Hazel Barton Why is It Important for Hazel Barton to Continue Studying Microbes and Extremophiles

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This book examined the work of three scientists who work in extreme environments: a man who flies through hurricanes to gather data, a woman who explores caves looking for microbes, and a man who scales the giant redwood trees to study life at the tops. I found the latter two much more interesting than the first one, which surprised me as I love reading about weather. I think this may be because I didn't learn anything new in the first part, but I did in the next two. The idea of microbes in cav This book examined the work of three scientists who work in extreme environments: a man who flies through hurricanes to gather data, a woman who explores caves looking for microbes, and a man who scales the giant redwood trees to study life at the tops. I found the latter two much more interesting than the first one, which surprised me as I love reading about weather. I think this may be because I didn't learn anything new in the first part, but I did in the next two. The idea of microbes in caves fascinated me, because I tend to think of them as sterile, dead places, especially the deeper you go. I loved the photos of the weird and beautiful rock formations down there. This explorer, Hazel, even dives in underwater caves and climbs in slippery ice caves looking for microscopic life. Very interesting. What fascinated me about the tree climber was the variety of life to be found way up there at the tops of these gigantic trees. It's a whole 'nother ecosystem up there! Trees of different species growing out of the redwood trunks, salamanders scooting around, lichens adding color... And the needles get smaller the higher up you go because the tree pulls less and less water up the higher you go--and that's what limits how high these trees can grow. If earth's gravity were less, the water could rise up higher through the roots and the tree could grow taller. I'd have loved this book when I was a kid, and I recommend it now. Great stuff! ...more

I think this would have worked just as well, maybe even better, if it were split into three separate books. The connecting factor of "extreme scientists" didn't really seem like enough of a connection to me. But I did find each account of an extreme scientist - whether flying through the eye of hurricanes to learn how to better predict them, exploring deep into caves looking for microbes called extremophiles, or climbing and mapping the tallest Redwoods - to be very intriguing. I learned a lot! I think this would have worked just as well, maybe even better, if it were split into three separate books. The connecting factor of "extreme scientists" didn't really seem like enough of a connection to me. But I did find each account of an extreme scientist - whether flying through the eye of hurricanes to learn how to better predict them, exploring deep into caves looking for microbes called extremophiles, or climbing and mapping the tallest Redwoods - to be very intriguing. I learned a lot! I just wonder if I will be able to "sell" this to any students? I know it will be checked out to look at the photos, but will any student actually read it? I guess we'll see. I hope so. ...more

1. Genre: Biography

2. Intended age range: Grades 4-6

3. Summary: Paul Flaherty, a hurricane hunter, Hazel Barton, a cave explorer, and Stephen Sillett, a tree lover, who are scientists that have very thrilling jobs. This book is broken up into three sections that describe the jobs of each of these extreme scientists.

4. Curriculum connection: This could be used for a science unit where students could use this book to research different types of scientists. The students could do further research t

1. Genre: Biography

2. Intended age range: Grades 4-6

3. Summary: Paul Flaherty, a hurricane hunter, Hazel Barton, a cave explorer, and Stephen Sillett, a tree lover, who are scientists that have very thrilling jobs. This book is broken up into three sections that describe the jobs of each of these extreme scientists.

4. Curriculum connection: This could be used for a science unit where students could use this book to research different types of scientists. The students could do further research to find out what other types of scientists there are that have extreme jobs. Then, they could chose one that they think they would like to have to talk with the class about.

5. My opinion: I really enjoyed learning about these scientists because these are jobs that I could never do. Each job is so extreme that they put their lives in danger each time, but I did find it to be very informational. I learning things that I never knew about hurricanes, caves, and trees.

6. Visual appeal: The pictures in the book helped to understand what each scientist was describing. Also, I was able to see how extreme these people are. It has a really great visual appeal!

