Vicki Cobb's Blog
March 13, 2022
Close to Immortality
They are gnarled and scarred and twisted by harsh wind, weather, fire and disease. They live above 9,000 feet where there is little other vegetation. They are the oldest living trees on the planet. Yet they survive. All of this is interesting or unusual, even amazing but, according to award-winning author Alexandra Siy, none of this is their secret. One tree, named Methuselah, is almost 5,000 years old. Its location is a secret for its own protection. There are many visitors to the national park in California's White Mountains who are fascinated by these toughest of all living things. By the time you reach page 8 of this picture book for kids 5-9 and up, the dramatic, dance-like illustrations by Marlo Garnsworthy and Siy's enticing prose has the reader hooked. What are the secrets of the Bristlecones? Although the Bristlecones show their age, they are pulsing with life.
"Branches flexing, needles sunning, sugar surging, sap flowing, roots soaking--
the ancient bristlecone pine grows, ring by ring."
And it is these rings, which form every year, that contain the secrets of the Bristlecones, -- nothing less than the history of Earth's climate. Pretty timely, no? Scientists remove core samples of the tree trunks to "read" this story that goes back through the millennia, recording events such as a lightning strike in 1122 or volcanic eruptions in 2036 BC. The backmatter of the book includes more details of survival and links to websites for those who want to know more.
Siy and Garnsworthy have created a picture book for all ages that is creative nonfiction at its best. It spotlights STEAM, including an "A" for "art" plus science that shows us HOW we know while infusing a desire to WANT to know. It innovatively includes suspense, romance, and wonder in a tale of these battle-scarred heroes of the plant kingdom.
Here is the link to the Bristlecone page on Alexandra Siy's website. Publication is June 19, 2022.
November 7, 2021
What's the Enemy Up To?
Steve Strummer, Public Domain One of the most important contributions of author-driven nonfiction is a point of view. Carla Killough McClafferty is noted for the interesting slants she takes in her meticulously researched books. Her last book
Buried Lives
, is a sensitive discussion of the enslaved people of George Washington. In her latest book Spies in the American Revolution for Kids she looks at history through the lens of how and why intelligence about the British was essential to the Colonial Army to win a war where they were up against one of the most formidable military powers of the 18th century.What are the characteristics of a good spy? Loyalty to one's cause and people, a good memory for detail, the abilities to blend in, to lie effectively, to keep secrets and more. Both sides had spies working all the time. If caught, the punishment could be severe, even death. So spies were often interesting people. Sometimes they formed a group or "ring" so they worked together. Sometimes they pretended to be a spy for one side but were really working for the other. They had clever methods of imparting intelligence, long before there was any long distance, instantaneous communication.
Carla McClafferty explores the importance of enemy intelligence as it played out during the American Revolutionary War. She brings history to life with tales of the brave men and women, both patriots and loyalists, who kept their eyes open about the moves of the enemy. Benedict Arnold, once a patriot, became the icon of a traitor. I was particularly interested in his emissary, John André, who was captured in September of 1790 in my home town of Tarrytown, NY. He was carrying Benedict Arnold's surrender of the fort at West Point, which Arnold was selling out for a fee. There is a statue of the capture in Patriot's Park, near the Tarrytown library. He was hanged as a spy at noon on October 2, 1790.
McClafferty's lively take on the intelligence behind the Revolution is a unique and engaging vantage point for some of the key turning points of the war with lots of openings for questions and conversation. There's nothing like a good story to get kids involved.
August 28, 2021
A Slice of the Amazon Rainforest
Inside the pages of Roxie Munro's artist's view of the Amazon rainforest lurks a giant anteater who is the actual size of this forest creature. It's almost six feet long from tail to tip of the snout!I know because I measured. How she does this is one of the intriguing ways this master of children's innovative nonfiction communicates. It's also a reason to see this book in its true form--as a book.
The Amazon rainforest is an overwhelming experience because of its size, the diversity of life and the scope of interdependence between species. Roxie Munro samples its denizens, all of them actual size, from the forest floor up through its main layers: the understory, the canopy, and the emergent layer, which looks like a giant green cauliflower from an eagle's eye or from an airplane. Her glorious art is also a puzzle. Can you find the leaf-cutter ants carrying their oversized loads? When does the anteater start appearing? And for how many pages? What about those legged-animals that don't walk?
