Newton and Me

While at play with his dog, Newton, a young boy discovers the laws of force and motion in his everyday activities. Told in rhyme, Lynne Mayer’s Newton and Me follows these best friends on an adventure as they apply physics to throwing a ball, pulling a wagon, riding a bike, and much more. They will realize that Newton’s Laws of Motion describe experiences they have every day, and they will recognize how forces affect the objects around them. The “For Creative Minds" educational section includes: Force and Motion Fun Facts, Matching Forces, Who Was Newton?, and Newton’s Laws of Motion (2 of 3). Additional teaching activities and interactive quizzes are available on the Arbordale Publishing website.

This fictional story with rhyming text includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 25-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. Newton and Me is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The interactive ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension. Tap animals and other things that make noise to hear their sounds.

Written by Lynne Mayer, Illustrated by Sherry Rogers
32 pg, 10 x 8.5, Ages 4-8, Grades PK-3, Lexile: AD 600, AR: 2.7, F&P: M

Reviews:

Newton's laws of gravity and motion are at the center of this rhyming picture book that brings physics to a young audience in a lively story about a boy playing with his dog. - Booklist

Mayer and Rogers use cheery couplets and artwork to explore the laws of physics via a boy's activities with his dog, Newton. - Publishers Weekly

There's nothing as rare as a great book on physical science for primary students. In this book, a young boy and his dog (Newton )explore the laws of motion in everyday activities like rolling a ball, riding a bicycle, and pulling a wagon. - Newton and Me

Author/Illustrator Info:

Lynne Mayer (Newton and Me) grew up in Palos Park, Illinois. She attended the University of Illinois where she obtained her degree in computer science/math and developed her love of puzzles and educational reading. She is currently an adjunct instructor of computer science at Elgin Community College. The college has provided Lynne with the opportunity to travel to exotic places. She has visited the Amazon jungle in Peru as well as the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. Often inspired by the outdoors, she will be returning to the jungle in June 2009 for her third visit. Now that her children are grown, Lynne is finally pursuing her dream of writing educational children's books.

Sherry Rogers spent twelve years as a corporate graphic designer and artist before "leaving it all behind" for the freelance world of illustrating children's books. Through illustrating The First Fire, Sherry remembers her own ancestor, Na Ni, a Cherokee woman from the mountains of North Carolina. Some of Sherry's other Arbordale titles include The Penguin Lady, Ten for Me, Hey Diddle Diddle, Newton and Me, Moose and Magpie, Paws, Claws, Hands & Feet, and The Deductive Detective; as well as her award-winning titles: Sort It Out!, Kersplatypus, Burro's Tortillas, and If You Were a Parrot. Sherry lives in Northern California with her family and their pets. Visit her website at sherry-rogers.com.