Book: “If Animals Built Your House” by Bill Wise
Genre: Children’s Non-Fiction
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Blogger’s Note: Thanks to the publisher Sourcebooks Kids for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Where do I even begin? Our family LOVED this book! If I could give this one more than five stars, I would! Oh wait… I’m the one in charge of this blog here… so a million kazillion stars for this book it is! We are a science loving family. Our kids love adventuring into the great outdoors, turning over logs and searching all sorts of creatures. So when Sourcebooks Kids sent us this book, I literally jumped for joy at our mailbox!
This animal focused STEM book provides a kid friendly approach to some incredible engineering topics while making them accessible for a range of ages. The first part of the book details the homes of eleven unique animals and their surrounding environments. Each animal is featured on a double page spread and the illustrations will draw in adults and kids alike into the previously elusive world of these marvelous creatures!
Once readers have been invited into these unique homes, they will be challenged to extend their learning! The back of the book provides more information in several different subjects. Science facts are given on the animals, literacy suggestions are made to enhance the book and finally STEAM challenges are presented!
The book in itself is a wonderful creation and would make a great addition to any home children’s library or classroom. However, our family loved the STEAM project at the end of the book! It is not to be missed! We spent time together as a family researching and studying the nature around our house and then opted to recreate some of our favorite animal homes that we learned about in the book. To supplement our knowledge, we watched two videos from National Geographic Kids. One of our kids chose to create a Beaver Dam and the other was smitten by the Satin Bower Bird.
After researching, the kids created a “blueprint” of their new ideal animal homes on paper. Our little engineers used crayons, markers and paper to colorfully design their creations on paper.
Next, our mini bookworms went outside and sourced materials from our backyard to use to create a three dimensional version of their designs. When all was said and done, the kids recorded videos for their grandparents talking about the animals, their natural habitats and all of the unique features that make their amazing homes so remarkable!
Recommendations: Every kid should have the opportunity to enjoy this book and participate in the fun STEAM activity at the end! This is a must buy for every classroom or home library!
Literature & Lattes 