The objective of this book is to make children care about this essential-to-the-planet ecosystem. Roxie Munro shows her love of her subject matter with exquisitely detailed and well-researched depictions and selections of representative mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids and centipedes. You meet each sampling of the animal kingdom through an entertaining, unique attribute that whets curiosity:
"Blue morpho butterflies, like all butterflies, have taste sensors in their legs. They stand on their food and taste with their feet."
The back matter of the book answers readers' questions and has a key to the placement of featured creatures in the lavishly illustrated pages (the answers to the seek-n-find game). Munro explains the layers of the rainforest and the importance of its preservation. And there are lots of references for further study.
Anteaters, Bats & Boas: The AMAZON RAINFOREST from the FOREST FLOOR to the TREETOPS is a book that celebrates life and nature, all wonderfully accessible through the power of art and a discerning author.
February 22, 2021
A Local Event the Rippled Through Black History and Generations
Equal justice for Black Americans is a long tale of two steps forward; one step back. After a short-lived Reconstruction (1865-1877), white Americans began clawing back rights that Black citizens were entitled to. One small story began in 1890 New Orleans, Louisiana, when Homer Plessy, a 29-year-old Black family man agreed to challenge the "Separate Car Act," which stated that Blacks had to ride in "separate-but-equal" railroad cars. His arrest for sitting in the "wrong" car was planned by a committee of Black citizens. The case was a losing one. When it was denied by the Supreme Court in 1896, "Plessy v. Ferguson" opened the door for 60+ years of oppressive Jim Crow laws.iNK author, Amy Nathan, has a knack for finding stories of racial injustice that are local, relatable to kids, and make history come alive for them. In 1967, Keith Plessy was a fifth grader in New Orleans when the case bearing his surname came up in history class. Maybe he was related to Homer Plessy? "The answer to questions I was trying to get as a kid were not in that history book in school." All these years later, Amy Nathan has written the book that would have captivated Keith Plessy. It not only tells the story of an unjust law but also connects it to a time and place. It turns out that another child, Phoebe Ferguson, exactly the same age as Keith Plessy was a descendant of the judge who was the white party in Plessy V. Ferguson. When they eventually discovered each other together in their forties, they decided to attempt to right the wrongs that stemmed from Plessy v. Ferguson decision.
Together: An Inspiring Response to the "Separate-But-Equal" Supreme Court Decision that Divided America is a page-turning, very accessible account of the past and its impact. Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson created a foundation to educate people who visit New Orleans with beautiful, well-written historic markers-- history-on-the-go for residents and tourists. One of Amy's earlier books, Round and Round Together: Taking a Merry-Go-Round Ride into the Civil Rights Movement, tells a Maryland story of the integration of an amusement park, and is now part of the curriculum of the schools where the event took place. Together is another book to wake up children in New Orleans and beyond.
When history is local and impactful, a well-told story like Together opens the portals of history to children who are numbed to its power by the flaccid text-book approach that destroys any spark to learn more.
November 8, 2020
Science and Prescience
WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY IMAGES On June 17, 2020, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) had recorded 120,730 deaths from COVID-19 in the U. S and projected we would surpass 200,000 deaths by October first. Were they right? Let's check. On October 1, 2020 the actual number of deaths was 206,733. Hmmmm. How could they be so accurate? Did they use a crystal ball?A recent NY Times article cites a study by Stanford University to quantify the mortality fallout of death by Corona as a result of 18 of Trump's pandemically- inappropriate rallies between June and September. Their results: more than 30,000 infections and 700 deaths. They used data, statistics, and mathematical models to estimate what close encounters by the unmasked could generate.
Wanna know how many dead Americans are projected to die between the election and Inauguration Day if we continue on our current path? Using that amazing graph the answer is: 140,817. If we relax the COVID restrictions ala the Trump rallies, the projection is that 211,122 COVID deaths arrive by January 20. Now suppose we were all mandated to wear masks and 90% of us complied, COVID will still rage but the number decreases. We're projected to lose 89,588. Again, doing the math( with the help of my trusty technology-invented calculator), a mask mandate will save the lives of 51,229 of our fellow citizens in that time period.
This is why data and analysis and models are crucial. They are guidelines for the future. The path they predict are only as good as the accuracy of the numbers plugged in. Tests give us the numbers. Tracing estimates exposure to those who test positive. And we have proven methods for counting the numbers of hospitalizations and people on ventilators and hospital deaths. These are data we can trust.
