, illustrated, poetic, STEM gold for 4-8

That’s a handful of alliterations in that short title, aren’t they? And while young readers might not appreciate its clever wordplay, they will immediately notice the glossy aspects to the book’s cover. The arctic fox is looking at its kit, while a mother and her daughter are in a boat in the horizon. In the background are whirling colors that older readers will associate with the aurora borealis. Younger readers might not know that fascinating light show, but will associate the pattern with something akin to Willy Wonka and be immediately curious about the show. That magic will continue as kids open Arctic Adventure. They’ll fall into wanderlust and become the armchair traveler that great illustrated books can help kids embark on.

Arctic Adventure: A Tundra Tale is an illustrated book that uses fabulous, dreamy art and succinct text to create a world that young readers will willingly get lost in.

An arctic Adventure that’s great any time of the year

Bud Finds Her Gift is a beautiful nature book without the guilt

The intersection of picture and illustration book is a tricky one that only publishing executives know how to successfully navigate 100% of the time. Bud Finds Her Gift is a lovely book that could be seen in either one of those categories by some people. Does the text do more of the heavy lifting or it that left up to the illustrations? The answer to that question determines if it would be classed as an illustrated book or a picture book. Granted, as the end of the day, other than the author, illustrator, and publisher, who really cares? It’s when you trip over a book like Bud Finds Her Gift that you want to describe it accurately.

Bud Finds Her Gift is an illustrated book that takes advantage of its luxurious, approachable art and succinct, but impactful text, to entertain kids in a soft message book.

Calculating Chimpanzees is smarter-than-average STEM book that rewards readers

The educator wonk in me loves books that aren’t scared to display their intelligence. The realist in me knows something that’s too smart will scare off some readers. The second book in the Extraordinary Animals series is Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and Other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities. That’s a mouthful of a title and it has the intellect to back up. Not that a reference, non-fiction book aimed at elementary school readers has a beef with anybody, other than ignorance.

Calculating Chimpanzees, Brainy Bees, and other Animals with Mind-Blowing Mathematical Abilities is STEM for kids that’s accessible, with more of a scientific, narrative flow than some its over-the-top brethren.

This book (and the animals listed therein) are smarter than some of my students

Our Cosmos, an approachable big-picture space book for elementary ages

A reference book is too wonky. A book with illustrations can be too kid-ish. If it looks too much like a Nat Geo books those who are immune to its charms will run like a vampire nearing daylight. Is there a cartoon in it? The middle school kids who see anything remotely associated with elementary school will tune out. Our Cosmos: The Complete Guide to Space for Kids is built for some of those upper-elementary ages. Those who will get the most out of the book are middle school kids who are curious about space, but might just be a little reluctant in learning about it.

Our Cosmos: The Complete Guide for Space to Kids is big-picture thinking presented in nuggets of information for elementary ages.

Space, the cosmos by another name, can be fun to learn about

A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky is (somewhat) easy astronomy

Even before this generation became addicted to Youtube Shorts they were becoming a less intelligent demographic than the one that preceded them. If our students or children were watching possibly anything other than the lowest common denominator nonsense I see them on I’d think otherwise. Don’t get me wrong my generation rotted their brains with I Love New York, Rock of Love and Cheaters, but at least that was long-form stupid entertainment. It’s possible that the de-evolution of mankind started when the average person could no longer navigate by the stars or point out the constellations. I never truly understood the constellations. I can see the great shapes that they purport to be (once they’re pointed out..), but they also look like a Rorschach Test of random dots. A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky is by John A. Read, who lives in the smart side of YouTube. His channel, Learn to Stargaze, is smart, presented from a common sense perspective and gives off the vibe that anyone is able to stargaze regardless of their age or equipment level.

A Kid’s Guide to the Night Sky: Simple Ways to Explore the Universe makes the cosmos approachable for elementary school ages.

Don’t be intimidated, it’s just a bunch of space rocks