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Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen

April 24, 2020 Claire Annette Noland 3 Comments

Have you ever watched a child stoop down to examine something tiny? They can be held spellbound by a rock, an ant, or a seashell. Today’s book is one that takes fascination further and opens up a world of wonder.

SMALL MATTERS: The Hidden Power of the Unseen
By Heather Ferranti Kinser
Millbrook Press 2020
Picture book for ages 4-9
Setting: the natural world seen through a scanning electron microscope

 

The story begins…In a big world filled with many BIG
questions, we look for BIG answers.

But what if an answer is smaller than small?
Unseen?
Nearly invisible?

Could something that small
even matter at all?

Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen, features eleven kid-favorite animals and gives a unique detailed view of each.  Written with lyrical and poetic text, the author explains how small adaptations equip animals to do specialized things. Photographs taken with a scanning electron microscope give an amazing look into how much tiny details matter. We learn how the tiny jagged scales of a shark enables its speed, hooks and grooves in bird feathers help them to fly, and tiny bristle hairs on the toe pads of geckos enable them to cling to surfaces with incredible force. This is a powerful book that asks important questions, introduces fascinating scientific concepts, and encourages children to really look and see how things work.

Why Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen should be added to your bookshelf:

  • It is rare to find a science book that works well as a read-aloud. Originally written as a fifty-word poem, the language explains complex concepts in a clear and original way.
  • The layout of each spread is beautiful as well as instructive. A large photograph of each animal in action is balanced by the photograph taken through the scanning electron microscope.  It is amazing to see scientific facts written in such a child-centered way.
  • The typography is fun and engaging and visually enhances the importance of each small feature.
  • The back-matter explains how the scanning electron microscope works and gives a clear definition of nanoscale. Also included is more information about each animal’s “tiny super-power,” and a selected reading list for further exploration.
  • This book will spark a children’s curiosity, encourage them to really look at the natural world, and understand how tiny details make a big difference.

 

Author Heather Ferranti Kinser wrote a postcard to the readers of  Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen:

 

A great way to encourage budding scientist is to give them an magnifying glass. Although not as detailed as a scanning electron microscope, it will provide an entry onto scientific exploration.

 

 

 

To learn more, visit Heather Ferranti Kinser’s website

Filed Under: 2020 Debut Crew, Books, picture books Tagged With: Heather Ferranti Kinser, scanning electron microscope in children's books, Small Matters: The Hidden power of the Unseen

Previous Post: « At Home Field Day – 10 Ways to Play (plus a bonus)
Next Post: Down Under the Pier – let’s explore! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy Temean says

    April 26, 2020 at 6:29 am

    Angie,

    Just wanted to say, I like your vintage truck!

    Kathy

    Reply
    • Claire Annette Noland says

      April 26, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      This is such a fun truck – I wish it was mine. It belongs to my very good friend at Bettencourt Farms.
      Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  2. Kathy Temean says

    April 26, 2020 at 6:31 am

    Not sure why Amalia Hoffman’s gavator showed up on my comment. Kathy

    Reply

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Hello. I’m Claire Annette - reader, writer, teacher, and field trip planner extraordinaire. Here at A Field Trip Life you will find ideas for adventures large and small and the kids’ books that inspire them. Sign your permission slip. Let's go!

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claireannettenolandbooks

Author | teacher | Field Trip Planner
books that take you places
Raven’s Gift
Nancy Bess Had a Dress
Evie’s Field Day
Out and About w George series

I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award v I'm excited to share that the Crystal Kite Award voting continues until July 18th for members of SCBWI. Our book, Nancy Bess Had a Dress, is in the Southwest Division (where illustrator @angelac.hawkins lives)

Members, you can vote for books in all of the regions.
Cast your vote at this link: 

https://www.scbwi.org/crystal-kite/CK8

I will be sharing Nancy Bess July 11th online for the Summer of Stories https://summerofstories.substack.com/

and I'll be doing story time and craft at the Three River Public Library on July 11th at 10:30

@gnomeroadpublishing @pbspree @eringreneaux @tularecountylib 
@scbwicencal #crystalkiteaward
Instagram post 18090291214629192 Instagram post 18090291214629192
We are enjoying a lovely summer’s day with CARL’S SLEEPY AFTERNOON thanks to our friends @laughingelephantbooks who sent us a copy signed by Alexandra Day and Carl!
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Carl has an opportunity to have a quiet and sleepy afternoon but does he rest? Not our Carl!
We’re on our 3rd generation loving this noble good dog and look forward to reading about his adventures for many more years!