So it doesn't matter if you don't believe in science. You're gonna find out eventually. If you live long enough.
October 27, 2020
Halloween Is Coming: Let's Talk and Sing About Ghosts
iNK author, Kerrie Logan Hollihan, has just come out with her second book in her "Creepy and True" series: Ghosts Unveiled! Hmmmmmm.... How is this possible? A nonfiction book about ghosts. Certainly there is a plethora of anecdotal evidence. Ghosts Unveiled! is a beautifully produced 200-page book for young adult (and interested adult) readers. A hard cover with glossy full-color illustrations and plenty of back matter demonstrates that this subject is worthy of consideration. It's also a good read. Kerrie Hollihan is an excellent writer with a conversational tone and an apt turn of phrase:"Sometime ghosts come and sit on your front steps, visit for a while, and tell you about hidden treasure. That's what happened a long time ago to a woman in South Carolina....." That's a set up for a riveting story, which doesn't disappoint.
Enough people have experienced ghosts, apparitions, specters, etc to fill this body of work. But is it evidence? Is it a reality? Am I the right person, a skeptical scientist, to make a judgment that ghosts are real just because they are reliably real to some people? Having never personally experienced a ghost, I am astounded at how ubiquitous and popular they are in all cultures all over the world. Hollihan's work is meticulously researched. It is the reportage of witnesses, many witnesses. Can they all be delusional? There is a physical aspect to many of these ghost stories that bear credibility to their existence and some have more than one witness.
I wrote a biography of Harry Houdini who joined the Scientific American staff to debunk the many spiritualists who appeared right after WW1 proclaiming that they could "channel" their beloved dead relatives to communicate with bereaved family members. At seances, there were many "spiritual manifestations"--rapping, levitation of the table top, sound effects, as the dead supposedly communicated to their decendants. Houdini knew that these spiritual effects were nothing more than theatrical tricks. And he demonstrated them openly in his performances for all to see.
And yet, according to Ghosts Unveiled!, countless detailed sightings connected to unrestful dead people cannot be denied, explained or disproved. I have my own questions about how some of them may be explained and I was curious enough to Google "Railroad Bill..... a train-robbing ghost who wanders the rails of the former Louisville and Nashville Railroad from Tennessee to Florida."
So Hollihan's book made me do a little extra research and I'm sharing the song that this Tennessee legend/ghost inspired. Happy Halloween!
September 7, 2020
The Essence of a Queen
In this blog, I review children's nonfiction books for their value to the reader. Sharing excellent books can go far during this period of uncertainty for both children and their teachers. They may even be on topics that young children may not know about. Much has been written about Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. She has literally moved millions, with her 3 octave vocal range, her passionate voice expressing her love of religion and humanity. R-E-S-P-E-C-T , a new picture book poetic biography by iNK author/poet Carole Boston Weatherford shows how less may be the new "more." The format suggests that the target audience is preschool to grade three. However, I loved it for me!
Weatherford and illustrator Frank Morrison have brought Aretha Franklin's story to life with the fewest possible words, each one lovingly chosen for double page, lushly painted, brilliant art. Each painting is worthy of study and discovery. The art, spelled word, and the on-topic rhyming couplet deliver a powerful experience illuminating the essence of Franklin's life. As a wordsmith for children, Weatherford focuses on the spelling of important words beginning with the title. Yes, R-E-S-P-E-C-T is actually spelled out as the title of the book as it is in the actual song, one of Franklin's greatest hits.
Here's Weatherford's summation of how Aretha Franklin fought for civil rights:
"R-I-G-H-T
For the civil rights movement for racial equality
Aretha raises funds and gives concerts for free."
Weatherford's Author's Note a the back of the book is a more detailed summery of Franklin's life of music. She also provides a list of Aretha Franklin's greatest hits.
