The Literature Link: Science

Grades 4-6

Avi.  Poppy (Orchard Books, 1995)  Mr. Ocax, the owl,  rules the territory where Poppy, a young deer mouse, lives with her large, extended family. When her fiancé, Ragweed, is killed by the owl, Poppy sets off to find a new home.

Banks, Lynne Reid. Harry the Poisonous Centipede: A Story to Make You Squirm  (William Morrow & Company, 1997)  Harry the centipede and his friend George have a series of dangerous adventures exploring forbidden tunnels and drains that lead above ground to where the most dangerous creatures they have ever met  -humans.

James, Mary. Shoebag ( Apple, 1992)  A cockroach awakens to find out that he has turned into a little boy.

Lisle, Janet Taylor. Forest. (Orchard Books, 1993)  This environmentally themed novel chronicles the events leading up to a  narrowly averted war between a society of usually peaceable squirrels and the humans who live nearby.

Mikaelsen.  Countdown  (Hyperion, 1996) During a daring space mission, NASA's first Junior Astronaut, fourteen year old Elliott Schroeder, faces a fateful encounter with a young Masai herder via short-wave radio.

Mowat, Farley.  Owls in the Family  (Dell, 1996)  Good lead-in to owl pellet dissection. The adventures of two owls who shake up an entire neighborhood and turn a house topsy-turvy.

Oppel, Kenneth.  Silverwing  (Simon & Schuster, 1997) The author combines factual elements of bat behavior, migration, and communication with elements of traditional animal fantasy in this story of Shade, the runt of a bat colony.

Sonenklar, Carol.  Bug Boy (Henry Holt & Co, 1997) Charlie, whose passion for insects has earned him the nickname,``Bug Boy", discovers that the Bug-a-View magnifier he's been given will turn him into any insect he places in the viewer.

Velde, Vivian Vande.  Smart Dog  (Harcourt Brace, 1998)  Fifth grader, Amy, helps a  talking dog who has escaped from a college research lab.
 

Grades 1-3

Bunting, Eve. Someday a Tree  (Clarion Books, 1993) Alice and her parents try to save a beloved old oak tree that is dying because it has been poisoned by chemicals.

Carle, Eric. Hello, Red Fox  (Simon & Schuster, 1998) This delightfully simple and funny birthday story, with animals rendered in Eric Carle's brightly colored collages, introduces the concept of complementary colors and persistence of vision.

Cowan, Catherine.  My Life with the Wave ( Lothrop, 1997)  This picture book for all ages is the tale of a boy who befriends a wave at the seashore and brings her home.

Hearn, Diane Dawson. Dad's Dinosaur Day  (Simon & Schuster, 1993) When his father turns into a dinosaur for a day, Mikey takes him to school.

Hort, Lenny.  How Many Stars in the Sky?  (Tambourine, 1991) When a boy can't sleep, his father takes him on a star counting trip.

Noble, Trinka Hakes. The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash ( Dial Books, 1980) When Jimmy's unusual pet accompanies him on his class trip, an ordinary jaunt to a farm turns into a hilarious, slapstick romp.

Pinkwater, Daniel.  Fat Men from Space. (Yearling Books, 1980)  When William has his tooth filled,  it begins receiving radio signals that warn him of  an invasion by spacemen who are taking all of earth's supply of junk food.

Pollack, Penny. The Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella Story   (Little Brown, 1996)  This solemn, thoughtful  folktale is about what happens when you break your contract with Mother Earth.

Showers, Paul. Listening Walk  (Harper Collins, 1991)  A little girl, her father, and their dog take a "listening walk" together.

Ryder, Joanne. Earthdance  (Henry Holt & Company, 1996)  Ryder's lyrical text invites young listeners to transform themselves into Earth and experience all its wonders. She describes natural formations, flora and fauna, and humankind and its creations.