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Jan 11, 2015 Phyllis rated it liked it

This was a goodreads giveaway book that I won. Three scientists are featured; the first one flies into hurricanes and collects weather data, the second mines microbes in caves all over the world, and the third climbs to the top of 379 ft. redwoods and studies trees. I liked the book and will be giving it to my grandson.

What an awesome book to show kids that science isn't limited to a laboratory. The author partnered AWESOME pictures with very cool biographies. As a 47 year old woman, I enjoyed this book. I am sure kids would love it. What an awesome book to show kids that science isn't limited to a laboratory. The author partnered AWESOME pictures with very cool biographies. As a 47 year old woman, I enjoyed this book. I am sure kids would love it. ...more

Oct 25, 2017 Nicola Neil rated it really liked it

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It focuses on three scientists: a hurricane chaser, a cave explorer, and a tree climber. The text is supported by many photographs (some of which weren't high-res enough for the page size, which is my only real complaint, and understandable as the book is almost ten years old). There are also additional sources listed. I think this would be great for kids aged 10-14. It has certainly made me want to visit some more caves! I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It focuses on three scientists: a hurricane chaser, a cave explorer, and a tree climber. The text is supported by many photographs (some of which weren't high-res enough for the page size, which is my only real complaint, and understandable as the book is almost ten years old). There are also additional sources listed. I think this would be great for kids aged 10-14. It has certainly made me want to visit some more caves! ...more

Apr 09, 2018 Emma Pasley rated it really liked it

This book is very interesting and has a great amount of text with picture to keep children interested. This book has great resources for children to explore careers and will be a great research resource for students.

Oct 04, 2017 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Wonderful so much information here that one would not normally get. I know a few kids that will be all over this book when they come over. They love all of this kind of stuff caving and climbing trees. Exciting to see how much goes into these types of scientists.

Aug 20, 2019 Sandy rated it really liked it

My science-obsessed eight year old enjoyed this book about scientists who work outside of a lab. Great pictures and lots of information.

So cool to hear about these jobs! Unreal.

Junior Books Project

Category: Literature Circle #5

Source: Dr. Kimmel

This book will interest future scientists everywhere! Not only does this book talk about science, but it talks about three very different scientists who equally are important. A meteorologist who flies into hurricanes to record its data helps us know how severe the hurricane is, what path the hurricane is on, and what areas need to evacuate to safety. They learn about the hurricane's pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed,

Junior Books Project

Category: Literature Circle #5

Source: Dr. Kimmel

This book will interest future scientists everywhere! Not only does this book talk about science, but it talks about three very different scientists who equally are important. A meteorologist who flies into hurricanes to record its data helps us know how severe the hurricane is, what path the hurricane is on, and what areas need to evacuate to safety. They learn about the hurricane's pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. The cave microbiologist ventures into caves and underwater caves learning about extremophiles, tiny microbes that thrive in these caves. Scientist Hazel Barton believes that some of these microbes could be antibiotics that fight off diseases. The botanist studies redwood trees some as high as 350 ft. tall. He studies how they grow, how they are affected by weather, and how they affect the ecosystem. Each job is equally thrilling, equally important, and equally dangerous. At the end of each section, there is a question and answer interview for each scientist. At the end of the book you can find a section that provides information that allows you to "dig deeper" with websites, DVDs, and publications. There is also a glossary, index, and source notes.

I liked this book because it talked about three very different, but very interesting scientists. Who knew science could be so fun and exciting? I had no clue that people actually flew into the eye of the hurricane to gather data that potentially saves thousands of lives. Out of all three stories, the hurricane hunter was my favorite.

There are tons of activities that can come from this book. Students can learn about hurricanes, do a science experiment on how to create your own hurricane. You can teach about weather and how weather can affect us. Students can learn about relief programs set up for those that were devastated by a hurricane or can set up their own relief funds. Students can look under microscopes and learn about microorganisms that they can't see with their naked eye. They can learn about science safety. You can teach students about the ecosystem. Teach them why it is important to have trees. How do trees help us and other creatures?

