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Two books depict crystals dissolving, one
from an ant’s perspective and another as it would appear
through a microscope. A picture book featuring a deer licking
salt provides a nice literary extension to those activities in
this unit that involve salt. Another book deals with evaporation
in the context of the water cycle and water purification.
Keep on the lookout for books which help children understand
more about the nature of crystals and dissolving, or the use of
filtration or crystallization as a methods of purification or
separation. Let the GEMS project know about them!
Greg’s Microscope
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks
Mystery Day
Salt
Salt Hands
Two Bad Ants
Greg’s Microscope
by Millicent E. Selsam; illustrated by Arnold Lobel
Harper & Row, New York. 1963
Grades: 2–4
Greg’s father buys him a microscope and he finds an unlimited
array of items around the house to observe, even the hair of Mrs.
Broom’s poodle. The illustrations show the salt and sugar
crystals, threads, hair, and other material as it appears to him
magnified. Solutions of salt and sugar give him a chance to see
crystals dissolve. Although this is not a high tech, state-of-the
art representation, the fun and empowering experience of playing
with scale are well portrayed.
Return to title list.
The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks
by Joanna Cole; illustrated by Bruce Degen
Scholastic, Inc., New York. 1986
Grades: K–6
When Ms. Frizzle, the strangest teacher in school, takes her
class on a field trip to the waterworks, everyone ends up experiencing
the water purification system from the inside. Evaporation, the
water cycle, and filtration are just a few of the concepts communicated
in this whimsical fantasy field trip.
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Mystery Day
by Harriet Ziefert; illustrated by Richard Brown
Little, Brown & Co., Boston. 1988
Grades: 1–4
Mystery Day is a school day full of surprises for Mr. Rose’s
students. They have to guess the identity of five mystery powders.
The students test their guesses with simple experiments as they
look at the powders, touch them, taste them, and mix them with
various liquids to see what happens. Once they are correctly guessed,
several powders are mixed together and the investigation process
starts all over again.
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Salt
by Harve Zemach; illustrated by Margot Zemach
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York. 1977
Grades: 2–4
This Russian tale tells of a rich merchant’s third son,
Ivan the Fool, who discovers an island with a mountain of salt.
To market his ship’s cargo of salt to a foreign king, he
secretly adds salt to the food cooking in the royal kitchen. The
story could introduce a discussion of how and why salt enhances
the flavor of food. The rest of the story involves a beautiful
princess, his evil brothers, and a helpful giant.
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Salt Hands
by Jane C. Aragon; illustrated by Ted Rand
E.P. Dutton, New York. 1989
Grades: Preschool–2
On a moonlit summer night, a young girl awakens to find a
deer in her yard. She sprinkles salt in her hands and goes out
to stand near it. The deer moves closer, and finally licks the
salt from her hand until it is all gone. Lends a nice extension
to the activities involving salt by providing an opportunity to
discuss the need that animals (and people!) have for salt in their
diets.
Return to title list.
Two Bad Ants
by Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 1988
Grades: Preschool–4
When two curious ants set off in search of beautiful sparkling
crystals (sugar), it becomes a dangerous adventure that convinces
them to return to the former safety of their ant colony. Illustrations
are drawn from an ant’s perspective, showing them lugging
individual sugar crystals and other views from “the small.”
Good extension to those activities that deal with sugar, dissolving,
and crystals.
Return to title list.
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