The Night Gardener


Terry Fan - 2016
    In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.

How Beautiful


Antonella Capetti - 2017
    A question forms in the caterpillar’s mind: “What is beautiful?”So begins a quest to discover the true meaning of the word beautiful. Much to the caterpillar’s surprise, each animal in the forest has their own unique definition:A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful!The squirrels say leaves are beautiful!A mole says his burrow is beautiful!What’s a caterpillar to do?How Beautiful offers kids an immersive, memorable experience. Elaborate and vivid illustrations by Melissa Castrillón, author of Yellow Kayak and If I Had a Little Dream, combine with a sweet, central message:Beauty is as diverse as we are.“Beautiful” means something different to everyone, and that’s okay!The beauty of the natural world is worth celebrating!

The Race to Save the Lord God Bird


Phillip Hoose - 2004
    A powerful saga that sweeps through two hundred years of history, it introduces artists like John James Audubon, bird collectors like William Brewster, and finally a new breed of scientist in Cornell's Arthur A. "Doc" Allen and his young ornithology student, James Tanner, whose quest to save the Ivory-bill culminates in one of the first great conservation showdowns in U.S. history, an early round in what is now a worldwide effort to save species. As hope for the Ivory-bill fades in the United States, the bird is last spotted in Cuba in 1987, and Cuban scientists join in the race to save it.All this, plus Mr. Hoose's wonderful story-telling skills, comes together to give us what David Allen Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Birds calls "the most thorough and readable account to date of the personalities, fashions, economics, and politics that combined to bring about the demise of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker."The Race to Save the Lord God Bird is the winner of the 2005 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction and the 2005 Bank Street - Flora Stieglitz Award.

The Unicorn in the Barn


Jacqueline K. Ogburn - 2017
    It always gets away.One evening, Eric Harper thinks he spots it. But a deer doesn’t have a coat that shimmers like a pearl. And a deer certainly isn’t born with an ivory horn curling from its forehead. When Eric discovers the unicorn is hurt and being taken care of by the vet next door and her daughter, Allegra, his life is transformed.A tender tale of love, loss, and the connections we make, The Unicorn in the Barn shows us that sometimes ordinary life takes extraordinary turns.

Hope for the Flowers


Trina Paulus - 1972
    "Hope for the Flowers" is an inspiring allegory about the realization of one's true destiny as told through the lives of caterpillars Stripe and Yellow, who struggle to "climb to the top" before understanding that they are meant to fly.

Inky the Octopus


Erin Guendelsberger - 2018
    Out of this tank, I must be free.I must explore the open sea!Inky the octopus is bored with aquarium life and wants to escape to the ocean! But just how can an octopus in a tank get to the open seas? Find out in Inky the Octopus, the only tale of the mischievous octopus to be officially endorsed by the National Aquarium of New Zealand.

Beatrix Potter's Journal


Beatrix Potter - 2006
    Using witty, observant commentary taken from Beatrix’s own diaries, the journal features a wealth of watercolor paintings, sketches, photographs, letters and period memorabilia to recreate the world in which she lived.

I am Cat


Jackie Morris - 2012
    . .of being a tiger, flame cat of the forest; a cheetah - fast as the wind on the African plains; a lion, lounging through the heat of the day, tangled in sunshine on the African savannah; a jaguar, perfectly camouflaged deep in the jungle. And the cat dreams of being a lynx, a puma, a snow leopard, a Scottish wild cat, an Asian fishing cat, and the rare Amur leopard. Finally Cat wakes, a domestic cat again, telling his dreams to the child who is stroking him.Ten wild habitats, ten wild cats and one domestic cat are dramatically and beautifully illustrated in this unique celebration of the cat.

Cicada


Shaun Tan - 2018
    But in the end, just when you think he's given up, he makes a transformation into something ineffably beautiful. A metaphor for growing up? A bit of inspiration for the unappreciated striver in all of us? Yes, yes, and more.

How to Make a Bird


Meg McKinlay - 2020
    We shadow the protagonist as she contemplates the blue print of an idea, collects the things that inspire from the natural world to shape a bird. And breathes life into it before letting it fly free. Sometimes small things, combined with a little imagination and a steady heart, can transform into works of magic.

The Birdman's Wife


Melissa Ashley - 2016
    In a society obsessed with natural history and the discovery of new species, the birdman’s wife was at its glittering epicentre. Her artistry breathed life into hundreds of exotic finds, from her husband’s celebrated collections to Charles Darwin’s famous Galapagos finches.Fired by Darwin’s discoveries, in 1838 Elizabeth defied convention by joining John on a trailblazing expedition to the untamed wilderness of Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales to collect and illustrate Australia’s ‘curious’ birdlife.From a naïve and uncertain young girl to a bold adventurer determined to find her own voice and place in the world, The Birdman’s Wife paints an indelible portrait of an extraordinary woman overlooked by history, until now.

The Magic School Bus Gets Ants In Its Pants: A Book About Ants


Linda Ward Beech - 1996
    Frizzle and friends team up to locate a "star", and in the process learn about the cooperative nature of animal social groups. Full color.

On The Origin of Species


Sabina Radeva - 2019
    But scientists started to challenge that idea and in 1859 Charles Darwin, a naturalist and biologist, wrote a famous book called On the Origin of Species that revolutionised the way that we have understood evolution ever since.Now molecular biologist and illustrator Sabina Radeva has recreated Darwin's most famous work as a beautifully illustrated book. The stunning pictures bring the theory of evolution to life for young readers, and anyone who wants to learn about evolution.Pulling together Darwin's observations from his travels around the world and his ground-breaking explanation of how species form, develop, and change over hundreds of thousands of years, On The Origin of Species is as relevant and important now as it ever was.A very important project, most beautifully realised. Sabina Radeva's thoughtful text and gorgeous pictures together tell the story of On The Origin of Species, and of Evolution itself, with clarity, humour and great charm. - Emma Darwin An entrancing picture-book retelling of Darwin's on the Origin of Species ... filled with informative, beautifully designed diagrams and maps. - The Guardian

And Then It's Spring


Julie Fogliano - 2012
    They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way. Julie Fogliano's tender story of anticipation is brought to life by the distinctive illustrations Erin E. Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.

The Wolf-Birds


Willow Dawson - 2015
    A pack of wolves is on the hunt, too. Food is scarce, but, if they team up, the ravens and wolves just might be able to help each other.The ravens follow a pack of starving wolves on the hunt. The wolves come up empty handed – and even lose one of their own in the chase – but the ravens have better luck. The wolves hear the ravens cawing and investigate only to find an injured deer, the perfect meal! The wolves make the kill; the opportunistic ravens benefit, feasting alongside and after the wolves.The Wolf-Birds takes an honest, unflinching view of survival in the wild, highlighting the fact that one animal’s life helps many others live. Based on scientific data and anecdotal reports from Aboriginal hunters, the book explores the fascinating symbiotic relationship shared by wolves and ravens. Because ravens follow and scavenge food from wolves — which scientists believe hints at an ecological relationship thousands of years old — ravens have been dubbed “wolf-birds.” An informational author’s note at the back of the book explains more about