It's so nice to see representation of women in STEM, and especially inspiring young women and children to follow their dreams into what has long been a male dominated field. When I was little, I was considered odd for being obsessed with dinosaurs, science, and how the world worked. I wish a book like this had existed then, just to show me that it's okay to be brave.

Mya McLure, The Brave Science Girl: The Toad Cave is an adorable illustrated story for all ages by Douglas Haddad and Jennifer Ball-Cordero (illus.). Released 7th Nov 2023 by Rowman & Littlefield on their Muddy Boots imprint, it's 32 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such a kind story with an important message for everyone about cooperation, planning, conservation, caring, and stewardship. It shows that everyone (even 2nd graders) can make a difference and help. The text is loosely rhyming, with accessible and simple words which will be understandable to even the youngest readers with some help. The illustrations are colorful and full of fun small details.

The simple plot revolves around Mya and her teacher and the other students finding out how to help build new homes for animals threatened by habitat loss and development. She has an ally in her teacher, Miss Russell, and they manage to help the toads to a new safer home.

There's a neat mini-tutorial included in the book with instructions for creating a toad-friendly garden home which could be a fun activity for youngsters to do with an adult/facilitator.

Five stars. Really cute. It would make a great choice for public or classroom library, activity groups, and home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Book 167 of 200 ~ 2023

🌟🌟🌟💫

I started off really liking this.. and then, they fed bees to frogs... eeeeeppppp...

Firstly, unless the frogs are cooked, I HATE FROGS. But that's not the point. Why feed bees? Aren't we supposed to save them?? This is weird to say, but this kids' books boggled my mind with the mixed messages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book167of200 #amreading #netgalley #tbrpile #instareads #readstagram
#reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #goodreads #booklovers #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookchallenge2023 #reviews #lovebooks #booknerds

Hmmm… The text of this rhymes, but the lines are so long and meter-free that they might as well not have bothered. (To be fair, on the last couple of pages, they plain didn't.) Visually it's more than reasonable, if no great shakes. And so we're left with the story – which is uneven, a little daft and not quite strong enough to make this a competitive proposition. Our heroine is all for the environment, and for trees not being cut down, when a herd of toads turns up outside her bedroom window, causing her to help them. At first they doss, unnoticed by any parental authority, in the basement, then our girl decides to give them a better home, her teacher just happens to be in the area to help out, and then – disaster, potentially.

Yes, with so many books about slightly quirky and inventive girls working out how to do their bit for the environment, any further ones on the market need to be a lot stronger than this. Nothing is objectionably bad, but nothing really deserves a recommendation – two and a half stars.

"Mya McLure, The Brave Science Girl" is a delightful adventure that combines the imaginative world of second-grader Mya McLure with a mission to save a family of toads from the perils of land development. Mya's journey not only highlights the importance of conservation but also showcases her problem-solving skills and bravery as she takes on unexpected challenges.

This book is a fantastic read, featuring a catchy rhyming pattern and charming illustrations that will engage young readers. It also encourages an interest in science by demonstrating how fun it can be and how even a young child can make a significant difference. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book, telling the story of Mya and her quest to save the toads, who's habitat is being destroyed.

It is a fun read with a nice rhyming pattern and cute illustrations. A great way of encouraging an interest in science, showing how fun it can be and what a difference you can make! Would work at home or in the classroom well.

Science science science. We are big science nerds especially life science around these pets my very own science girl who is 5 felt so seen by this book and she kept comparing herself to it.

I used to be a teacher at a STEAM school, and this would have been a perfect book to have on our shelves. Not only is there a lot of fun rhyming throughout the story, but there are also directions to make a toad home at the end. This is a cute one!

A cute book about Mya who is passionate about nature and is trying to make a difference. When she discovers a family of toads who are losing their home due to trees being cut down, Mya enlists the help of her teacher to build a home for the toads. Follow Mya as she builds a home for the toads and learn how to build one yourself.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mya McLure, the Brave Science Girl is the delightful story of a young girl who wants to save the toads from their habitat being ruined. She and her teacher come up with a plan and make a new home for the toads. In the meantime, the teacher accidentally sets off a swarm of bees, and Mya, the brave science girl that she is, uses her portable fan to blow all the bees toward the toads, who eat them. Of course! 😂

This story is fun. I loved the rhymes, and the illustrations are great too. What a great way to show kids that science is fun and can be useful for lots of things!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

All my favorite things – bright beautiful color filled illustrations, it rhymes, a strong female lead AND it delivers a powerful message about animal rescue that is on a level that even the littlest littles can follow and appreciate. I’m absolutely adding a hardback copy to my cart for my little grandmuffin for his little library. Thank you to Netgalley, Douglas Haddad and Muddy Boots imprint, and The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. for sharing a digital advanced copy of Mya McLure, The Brave Science Girl – The Toad Cave in exchange for an honest review.