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Those who think careers in science are safe, dull and boring will be shocked by Extreme Scientists, another great title in the outstanding Scientists in the Field series. Meet Paul Flaherty, a meteorologist who flies through hurricanes to collect life-saving data from the eyes of these dangerous storms. Or Hazel Barton–she is one of the first humans to enter remote caves to study and collect microbes that can be made into lifesaving medicines. Caving might not sound dangerous, but one wrong move Those who think careers in science are safe, dull and boring will be shocked by Extreme Scientists, another great title in the outstanding Scientists in the Field series. Meet Paul Flaherty, a meteorologist who flies through hurricanes to collect life-saving data from the eyes of these dangerous storms. Or Hazel Barton–she is one of the first humans to enter remote caves to study and collect microbes that can be made into lifesaving medicines. Caving might not sound dangerous, but one wrong move and Barton and her team may never see the surface again. Next, botanist Stephen Sillett climbs hundreds of feet to the top of the tallest forests in the world to study the unique life that lives there. If a branch breaks or equipment fails, it might be his last climb. Why do these scientists risk it all? They are not thrill seekers but are passionate about their fields, constantly yearning to learn more to improve human life and preserve our environment.
Classroom Connection:
• Use this title as an opportunity to talk about sacrificing for the greater good. Other scientists in all three of these fields have lost their lives. Is their sacrifice worth the knowledge gained? Have students consider the countless lives saved by early storm warnings and medicines created by microbes. What about the irreplaceable redwood forests that are better protected when better understood?

Review also posted on Booksource Banter: http://www.booksourcebanter.com/?p=10441

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Nov 30, 2015 Nik rated it liked it

This book is mainly about some scientists that are trying to go above and beyond their research to try to fix how the way people react to nature because the community is still damaging nature and polluting it to because they are growing careless and they are just building and building and just destroying natures producers. Other scientists are trying to predict weather by flying into hurricanes which are risking their lives to save other peoples lives by making a weather forecast for where the h This book is mainly about some scientists that are trying to go above and beyond their research to try to fix how the way people react to nature because the community is still damaging nature and polluting it to because they are growing careless and they are just building and building and just destroying natures producers. Other scientists are trying to predict weather by flying into hurricanes which are risking their lives to save other peoples lives by making a weather forecast for where the hurricanes are headed. The scientists have made over 30 flights into hurricanes and are still making hurricane flights today. The last other scientists are going deep into earth to search for microbes which are single celled organisms that can withstand extreme temperatures and can live for a very long time. The scientists think that these organisms were the first to dwell in earth.

My favorite part of the book was when the scientists drop a very expensive tool that records weather every time they go on a flight! My least favorite part is when one of the scientists almost fall down one of the trees because of a dead branch! Luckily, he was saved by another branch! If I could change one thing in the book, it would be changing how the way the scientists climb up the trees because the way they do it is very dangerous!

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1. Informational
2. In this book the reader gets a outlook into the many mysterious places that are around the world. Learning about the various scientists and how they learn about the various elements of their job and the world that surrounds them.
3. a: The greatest strength of the story are the pictures as well as the various names for the scientists. For example: "Hurricane Hunter, Cave Woman, and Sky Walker" The names and pictures allows for the reader to become engaged.
b: Besides the vari 1. Informational
2. In this book the reader gets a outlook into the many mysterious places that are around the world. Learning about the various scientists and how they learn about the various elements of their job and the world that surrounds them.
3. a: The greatest strength of the story are the pictures as well as the various names for the scientists. For example: "Hurricane Hunter, Cave Woman, and Sky Walker" The names and pictures allows for the reader to become engaged.
b: Besides the various names for the scientists and pictures the text of the stories were easy enough for the reader to understand the scientific facts. "Hurricanes are extreme tropical cyclones-spiraling storms that form over warm seas and rotate counterclockwise" (pg 14). The simplicity of the text allows the reader to understand the concepts.
c: The language in the story is one where the reader becomes the scientists. "The cave "bugs" also reproduce more slowly then the norm. "If you grow E. Coli bacteria in the lab, you'll see a colony (a cluster of microorganisms) in the sixteen to eighteen hours," explains Hazel". (page 30)
4. I would use this book as a tool to research for various projects. It is informative and lets you in on the mystery perilous places of the world.
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I won this book in a book giveaway on Goodreads. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was a lot longer and meatier than I thought it was going to be. It would be a great choice for my older students, grades 3-5, who want to learn about dangerous jobs.

