Informational Books to Explore and Learn

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm still sharing books that are great gifts for kids!! Today I saved three nonfiction books that kids can explore and learn from. The ages for these books start with 6+. The first book is See Inside Space by Katie Daynes and illustrated by Peter Allen. It is the one recommended for ages 6+ and is book with flaps to open up and discover more! It is part of the See Inside Series. 

Holiday Shopping Recommendation

Disclosure: Uncommon Goods sent me some sample gifts in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Can you believe it? We have only 7 more Saturdays (weekends) until Christmas! Wow, time is flying by. Have you started your shopping yet? Do you have those people on your list where you just don't know what to buy? I think all of us do. I discovered the great place to find gifts for everyone on the list. It is Uncommon Goods. Have you heard of it?  They have an amazing Holiday Lookbook to get you ideas for anyone on your list. They have gifts for men, women, significant others, and so much more. The people I struggle most with are my husband, Steve, and my teenage nephew. They have a section for gifts for teens (over 15). I always have my nephew tell me what he likes at Uncommon Goods because I know it will be something different for him. Otherwise I'll be giving him a check. This year he wanted the Charging Cord Bracelet. 

Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale -- Picture book review

Disclosure: Macmillan Publishers sent me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Do you have a smart phone? I held out for quite awhile and Steve held out even longer (even though his work pays for his cell phone). We didn't need the fancy phones, but now it seems as there is not much choice out there. I know when I went to a smart phone it was only like $10 more than replacing my broken phone with a flip phone and now the company I use for my cell phone only works on smart phones (and relatively new ones). Have you noticed smart phones seem to be taking over our lives? Today I am going to share a fun book about just that. It is Me, Myselfie & I: A Cautionary Tale by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8, but I think it is even better for the parents out there!!

Girls Who Code

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you know that the most important skill for future jobs is coding? More than half the jobs in the upper income quartile ($57,000 or more) require it currently and that number is increasing. (Source) The numbers of women in computer science majors has dropped. In 1984 37% of computer science majors were females and in 2014 the number dropped to 18%. (Source) Once again there is a gender gap and this is going to matter when our girls grow up. I remember the push in high school to get girls interested in math and science and that push is still there and it also needs to focus on coding and computers. However it needs to start even earlier. Enter Reshma Saujani. Besides being the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress (she didn't win), in 2012 she founded Girls Who Code. Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization that are helping encourage and teach girls to code. Reshma Saujani is also the author of one of the books I will be sharing with you today and the author of the forward of the other book. We will start with the first novel in the Girls Who Code Series. It is The Friendship Code by Stacis Deutsch. 

Electricity & Technology -- #STEM

Disclosure: I was sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Who invented the light bulb? I am guessing you answered Thomas Edison. Do you know who came up with the alternate current light bulbs that got used in every house? It was not Thomas Edison. He actually laughed at the idea when Nikola Tesla brought it to him. Today I get to share with you the biography of Nikola Tesla called Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by Oliver Dominguez. This version is for 8 to 12 year olds. There is a picture book version for suggested for ages 7 to 10.