Fictional Stories in Science
Using Fictional Stories as a Pathway to Science Content
Featured Book: August 23, 2015
*And don’t forget to check out past featured books here.
Book Summary: “A young girl eagerly awaits a coming rainstorm to bring relief from the oppressive summer heat.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I admired how the author, Karen Hesse, explored drought through the well expressed senses of a young girl and her surrounding community. This book, which, by the way, is one of the few picture books with a female of color as the main character, does a tremendous job of highlighting a science-based topic, while highlighting and honoring the connecting people and relationships.
Note: As a great novel read, please check out “Out of the Dust” also by Karen Hesse
Science Topics
- Drought (and the impacts to community and environment)
- Weather
- Observation
- Clouds
- Water Cycle
- Rain
Literacy Connections
- Description
- Dialogue (and the connecting punctuation)
- Story Sequence
- Setting
Sociocultural Connections
As mentioned above, this book is one of the few fictional picture books, with a science theme, that has a female of color as the main character. The story not only portrays the main character as a keen observer and science knowledge producer, but also highlights her connection to her mother, to her friends and her role as leader and community connector.
Fictional Stories in Science 