The first job highlighted was a hurricane hunter named Paul Flaherty. Paul wanted to become a meteorologist ever since 2nd grade. The most fascinating part of his story was learning about flying the plane into the eye of a hurricane to get re

I won this book in a book giveaway on Goodreads. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. It was a lot longer and meatier than I thought it was going to be. It would be a great choice for my older students, grades 3-5, who want to learn about dangerous jobs.

The first job highlighted was a hurricane hunter named Paul Flaherty. Paul wanted to become a meteorologist ever since 2nd grade. The most fascinating part of his story was learning about flying the plane into the eye of a hurricane to get readings. There was a scary story from one guy who nearly died.

The second job was a microbiologist who studied microbes growing in caves. Hazel Barton goes cave diving in Mexico and glacier rappelling in Greenland. She's one brave scientist!

The third story was about Steve Sillett, a botanist, who studies redwood trees. In order to study these trees, he has to scale to the top. The tallest redwood he scaled was 379 feet tall! This was probably my favorite story because we visited California last year and saw redwoods for the first time and they are awe-inspiring.

Fantastic non-fiction read!

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'Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places' is another book in the Scientists in the Field series. In this book readers learn about researchers Paul Flaherty, Hazel Barton, and Steve Sillett who study hurricanes, cave bacteria, and redwood tree canopies and ecosystems, respectively. The author Donna Jackson has included stunning photos of each of the researchers in their field of study, so there are hurricanes, spelunking in caves, and aerial climbing among the tree c 'Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places' is another book in the Scientists in the Field series. In this book readers learn about researchers Paul Flaherty, Hazel Barton, and Steve Sillett who study hurricanes, cave bacteria, and redwood tree canopies and ecosystems, respectively. The author Donna Jackson has included stunning photos of each of the researchers in their field of study, so there are hurricanes, spelunking in caves, and aerial climbing among the tree canopy. In addition to the photos Jackson has touched on the interesting aspects of the research that are most likely to catch the imagination of young readers and hopefully instill an excitement for science. Each section concludes with a quick 'questions and answers' section designed to get at some of the non-scientific questions readers might have about the scientists job! At the end of the book Jackson has included a list of extra reading and a glossary of terms, both of which are helpful.

I really enjoyed this book, as did the young readers in my life.

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Jackson, Donna M. (2009). Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 80 pp. ISBN 0-618-77706-7 (Hardcover); $16.00

Need a book to recommend for that active, nonfiction-loving student who has trouble sitting still? Try this one! Students fly into the center of hurricanes and then back out! We crawl deep into cramped caves, both above and below water. We spend time in the canopy of trees taller than skyscrapers and older than modern civilization

Jackson, Donna M. (2009). Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 80 pp. ISBN 0-618-77706-7 (Hardcover); $16.00

Need a book to recommend for that active, nonfiction-loving student who has trouble sitting still? Try this one! Students fly into the center of hurricanes and then back out! We crawl deep into cramped caves, both above and below water. We spend time in the canopy of trees taller than skyscrapers and older than modern civilization. Each of these three scientists explains what they do and why they do it. The photography is both gorgeous and terrifying. I especially like this book because it balances the obvious thrill of the work with the need for solid science skills, like measuring, recording, writing, analyzing, predicting, and designing extreme (but never reckless) science tests and observations to learn more. The format and the text and the photography are suitable in any library throughout the nation, including elementary, middle school, and high school libraries.