#gooddogcarl #picturebookdogs #summerreading @mrernierecommends @christinabeeghly @laurennolandhajik @roxannenoland @gn705
Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking Summer is the best time to beat the heat by taking your young ones to a museum. And I suggest, before you go, you share the delightful picture book, MousterWorks, written and illustrated by @angelac.hawkins
Young mice, Cosette and Pépin, join Grand-mère on a splendid adventure through a mouse hole into a museum. They gaze at brilliant interpretations of well-known painting by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and Edward Banister. Cosette excitedly engages with the art while her brother, Pépin, searches for cheese in the art and eventually realizes that he can be an artist and paint his favorite things.

The final photo is 2.5 year old Alice at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. She was captivated by "Home Sweet Home" (after Seurat, Manet, and Pippin) painted by Wangari Mathenge

Art is for all ages.

To read my full review, visit my blog https://afieldtriplife.com/mousterworks-lets-go-to-a-museum/

@gnomeroadpublishing #mousterworks #artmuseumswithkids
@laurennolandhajik
Looking forward to simple unscheduled days! #july Looking forward to simple unscheduled days!
#july #afieldtriplife #summer
Look what we found featured at the library! #nancy Look what we found featured at the library! #nancybesshadadress 
Thank you @tularecountylib 
#summerreading #picturebooks #librarylove 
@angelac.hawkins @gnomeroadpublishing
Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" lis Happy Summer! At the top of our summer "to do" list is visiting libraries where I love to see staff recommendations. SUMMER: A Solstice Story written by @kelseyegross and illustrated by @renataliwska is such a lovely picture book.
Owl, Squirrel, Raccoon, Bear, Sparrow, Rabbit, Woodpecker, and Deer gather to celebrate the arrival of summer with its gifts of light and new life. The friends share sprouts, fresh water, flowers, and fruit each accompanied by special wishes for the little ones to shine, glow, shimmer, gleam, and blaze bright with solstice light. They spend the day with festivities as they dance, splash, hop, and savor a forest feast.
I shared this with a group of children the night before the Solstice so that they understood how special this date is. Then, we read it again as the sun set on the longest day of the year after partaking of many of the same activities done by the woodland animals. They really enjoyed the center pages that fold out.
This is a soft, gentle, and breathtakingly beautiful picture book that should be enjoyed all summer long. @pbspree #summersolstice #summerasolsticestory
We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decad We have been Good Dog Carl fans for almost 4 decades so we are excited to celebrate 40 years of our favorite picture book series! I love the book mom and Carl’s adventures are the best!
So let’s raise a toast to Carl, the very good dog, and to  @laughingelephantbooks Here’s to many more wonderful years of ❤️ filled stories.
#wewon #gooddogcarl #afieldtriplife #picturebookdogs @laurennolandhajik @christinabeeghly @roxannenoland
Military families are made up of heroes, those who Military families are made up of heroes, those who leave home to serve and those who stay behind. It isn’t easy to find books featuring military families, so I was excited to discover when AS MUCH as the STARS: A Story of Love Across the. Miles – A Child’s Goodbye/ AS MUCH AS THE STARS: A Story of love across The Miles: A Mother’s Farewell. I love flip books because they are clever and provide a fun way to read two stories told from different perspectives. AS MUCH AS THE STARS does an exceptional job of showing the love and emotions surrounding a deployment and then a joyous return. In this authentic, well-written story, one half follows a young girl and her relationship with her military father. The other half features the viewpoint of that girl, now grown, whose son leaves home to serve. warm and colorful illustrations add to the text showing the love that is shared even when they are separated by great distances.
This is a wonderful book for all families and will help everyone understand the sacrifices that our brave service members make. I just wish this book had been available when I was teaching children in military families.
Written by Forrest Zenone, Skyler Zenone, and Tricia Stone-Shumaker
Illustrations by Penny Weber
@poppysadventures1 @pennyweberart @laurennolandhajik #militaryfamilies #asmuchasthestars
#mrernierecommends
FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road a FYI… sweet peas are blooming on Old Creek Road around Whale Rock Reservoir
The story of how they got there reminds me of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney “You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” 
Read how these delicate blossoms came to grace the highways in San Luis Obispo County: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/johnny-appleseed-sweet-peas-planted-120000196.html

Lupine, poppies, and wild mustard are also blooming.

#sweetpeas #jackcreekfarms #roadtrip #afieldtriplife #missrumphius
I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.boo I love finding new-to-me bookstores. @verbatim.books is a treasure!
A good question. A good question.
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