Elementary Library

Discussion prompts: ●​ Endpapers - What do you see? What are they making? ●​ Does your family make special treats? What are they and why are they special? ●​ What do you notice happening to the moon as Little Star nibbles? Does it remind you of anything? ●​ Make a prediction - what will Little Star’s mother do when she notices the mooncake has been eaten? Let’s Explore Phases of the Moon by Laura Hamilton Waxman (523.3 WAX) Readers follow along as the moon shifts from new to full and back again, learning the words for each lunar phase and how the sun's light creates the different moon shapes they see in the sky. Discussion prompts: ●​ Make a connection. What do you see in this book that reminds you of A Big Mooncake for Little Star? ●​ What do you learn in this book that helps you understand our other story better? ●​ What patterns do you notice? ●​ In your own words, why does the moon change shape over time?

What If You Had Animal Eyes?! by Sandra Markle (591.4 MAR) Text and illustrations depict how a child would look and behave with the eyes of various animals.

Discussion prompts: ●​ What animal eyes would you most like to have? Why? ●​ Is there any technology that helps us see like animals? What is it? ●​ What do you notice/wonder?

Mimic Makers: Biomimicry Inventors Inspired by Nature by Kristen Nordstrom (610.28 NOR) In biomimicry, scientists imitate traits found in nature. An engineer shapes the nose of his bullet train like a kingfisher's beak. A scientist models her solar cell on the mighty leaf. Discover how ten inventors were inspired by animals and plants to create cutting-edge technology.

Discussion prompts:

●​ What do you notice/wonder? ●​ What animal has a skill or quality you would most like to have? ●​ What is the job of an engineer?

Nature Did it First: Engineering Through Biomimicry by Karen Ansberry (602 ANS) Part playful poetry, part nonfiction information, children are introduced to the unique structures of seven plants and animals and the extraordinary innovations they have inspired.

Discussion prompts:

●​ What do you notice/wonder? ●​ What animal has a skill or quality you would most like to have?

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