Thought for the Day:
“You can’t read everything that’s been written, but you can try.”
~ Lloyd Alexander ~
Gifts for My Writer Friends:
Lori Freeland at Writers in the Storm has a terrific post HERE that will help you make your settings much more real so they can do some of the heavy lifting of storytelling for you.
Writing good dialogue is not easy, but with the tips HERE from Roz Morris, it will be easier for you.
Families are complicated — even when writing about them. The post HERE from Daily Writing Tips will help you write about families correctly.
I don’t often get offers from publishers or publicists for copies of books for review. I don’t quite know how to get on those lists. (National Geographic, if you are reading, please . . .) However, every now and then, I do hear from those folks. Recently I was offered a wonderful new non-fiction book, Leonardo’s Science Workshop by Heidi Olinger. I have to tell you, I wanted to have this one for myself, but the publisher generously offered a second copy so I could do a giveaway! Bonus for you, my friends. Here is my review.
STEM books are all the rage these days, particularly in the middle-grade canon. This book expands the STEM to STEAM and, thankfully, includes Art in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math equation. And how could they not include Art when basing a book on the work of Leonardo da Vinci?
The book opens with a few pages about Leonardo and an introduction to the scientific method. After the introductory pages there are six sections of explanation and projects: Take Flight; Moving Along: the Science of Motion; One Energy Source Flows to the Next: Light, Wind, and Electromagnetic Fields; Designing Technologies; Rocks and Stars. Each section has several projects that are introduced with scientific and historical background and laid out with excellent step-by-step instructions using both text and photographs to show the way. Sure, kids can learn to make paper airplanes, but they can also learn to make their own paper! They can learn ways to help save the planet and even how to make a comet. This is not the run-of-the-mill project book for little kids. This is a huge step above such books and does some serious teaching while allowing youngsters to to really expand their minds and build confidence in their abilities. The writing is lively, fun, interesting, and never talks down to its young audience. The photographs and drawings are spectacular and the layout is very, very inviting. This book belongs in every middle-grade classroom and may well sneak into the high school classrooms as well. It’s that good. Kids and teachers alike will be grateful for this book.
I have a brand new copy of this book for one of you. All you need do is be a follower or subscriber (it’s free!), have a U.S. address, and leave a comment below. If you would like extra chances, please share the link to this post on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media outlet and let me know you have done that. If you are reading this in your email, please click HERE to get to my blog, then click on the title of the post, and leave a comment. And don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at the Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.
Rosi Hollinbeck 
I love books like this! They give me so many ideas for my own work. Thanks for sharing a copy with one of us! I shared on Twitter, Facebook, Pinerest, and tumblr.
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It would be a great mentor text. Thanks for sharing my link. Good luck in the drawing.
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This sounds like a gem of a book, one that teachers and students could use. Thanks for sharing this Rosi!
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You’re welcome, Lisa. Nice to see you here. Good luck in the drawing.
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Anything about this Renaissance man and his work is fascinating. I love the idea of introducing kids to him.
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Yes, he is fascinating. It’s so important for kids to learn about this great man. Thanks for the comment. Good luck int he drawing.
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This sounds like a wonderful book. I almost wish I were still in the classroom. This would be a wonderful source for cross-curricular studies.
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I know what you mean. When I run across really great books, I long to share them with kids. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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This sounds like a fantastic resource! Thanks for bringing it to light.
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Sounds like a must-have. Thanks for bringing it to light!
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You’re welcome, Shirley. Nice to see you here. Good luck in the drawing.
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I love the Lloyd Alexander quote! He’s one of my favorites. It’s been a struggle to get my students to read nonfiction now that we don’t have AR; I need to look at my collection and align better with curricular needs. This is an intriguing title.
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I think your teachers would be grateful to have a copy available to them. Thanks for stopping by. Good luck in the drawing.
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Wow! This sounds like an awesome read for kids and a valuable resource for teachers/librarians/parents. Thank you for posting about this book for MMGM; I’ll be looking for a copy at our library so there’s no need to enter me in the giveaway. :0}
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It is awesome, June. Thanks for the comment.
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This books sounds like an important resource for schools and would fit into a variety of curriculums. I have always loved Leonardo and his interest in science. I’ll pass, as I have so many books in my TBR pile. If you want to receive more ARCs to review, you only need to contact the publisher on twitter and state that you review books and would like to be put in touch with their publicist. Or look for the publicist on their websites.
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Thanks for the hint, Patricia, and thanks for the comment.
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Perfect selection for today’s classroom or at home. I recently attended an exhibit on the scientist and his inventions so I’m intrigued by this title. I will track down my own copy so don’t include me in the drawing since I just won a previous giveaway. (It came today. Thank you!)
Loved the article on dialog as I’m always trying to flesh out believable exchanges in my own writing.
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I’d love to see such an exhibit. Lucky you. Thanks for stopping by.
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I’d love to win this book and would pass it along to my grandkids. Thanks for the opportunity.
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You’re welcome. Good luck!
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This book makes me want to devour it through the computer! I’ve been long fascinated by Leonardo, and love the example his work sets for all of us–that science and art belong together, and people needn’t be good at only one of them. I’m tweeting this out and will cross my fingers I win, but may just have to get a copy for myself and my nephews either way.
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Thanks for sharing my link! Good luck in the drawing.
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You definitely found another winner here, Rosi. I’ll be watching closely to see who wins, so I know if I need to get to the book store. I’ll post on Facebook as well.
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Thanks for sharing my link. Good luck!
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Sounds like a fun read!
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It is fascinating. Thanks for the comment. Good luck in the drawing.
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