Science books from IRA in Chicago to the Cayman Islands

One of my favorite things to do at the annual IRA convention (which was in Chicago this year) is to look at all the wonderful children’s books for sale in the exhibit hall. This year I shopped with my daughter, Jessica, in mind. She is living and working in Little Cayman for 6 months. Lucky girl! It is for an internship she’s doing as a grad student at University of Florida where she is working on a Master’s in Ecology.

Part of the time Jessica works with students from ages 10-13 who come to LC on an overnight class field trip from the other islands. She introduces them to marine biology and conservation (and shows them the lionfish she’s studying). She is documenting her work here and just got a grant funded for an underwater video camera. I suggested she think about creating a science-related book with photos to use in her training with the kids here.

I could only choose a few books (because my suitcase in Chicago was already packed to the max), so I picked three:

·     The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson, Ph.D.

·     Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Coombs

·     Manfish, A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne

Fortunately, I was flying to Little Cayman to visit my daughter the day after IRA! So when I arrived, I shared these titles with Jessica. She can’t wait to use the ocean ones with her kids. The snow book will be used as a mentor text for her. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be the next award-winning science writer for kids!