STEM Product Review: The Tiny Giant (Picture Book)

Updated: Nov 26, 2020

Happy Fall STEM Sparkers! It's kind of weird to say it's fall in Phoenix, since the temperature high is 105 degree Fahrenheit. But Jack and I can still pretend, wearing sweaters and using blankets in the cold afternoon A/C. And did I make the same joke last year? What is a year? Has it been 20 years since the pandemic started?

Anyway, I have the perfect fall book that is loaded with lots of scientific facts: The Tiny Giant. It's written by Barbara Ciletti and illustrated by Cathy Morrison, who provided me a review copy (thanks!). The story follows the journey of one tiny acorn from seed to tree and shows how one little acorn impacts so much around it. The book is beautifully illustrated, very gentle and rich in color, showing different seasons and weather while the tiny acorn grows into a giant oak tree. The words also flow with gentleness and richness, harmonizing perfectly with the illustrations. The book also has information in the back on a variety of oak trees and how you can grow your own tree. I really enjoyed this scientific information, including "one large tree (such as an oak) can provide a day of oxygen for four people!" That's a pretty cool fact!

This book also inspired Jack and I to make some edible math. I mean if there's edible science, there can be edible math, right? We made acorns out of Oreo Minis and Hershey Kisses and then counted how many we made. Then we counted how many we ate. We also talked about acorns, including the facts we learned from the book. Overall, this book is a good STEM read for fall, or really any season since all four seasons are mentioned, so we give this book 4 out 5 stars (using Amazon's rating system). Go check it out from your local library or buy it from your favorite bookstore for a cozy, fall read! And happy STEM-ing!

For the edible math acorns, you'll need:

Oreo Minis

Hershey Kisses

Frosting (I recommend chocolate)

Peanut Butter or Chocolate Chips