Mummies: The Newest, Coolest, & Creepiest from Around the World by Shelly Tanaka (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2005)

What is it about mummies that is so fascinating? Is it coming literally face-to-face with someone from the distant past? Is it the extraordinary amount of information a mummy reveals about the culture it came from? Or is it just that mummies are creepy, and we all love a shiver?

Shelly Tanaka takes the reader on an around-the-world journey to look at some of the most famous — and infamous — mummies that have been unearthed. Unlike other books that focus on Egypt, Tanaka begins in the Americas, home to the oldest mummies known. There, bodies might simply be dried in desert sands, or elaborately prepared by dismemberment, drying, and reassembly into clay-covered puppet-like figures. There are mummies that are probably sacrifices to Inca gods, to a body accidentally frozen over 500 years ago in a glacier in British Columbia.

The tale turns to Egypt, home of the most famous mummies, and tells about a modern Egyptian mummy, made by researchers from a donated body to study how Ancient Egyptians preserved their dead. The mystery of young Tutankhamen’s death (illness? accident? or murder?) is explored. A trip northward to Europ takes us into the land of the bog bodies, where people who were either sacrificed or executed (no one knows for sure) were tossed into the bogs, where strong tannic acids preserved them. After a look at the Iceman, found in Italy, and some puzzling mummies in Ireland, the tale moves to Asia, where tall, Caucasian-looking bodies were mummified in northern China. No one knows who these people were, nor how they got there. Nomads, perhaps?

Finally, the book goes where many mummy books never tread: modern mummies. There is the bizzare practice of self-mummification by Buddhist monks in the Himalayan mountains. There are cadavers preserved by plastination, partically-dissected and used in a modern educational museum show (ew! ew! ew!). There are the bodies of Eva Peron, Vladimir Lenin, and Mao Zedong, preserved with chemicals, and placed on display.

This book is a must for any young mummy fan who is interested in more unusual mummies. It is illustrated throughout by colorful photographs, some of which are not for the faint of heart!

The Day the Dinosaurs Died by Charlotte Lewis Brown, illustrated by Phil Wilson (HarperCollins, 2006)

When a giant fireball streaks down from the sky and smashes into the earth, even the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex is no match for its explosive power. Pteranodons go hurtling through the air, scorched by the explosion. Fire and flood down a Triceratops herd, and those dinosaurs that escape the destruction find themselves without food.

In this fictionalized account, based on actual fossils, Charlotte Lewis Brown tells a dramatic story of the extraordinary day in which an asteroid crashed into the earth. While it’s probable that dinosaurs were already in decline at the time, and that some may have survived the catastrophe but were out-competed by other species, the author chooses to focus on the brief moment in time when something close to 70% of species on earth, including most of the dinosaurs, may have been wiped out by a sudden global catastrophe. While there are alternative hypotheses to explain the K-T boundary (fossil traces in rocks that show a sudden global change, and that bear traces of soot and tell-tale chemicals), the most widely accepted one at present is the asteroid hypothesis.

This level 2 easy-to-read book could be just the thing for reluctant readers who need a gripping tale to keep them engaged. Dinosaurs have wide appeal for children, and this book has the added action-movie appeal of fire and explosions.

The book could also be a great tool for discussing scientific evidence. Why do paleontologists think that an asteroid struck the earth 60 million years ago? What do they use as evidence? How do they build scientfic theories (evidence-based explanations for natural phenomena) from data?

Mittens by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung (HarperCollins, 2006)

When a tiny kitten comes to a new house, everthing seems loud, unfamiliar, and scary. Mittens wants a place that’s just his, where he feels safe. But where? And will he find someone to be his friend?

This simple, satisfying tale is told in easy-to-read language with only a few lines on each page, perfect for children who are just learning to read on their own. The softly-colored illustrations add a sweet gentleness to the tale of how a young boy in the house helps Mittens feel safe. This book would be great for children to read just before a new kitten comes to their home, so that they can understand kitty’s nervousness and how they can help their new companion fit in.

Captain Barnacle’s Aquarium by Edward Miller (HarperCollins, 2006)

Yo, ho, ho! The old pirate, Captain Barnacle and his trusty  parrot are ready to take a class on a tour of his famous aquarium. The salty old sea dog has tales to tell of his days at sea, fighting other pirates, battling storms, and searching for treasure. From sailing through shark-infested waters, to getting clues from dophins, to treasure hunts and fights wtih giant sea squids, Captain Barnacle’s adventures hold the class entranced.

But throughout the pages are lots informative bits of sea lore about the fish and other sea creatures that Captain Barnacle encounters. Readers can read the tale straight through, then go back and read the information, or take in all the information on each page at once.

For young children, Captain Barnacle is a good introduction into studies of sea life, though parents and teachers will want to explain where fact ends and fantasy begins, lest children think that their first visit to an aquarium will bring them face-to-face with a pirate. Classrooms and homeschool kids could take a tip from the format of the book and create their own “aquarium” with sea facts and drawings of sea life.