Well Written: I loved the prose of this book. It was like reading poetry for a young child (I would read this for 3-7 year olds). I found myself rooting for Mya through the story, and I was so happy that she found an ally in a teacher. That’s pretty rare in today’s climate, but it made all the difference.

Science Minded: I love that not only did this illustrate just how to create a good habitat for the toads, but that, at the end, it has practical directions for the readers on how to make their spaces more welcoming for them!

Adorable Illustrations: I cannot get over just how cute the illustrations are. I loved the small details, the way it was drawn, and I especially loved her bedroom. So cute.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In this sciency type picture book, follow Mya as she creates a home for the local toads. With the help of her teacher, they come together with ideas on how to protect the toads. Made of sticks and stones and everything in between, Mya makes a special place for them. It's a fun read full of laughter and some honeybees as Mya does what she can to save those toads.

Mya McClure is a great kid scientist and problem solver who takes on researching and caring for toads. She is persistent, resourceful, and confident.

Excellent book that encourages standing up for what you believe in, getting involved in science, making a plan and taking action.

Thank you so much to Globe Pequot/ Muddy Boots and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Mya is an activist and loves to help the animals and environment, when one night a load of toads croak at her window she raises her voice and asks for help. Miss. Russell her teach shows her what to do and they together create the best place for toads to go and rest.

This was really nice, I loved that it helps teach how to care for animals, what to do, what environment they want to be settled into, what they eat and how they live. It was really great and the way it was shared was done in a fun and easy way. It will help encourage other children that are interested in helping creatures and give them an idea what to do.

Mya was a great character she wanted to make sure everyone was safe, including trees and animals. She didn’t always have the answers but was confident enough to ask for help from her teacher and together they were able to work and solve the problem.

The illustrations were really nice to look at and I liked the way the character were created. The toads were so adorable to look at too, all in a pile together. I always love looking at the story unfolding through the illustrations on each page.

I think this was a really great story that many children will enjoy, Mya is a great character that will inspire other children, she has a voice, she has confidence and she cares about animals and the nature around her. It would make a great addition to any school that is teaching a nature, animals or science segment. Love finding great books like this that teach strong girls in science but it’s also a fun read.

I would say it’s a good educational book for kids to learn how to re-establish natural homes for animals as their natural habitats are getting threatened by land development day by day.

In this story, a little girl gets to learn about how to establish natural homes for a family of toads as they have entered her house. She gets to know the reason and consults teacher for the same. And yes, you will get to know the challenges she faces while she’s trying to remake natural homes for the toads!

Amazingly written with great artwork, the book also provides the actual steps on how to build a “toad home”!

Blessed, aren’t we?!

Thank you, Globe Pequot/Muddy Boots, for the advance reading copy.

The story had a nice message but ultimately it just felt a bit odd in its delivery. There were many parts where it felt as if it was missing information or was jumping ahead. For example, Mya asks her teacher a question, but then then book just skips past the answer. I also found it odd that the teacher just showed up where Mya was in the woods despite the fact that it didn't show any conversation of them meeting there.

This is a fun book with delightfully quirky illustrations. It also provides an excellent role model, in Mya, for young girls with an interest in STEM (or for those in need of encouragement to explore options in STEM).

Mya is a girl who cares passionately about the environment and conservation issues, but she hasn't bargained for a bunch of toads showing up outside her window looking for refuge.

Mya turns for help to her teacher, Miss Russell, and thus begins the adventure of creating a safe habitat for the toads in the woods, whilst emerging unscathed from that location themselves - which at one point, is not by any means certain!

The story was interesting enough, though the rhyming text could have done with some improvement. But for me, the best part of the book were the illustrations. A good effort and worth checking out.

I like the idea of the book (as I am a science teacher), the story was clever and quirky and the illustrations were wonderful but I didn’t think that the story flowed well in some places. My little one did enjoy it and I would like to see what Mya McLure gets up to next.