It is inspired by the 2011 Queensland floods but it could be about any of the disasters that strike our land, and the events that turn everyday Australians into heroes. Flood depicts water mercilessly ripping through Queensland towns and then receding, leaving destruction and devastation in its wake. Told from the perspective of a cattle dog who is separated from his family, Flood helps children to understand the affects of a traumatic natural disaster without being too confronting, while the story of the little tugboat that pushes a boardwalk out to sea, staving off further disaster, gives smaller children a hero they can relate to. Flood is a beautiful and timely expression of the strength of the Australian spirit during times of adversity.http://www.thebookhouse.com.au/_produ...

    "The effect human beings have on the landscape around them is the theme of Baker's most recent tour de force....The artist's multimedia collage constructions are, as ever, fascinating in their realistic detail and powerfully convey the dramatic message.."--Horn Book.

    Some like little white dogs or big black cats or hoppy brown bunnies best. Others prefer squishy snails or tall giraffes or sleek black panthers. With beautiful illustrations and charming personal stories, 14 children's book artists share their favorite animals and why they love them.

    In simple, soaring language and breathtaking art, acclaimed author-illustrator Evan Turk has created a stirring ode to nature and nation. From the rugged coast of Maine to the fiery volcanoes of Hawaii, You Are Home reminds us that every animal, plant, and person helps make this land a brilliant, beautiful sanctuary of life.

    Uses rabbits, a species introduced to Australia, to represent an allegory of the arrival of Europeans in Australia and the widespread environmental destruction caused by man throughout the continent.

    To celebrate thirty years, Abrams is proud to publish a special anniversary edition. Animalia’s incredible imaginary world intrigues all readers. Each page includes hidden objects and ideas: start with “A is for An Armoured Armadillo Avoiding an Angry Alligator” and you’ll find aprons, ants, aces, Atom-brand anchovies, and much more. The rest of the alphabet is just as much fun!

    . .When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth And poison her people's water, one young water protectorTakes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource.

     Follow one African-American boy through the course of his day as the harsh reality of segregation and racial prejudice comes into vivid focus. But the boy dreams of a different life--one full of freedom, hope, and wild possibility, where he can fling his arms wide in the face of the sun.

    There's a `just right' quality to the verse that makes it a pleasure to read the words aloud. Because it appeals on so many levels, this is one poetry book that won't sit on the shelf for long."—Booklist.This New York Times Notable Book of the Year is a wonderful introduction to the pleasures of poetry and word play from a master of the genre, Jack Prelutsky.

    In this Caldecott Honor book, illustrator Pam Zagarenski's interpretations go beyond the concrete, allowing us to not just see color, but feel it.

    If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived in a dreary town in northern France, what would your life be like? Would it be full of color and art? Full of lines and dancing figures?Find out in this beautiful, unusual picture book about one of the world's most famous and influential artists by acclaimed author and Newbery Medal-winning Patricia MacLachlan and innovative illustrator Hadley Hooper.A Neal Porter Book

    Peter Spier uses his own translation of a seventeenth-century Dutch poem about this most famous menagerie.

    Poetic in voice and elegant in design, the book introduces children to a fascinating array of seed and plant facts, making it a guide that is equally at home being read on a parent's lap as in a classroom reading circle.

    Look at this board book and you'll hear Charlie Parker; you'll hear music in your mind."Be bop. Fisk, fisk. Lollipop. Boomba, boomba."Look. That's Charlie swinging and spinning all over the pages. And that's Charlie's cat, waiting, waiting for him to come home....

    Over 7,000 years ago Native Americans settled on the Nashua River, a beautiful and leafy valley. But the industrialization of nearby areas would lead to the deterioration of natural habitats. Each double spread examines brief periods of time when the river and surrounding areas teemed with wildlife. Lynne Cherry’s contrasting illustrations of the lush valley and the eventual polluted river deliver an astonishing look at our dramatic need for conservation efforts. This pictorial history of the river, edging towards a hopeful scene of modern-day descendants of both Native Americans and European settlers who come together to combat pollution and restore the beauty of the river, is an intelligent tale that shows young readers how they can do their part in taking care of the world around them, one river at a time.