Libby Loves Science

by Kimberly Derting, Joelle Murray (Illustrator), Shelli R. Johannes

Overview

“A successful marriage of solid information and good fun.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

“A natural fit for classroom science units and home use.”—Booklist

Libby loves science! In this STEM-themed picture book, a companion to the popular Cece Loves Science and Vivi Loves Science, Libby and her friends are put in charge of the science booth at their school fair. There’s only one problem: no one is visiting their booth! Does everyone think science is boring?

Libby and her friends use teamwork, creativity, and just a bit of chemistry to turn things around and prove that science is for everyone. Perfect for aspiring scientists, story times, classrooms, homeschooling, and fans of Andrea Beaty’s Ada Twist, Scientist. Includes a glossary and four super-fun experiments to try at home!

Libby Loves Science is just right for fans of Rosie Revere, Engineer and What Do You Do with an Idea? and anyone who loves to ask questions and learn about the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062946041
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/09/2020
Series:	Loves Science
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,085,772
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kimberly Derting is the author of the Cece Loves Science series, the Body Finder series, the Pledge trilogy, and the Taking series. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, where the gloomy weather is ideal for writing anything dark and creepy. Her three beautiful (and often mouthy) children serve as an endless source of inspiration and frequently find things they say buried in the pages of their mother’s books. You can visit her online at www.kimberlyderting.com.

Shelli R. Johannes is coauthor of nine books in the Loves Science series (co/Kimberly Derting), Theo Thesaurus series, Shine Like a Unicorn, and Penny: An Engineering Tale of the Fourth Pig (Capstone, Fall 2022).

She is also the critically-acclaimed author of teen novels (written as SR Johannes) including the Nature of Grace series (Untraceable, Uncontrollable, and Unstoppable), Rewired, and On the Bright Side.

She can often be found on highways and country roads saving strays and other jaywalking critters, or volunteering with animal conservation groups like the Atlanta Zoo, the Dolphin Project, and Bosley’s puppy orphanage. After earning a master’s in marketing and working as an executive in Corporate America, Shelli traded out her heels and suits for flip-flops and jeans so she could follow her passion of writing.

She lives in Atlanta with her pack of animals: a British husband, two kids, one bird, one fish, and two crazy Goldendoodles who hate vegetables.

Editorial Reviews

Joining the ranks of strong girls in STEM [is] Libby . . . Brightly colored artwork bubbles with Libby’s enthusiasm . . . This book is a natural fit for classroom science units and home use.

Booklist

Joining the ranks of strong girls in STEM [is] Libby . . . Brightly colored artwork bubbles with Libby’s enthusiasm . . . This book is a natural fit for classroom science units and home use.

Booklist

05/08/2020

K-Gr 3—Libby loves performing science experiments and exploring the world around her. When she learns that there will be a science booth at an upcoming school fall festival, she and her friends decide to participate. What follows is all but a procedural for giving children a path into hands-on learning. Included are instructions for a series of accessible science experiments with simple drawings making them approachable for young children. Also helpful are material lists and notes about what can be expected once the experiment is performed. These appear in the corner of pages and can be adequately distinguished from the narrative text. The wonderfully diverse array of characters sport jubilant expressions as they search for, plan out, and try different experiments, from researching and working with ingredients to observing their results. VERDICT A successful marriage of solid information and good fun, this book expresses a love for the topic that will encourage kids to follow their curiosity and develop their own appreciation for science.—Deanna Smith, Pender County P.L., NC

School Library Journal

2020-03-15
Science lover Libby works with classmates to run the science booth at the school festival in this companion to Derting and Johannes’ Cece books, illustrated by Vashti Harrison.

Libby is a black girl who loves experimenting, especially in the kitchen. At school, chemistry is right up her alley. When Mr. Darwin recruits students to run the science booth at the school fair, Libby works with Rosa and Finn to devise experiments that will be exciting enough to compete with the bouncy house. On the day of the festival, they decorate their booth artfully and set up their giant bubbles, slime ingredients, and rocketry supplies, but for a while they are overlooked. The trio manages to attract attention to their experiments, and soon they have a small crowd. Their booth doesn’t win the prize, but their class celebrates anyway with a fun and tasty chemistry experiment. Instructions for all of the science activities are included as notebook-page insets within the story spreads. The diverse characters (Rosa is brown skinned with puffy, red hair, and Finn looks Asian) are accessible and fun. Murray’s bright, cartoon illustrations, patterned after Harrison’s aesthetic, generate excitement around their adventures. While the one-note story falls a bit flat at the end, science lovers will be happy to continue collecting these titles, and the incorporation of well-loved activities like cooking and making slime just may convert science skeptics into science lovers too.

Sure to inspire real-life experimentation. (science facts) (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Libby loves performing science experiments and exploring the world around her. . . . Included are instructions for a series of accessible science experiments with simple drawings making them approachable for young children. . . . A successful marriage of solid information and good fun, this book expresses a love for the topic that will encourage kids to follow their curiosity and develop their own appreciation for science.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“Joining the ranks of strong girls in STEM [is] Libby . . . Brightly colored artwork bubbles with Libby’s enthusiasm . . . This book is a natural fit for classroom science units and home use.” — Booklist

From the Publisher