Hooray for the Forest of Reading!

Post by Helaine Becker

I'm gearing up this week for the thrilling  celebration of children's books that is Ontario's Forest of Reading. This incredible program, organized by the Ontario Library Association, gives kids from primary school and up the chance to read great contemporary books and vote for their favorites.

More than 250,000 readers from all across the province participate annually. Think about it - a quarter of a million kids are reading both voluntarily, and voraciously. 

So don't tell me kids don't like to read! 

More than 700 kids attended this Niagara area
Silver Birch celebration a few years ago.

The luckiest get to attend mammoth award ceremonies - more like rock concerts, complete with screaming fans, paparazzi and authors being swarmed by fans requesting autographs - that are held in Toronto, Thunder Bay, London, and more. As many as 4,000 readaholics can attend one of these events.

At this Mississauga area event, more than 4000
screaming kids rocked the Hershey Arena!

The Mississauga event featured a full day of
entertainment for the lucky attendees

There was cake too. :) 

This year, I'm over the moon that my latest science-related title, Zoobots,  is a nominee on the Silver Birch nonfiction list, geared for students in grades 4-6.

This means that in addition to winding up with a pretty heavy schedule of school presentations, I get to be on stage during each of these award ceremony/celebrations. 

For authors like me, who are used to sitting at home, alone,  most of the year, this onslaught of attention is both overwhelming and exhilarating! It is literally the highlight of my calendar. This is my fifth time lucky enough to participate in the Festival. And lemme tell ya, it never gets old. 

Be sure to check out all the Forest of Reading lists - they are chock-full of fabulous books! 

You can find the Silver Birch nonfiction list here and the fiction list here.

If you are a parent, teacher or librarian anywhere in Ontario, get the kids you know involved in the Forest of Reading! If you live outside of Ontario, get involved in your own region's children's choice award program. BC, for example, boasts the Red Cedar Awards,  and the Atlantic Provinces have the Hackmatack. Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba each have their own programs, as do many American states. 

If your area does not yet have a children's choice program, contact the OLA and find out how they operate Forest of Reading so you can start a similar program. Because children's choice award programs like this one are one of the best ways I know to stimulate a love of reading, build literacy, and encourage engagement with learning.

And please wish me luck! I'll need it, if only to survive the crazy, euphoric pace of Silver Birch Season.

CSWA 2014 Book Awards Short List Announced!

Post by Helaine Becker

We here at Sci-Why are pleased to interrupt our regular publishing schedule (which is normally on every Friday) to post the short list for this year's:

CSWA 2014 Book Awards

And yes, I'm pleased as punch to point out that my own book, Zoobots, is on the Children's Book Short List. 

Best of luck to all the nominees! If you are a reader, you won't need luck to pick a winner from these lists - are all guaranteed to inform and delight. 

Short List for the 2014 Science in Society Children/ Middle Grades Book Award competition:

Zoobots by Helaine Becker, Kids Can Press.

Starting from Scratch by Sarah Elton, Owl Kids Books.

It’s Catching by Jennifer Gardy, Owl Kids Books.

The Fly by Elise Gravel, Penguin Random House.

If by David J. Smith, Kids Can Press.

Short List for the 2014 Science in Society General Book Award competition:

The End of Memory by Jay Ingram, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd.

Canadian Spacewalkers: Hadfield, MacLean and Williams Remember the Ultimate High Adventure by Bob McDonald, Douglas & McIntyre.

Pain and Prejudice: What Science can Learn about Work from the People Who Do It by Karen Messing, Between the Lines (BTL).

Is that a Fact? by Dr Joe Schwarcz, ECW Press.

Bee Time by Mark L. Winston, Harvard University Press.

The winners in each category will be announced on Canada Book Day, 23 April 2015. Winners will each be presented with a plaque and $1000 cash prize during an awards dinner held in conjunction with the CSWA ‘s 44^th annual conference in Saskatoon, SK, held at the University of Saskatchewan 18-21 June 2015.

Wild about Robots

Post by Helaine Becker

Ok, so I'm crazy about robots. Bug-shaped robots. Bat-shaped robots. Ameba robots. You name it, I love it.

So without further ado, here are my top 5 wildest, craziest, coolest robots under development today. You can find even more cool robots in my book Zoobots (Kids Can Press).

5.  Origami Robots.  These self-folding bots have hinges that change shape when you heat them. I don't even want to know how these might be used.  More deets: Science News.

4. Pop'n'Fresh Robots. Easy Bake Ovens could be even more fun if you could slide in your preformed bot and POP! Impress your guests with functioning 3D robots. Shape-changing polymers that morph under heat are the secret of this hot robo-recipe. More deets: Tech Crunch.

3. DNA Machines. Nanorobots based on DNA are inserted into cockroaches, where they can then be programmed to deliver meds and do other nano-tasks. Gross in so many ways, no?  More deets: PopSci and New Scientist. 

2. TERMES. And while we're on the subject of bugs, these termite-inspired robots work together to build all kinds of modular stuff. Preferably not Mies van der Rohe inspired nests in your post-modern home. More deets: CBS News.

1. Knit Your Way to the Future. Saving the best bot for last, Agnes the Knit Bot takes all the grunt work out of making next season's holiday gifts. More deets: Makezine.