Picture Day Pandemonium
Ava has never felt like she fit in but on picture day she is planing to do just that.
She is all set.
Fancy hairdo… check.
Cute outfit… check.
Static electricity… oh no!
In this book Ava must convince her peers to become ecstatic about static to create an epic school picture, and learns that by bringing her friends into her world of play and exploration that she can find a place where she belongs too.
With the purchase of every book parents will also get a weekly email with a total of 12 STEAM activities they can do with their children at home. With a School purchase it will include books, journals, book markers, and stickers.
$12.50 – $225.00
Michele Knowlton-Thorne’s colorful book is so much more than a child’s tale. It weaves sound science into the personal journey of a girl struggling to fit in and find her place in the world. This is a must read for all early elementary students and teachers, complete with explanations of the science involved (in this case, static electricity) and exploratory activities without dumbing down the fundamental concepts. I eagerly anticipate more books along this series and cannot wait to distribute copies of her book to all my early elementary classrooms.
– Jeff Ofstedahl is a high school Project Lead The Way science and engineering teacher, K-12 district STEM director, an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona College of Education, and a NASA Educational Ambassador.
Ava is a young girl experiencing the difficulties of fitting in with her peers. She is distraught over her appearance and the perceived reactions of other children. She accidentally finds a solution to her problems through science.
This book deals both with the reality of feelings and the facts of science. To take what is seen, but not understood and be able to relate it to scientific reality will open the doors for students to observe other phenomena and find answers. It will be quite useful as both an introductory to the topic of electromagnetism and as a primer for further understanding into the subject.
Another use would be discussions about the feelings associated with looking “different”. This type of anxiety, addressed as the book is read, will help engage students, as many, if not most, have felt that way at some time and can relate.
In summary, this book is an excellent vehicle for the explanation of science, how to proceed with future explorations, and how to have the self-confidence to do it.
– Dr. Sharin Manes, PhD, Science Education
Ava is the perfect book to introduce ‘static electricity’ to your students. The illustrations will draw the children into the story, and the natural language will provide your classroom with great vocabulary. Best of all is the natural way that Ava begins to “experiment.’ Such a wonderful example of children guessing and trying out solutions – it will make them believe that they can be a scientist too. Bonus section teachers: the author provides the science background about this concept, and also offers some questions and ideas to bring static electricity alive in your classroom! A must have for your STEM classroom collection.
– Rebeckah Winans, MS Elementary Education and Teaching, Over 30 years of experience as a teacher and principal
This is such fun book! A cute story that teaches about science in a way kids can relate. Love the illustrations!
– Jennifer Goodman
I received it last night and couldn’t wait to share it with our 1st grade teacher. She loves it and is excited that it comes with science activity ideas.
– Amazon Customer
My kids loved this book and the science experiment that went with it! It is fun and educational. The illustrations are beautiful as well. There are not very many fun science books like this for kids. Highly recommend it!
– Nicole Dente