The book, is an invitation search YouTube, which is rife with videos that introduce a child or reacquaint adults with the astonishing effect of the Queen of Soul on an audience.
i
July 17, 2020
"The Science Should Not Stand in the Way"
Cook Children's Health Care System, Fort Worth TX At yesterday's White House press conference, Kayleigh McEnany said that "The science should not stand in the way.." when it comes to opening all schools all over the country, as fully as if Covid had never happened. That is Trump's policy because "children and parents are dying from that trauma, too." [Staying home from school.] This lack of comprehension about science in the Trump administration is dangerous. Did "the science get in the way" when we put men on the moon?I am also distressed over the order to send all data about Covid to Alex Azar's Department of Health and Human Services instead of the CDC, the agency designed to read such data. We are being set up to receive fudged data, if we see any data at all. I hope there is a work-around so the public can be fully informed of the dreadful numbers of Covid infections, hospitalizations and deaths that are the outcome of the laissez-faire attitudes of Trump followers who have thoughtlessly swallowed his Kool Aid.
What is the value of education if not to enable people to understand the value of science? If you listen carefully to Dr. Fauci, you see he chooses his words carefully. He tells us that we are still in the process of learning about this novel coronavirus. And until we understand it well enough to create a safe and effective vaccine we must practice age-old behaviors to protect ourselves and society from the spread of this disease. I live in New York where we had the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Here's our current chart of daily and projected corona virus deaths in NYS.
Every day, during the worst of the pandemic here, Andrew Cuomo gave a PowerPoint news conference explaining the numbers, and emphasizing the values for New York; that we were tough, strong, and loving. Maybe that sounds cheesy but my friends in NYC and my family in western NY are immensely proud of our state. We were blindsided by the infection landing in our international airports, Kennedy and Newark.
We really sacrificed in lock-down and are timorous about abusing the easing up of restrictions because we don't want to lose what we have gained. Cuomo says that we can open up our schools with some restrictions if we keep Covid at bay. All the answers for our state and cities are on that web site.
If we deny the numbers and the science, science tells us that the numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths will rise. Exponentially. Wait and see.
July 6, 2020
Kids 5-8 bored with COVID? Watch This!
My latest book, Why Do I Dry Off?, has just been published. It completes my STEM Play series for parents and kids to do together. Good for children as young as four. My m. o. is to integrate questions about the natural environment of a child's life with simple activities that explore phenomena so that children make discoveries, often non-intuitive. My books exemplify the way scientists think and act. I try to have my readers come to understand why scientists love science.
Most professional scientists have discovered science by fourth grade. I have a scientist son, Josh, who also has a scientist son, Jonny. (My other son, Theo, is an artist, I was once that, too. He drew my logo.)
Here's the link to the three titles:
Why Can I Suck Through a Straw?
Why Do I Dry Off?
Why Does My Ice Cream Melt?
Most professional scientists have discovered science by fourth grade. I have a scientist son, Josh, who also has a scientist son, Jonny. (My other son, Theo, is an artist, I was once that, too. He drew my logo.)
Here's the link to the three titles:
Why Can I Suck Through a Straw?
Why Do I Dry Off?
Why Does My Ice Cream Melt?
June 16, 2020
Survival at a Mountain Top
Have you ever heard of a pika? It was a new animal to me. It lives in mountains at 10,000 feet and, as a skier, I have been to its habitat many times but didn't know where or how to look for it. Thanks to Pika Country: Climate Change at the Top of the World by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent & Marlo Garnsworthy, I am now enlightened. The pika, also know as a rock rabbit, is yet another version of a canary in a coal mine. It requires cool summer temperatures to forage for food, (mostly grasses that dry to become hay) and stockpile enough to stay alive all winter.
"Pikas are specially adapted to live in the chilly alpine environment among
the rocks and plants.
"In fact, pikas are usually only found in the mountains where the temperatures
are cool. In temperatures warmer than 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), pikas quickly overheat and die."
Pika Country, illustrated with photographs by skilled nature photographer Dan Hartman, is a picture book with intimate images of the pika barking, leaping, squeezing into a small rock crevasse, and carrying a mouthful of vegetation. How did he ever get those shots? Obviously, he had to be there, be ready and be patient.
The poor pika is prey to mountain mammals, like the weasel and fox and raptors, including the golden eagle and the prairie falcon. Added to its woes, its habitat is shrinking due to climate change. Where can you go when you're at the top of the hill and there's no more "up" to go?
The authors are exceptionally good at explaining the predicament by including many other alpine animals and trees that will be wiped out when mountain tops warm up.
They also include an excellent explanation of climate change and what kids (and caring adults) can do to slow down climate change. Maybe it will also create the demise of the winter olympics?
