Night Science for Kids: Exploring the World After Dark

Grade 4-6--This attractive and informative collection of activities provides ample background material before sending readers out into the dark. Introductory chapters explain the reason for the night and make recommendations for equipment, clothing, and safety practices. The bulk of the book focuses on the behavior of nocturnal animals, birds, and insects. A subsequent chapter covers observing the night sky. The closing section discusses dawn and dusk. Activities are interesting, informative, and within the abilities of young readers. Adult help is specified when needed, as in building an owl house. The writing is clear and readable, with a light and sometimes humorous tone. Outstanding full-color photos illustrate the projects well, and depict a good mix of boys and girls. With its combination of nighttime zoology and astronomy, Krautwurst's book is more advanced than Pamela Hickman's The Night Book (Kids Can, 1999), and its information on astronomical phenomena is similar to that found in Graham Dolan's The Greenwich Guide to Day and Night (Heinemann Library, 2001).--Jeffrey A. French, Euclid Public Library, OH
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*Starred Review* Gr. 3-7. Krautwurst's chatty, interactive approach will draw middle-graders to this handsome, large-size guide, as will the browsable, well-organized design, with clear type on thick paper and lots of beautifully reproduced color photos that show kids outside at night and the creatures that they see. The attractive pages are packed with a wealth of detailed scientific information on everything from the anatomy of an owl's eye (there's a reflective layer, a tapetum, behind the retina) to the Mizar and Alcor stars in the Big Dipper. Safety rules are always emphasized ("don't touch the bat or bother it"), and many of the practical activities begin with the instruction "Ask a grown-up to help you." In fact, the pictures accompanying elaborate carpentry projects, such as constructing a bat house, clearly show adults in charge. The book can also serve as a handbook for young campers and outdoor explorers, with rules for watching wildlife and suggestions for interpreting tracks and signs, sharpening night senses, planting a moonlight moth garden, building a night exploring trail, and much more. The sense of wonder grounded in the gritty, practical facts and projects makes for a great science story about the dark world waiting to be discovered just outside the door. Hazel Rochman
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