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Most people think of scientist wearing white lab coats and working in sterile labs all day. But the scientists in this book don't work in the most typical settings. Three adventurous scientists are highlighted in this book: Paul Flaherty a meteorologist who flies into hurricanes, Hazel Barton a cave explorer/microbiologist, and Steve Sillett a botanist who works in tree tops.

This is a good book to encourage wannabe explorers who are afraid everything is already explored and discovered, or those

Most people think of scientist wearing white lab coats and working in sterile labs all day. But the scientists in this book don't work in the most typical settings. Three adventurous scientists are highlighted in this book: Paul Flaherty a meteorologist who flies into hurricanes, Hazel Barton a cave explorer/microbiologist, and Steve Sillett a botanist who works in tree tops.

This is a good book to encourage wannabe explorers who are afraid everything is already explored and discovered, or those kids who think that science is boring. As an adult (and former science teacher), even I learned several things from these scientists I never knew before and the jobs these scientists do are certainly not boring. There are lots of further resources in the back of this book, especially on Hazel Barton and her work.

Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. Each scientist mentions one time when their life was in danger, and the Hurricane chapter mentions some airplane crashes.

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Category: Lit Circle 5
Review Soruce: Kimmel

In Extreme Scientists, we meet three scientists who earn their living working in dangerous outdoor environments. Paul Flaherty is known as a hurricane hunter. Technically, he is a meteorologist that specializes in hurricanes. He and his team fly into the heart of actual hurricanes and tropical storms and study them. Hazel Barton is known as a cave woman. She is a microbiologist who studies microbes, including bacteria and fungi, that live in caves all o

Category: Lit Circle 5
Review Soruce: Kimmel

In Extreme Scientists, we meet three scientists who earn their living working in dangerous outdoor environments. Paul Flaherty is known as a hurricane hunter. Technically, he is a meteorologist that specializes in hurricanes. He and his team fly into the heart of actual hurricanes and tropical storms and study them. Hazel Barton is known as a cave woman. She is a microbiologist who studies microbes, including bacteria and fungi, that live in caves all over the world. She spends much of her time deep down inside these caves. Stephen Sillett is known as the sky walker. He is a botanist who specializes in studying the sequoia trees, which are the tallest trees in the world. He spends much of his time in the tops of these trees studying the mini ecosystems that thrive there.

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Note: I received a free copy of this book via the GoodReads First Reads program.

This was an absolutely GORGEOUS book. As a science nerd, I enjoyed reading about the facts (especially the weather) but what impressed me most was the photos that went with each story. They were relevant, beautiful and really tied the book together.

I will definitely be giving this book to my step son, who is in grade 5, so he can enjoy it as well.

I read this book out loud to my husband as we drove this weekend. Both of us were fascinated by the facts we learned from this great book. It highlighted 3 unusual scientists that combine their scientific studies with truly extreme activities. A hurricaine hunter, a cave biologist, and a redwood-climbing botanist. Great pictures and stories make this a perfect recommendation for my students in informational texts.

This is a good nonfiction selection that I think kids will find interesting. Just enough information to keep the book from being too heavy and boring. I liked the diversity of the three extreme scientists profiled--a storm chaser, a spelunker, and a tree climber, all of which kids usually like learning about.

Another in the great "Scientists in the Field" series. Explores a Hurricane Hunter, a Cave Woman, and a Skywalker. Great photos. Interesting information. Supporting documentation. Another in the great "Scientists in the Field" series. Explores a Hurricane Hunter, a Cave Woman, and a Skywalker. Great photos. Interesting information. Supporting documentation. ...more

Colorado author who gives a good idea of what these scientists do without overwhelming or downplaying the dangers of their jobs.

Mar 29, 2017 Danielle rated it really liked it

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

This made an excellent gift to a young relative. A really exciting look at modern science for inspiration for young folks.

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