Shape Shift


Joyce Hesselberth - 2016
    Round, curvy, pointy, or straight-shapes are all around us.With vibrant illustrations that highlight shapes in all their forms, this informative book reinforces the identification of circles, squares, crescents, diamonds, triangles, rectangles, trapezoids, and ovals while encouraging kids to pair shapes together to make new forms.

Rocket Says Look Up!


Nathan Bryon - 2019
    Rocket's enthusiasm brings neighbors and family together to witness a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. Perfect for fans of Ada Twist, Scientist and young science lovers excited about the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, Look Up! will inspire readers of all ages to dream big as it models Rocket's passion for science and infectious curiosity.Author Nathan Bryon, an actor and screenwriter, and Dapo Adeola, a community-minded freelance illustrator, bring their fresh talents, passion, and enthusiasm to the picture book medium.

Some Bugs


Angela DiTerlizzi - 2014
    Get the buzz on bugs in this picture book from Angela DiTerlizzi!Grab your magnifying glass!Find your field guide!And come hop, hide, swim, and glidethrough this buggy backyard world! Featuring insects including butterflies and moths, crickets and cicadas, bumblebees and beetles, this zippy rhyming exploration of backyard-bug behavior is sure to have insect enthusiasts of all ages bugging out with excitement!

Smart About Sharks


Owen Davey - 2016
    Some deadly, some not-so-deadly, and almost all just generally misunderstood. Exciting and detailed illustrations fill the page and educate young readers about these thrilling residents of the sea! Delivering information with the same whimsical text and brash illustration that saw his previous book win the affection of the Wall Street Journal, Smart About Sharks is sure to have teeth!Owen Davey is a freelance illustrator, living and working out of Leicester, United Kingdom. He graduated with a First Class BA in Illustration from Falmouth University. Davey's work has been published in every continent (except Antarctica), including picture books in the United Kingdom, America, Australia, Germany, France, Portugal, China, and Korea. He has worked for some impressive clients, including the New York Times, Microsoft, and Orange. This is his first book about sharks.

Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship


Isabella Hatkoff - 2006
    When Owen was stranded after the Dec 2004 tsunami, villagers in Kenya worked tirelessly to rescue him. Then, to everyone's amazement, the orphan hippo and the elderly tortoise adopted each other. Now they are inseparable, swimming, eating, and playing together. Adorable photos e-mailed from friend to friend quickly made them worldwide celebrities. Here is a joyous reminder that in times of trouble, friendship is stronger than the differences that too often pull us apart.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt


Kate Messner - 2015
    . . and down in the dirt.Explore the secret world beneath the dirt that brings the world of nature to life: Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt exists a busy world—earthworms dig, snakes hunt, skunks burrow—populated by all the animals that make a garden their home. With Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, you can explore the hidden world and many lives of a garden through the course of a year!• Follow a young girl and her grandmother as they journey through the year planning, planting, and harvesting their garden—and learn about what's happening in the dirt to help make it all happen• The stunning and bright illustrations feature dark earthy tones mixed with beautiful pops of color inspire a love of nature and encourage young minds to explore the world around them• Includes a glossary of animals that live in, around, and under the garden to enrich the reading experienceFans of A Seed is Sleepy, Spring is Here, and A Nest is Noisy will also love the outstanding illustrations and educational storyline in Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt."The harmonious relationships above and below ground, and those between the two, emphasize the complexities of the garden ecosystem, as well as the joys of sustained engagement with the land." —The Horn Book Magazine• Great read-aloud book for families and classrooms• Books for kids ages 5-8• Early elementary school books• Books for kindergarten to 3rd grade

It's So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families


Robie H. Harris - 1999
    Once again, the Bird and Bee are up to their antics, but this time they're younger. In It's So Amazing!, these reassuring characters reflect the many moods of children age 7 and up: silly, serious, curious, embarrassed. Their voices echo the thoughts, questions, and concerns of a younger audience.

To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space


Dave Williams - 2016
    Dave Williams, a NASA astronaut who speaks from first-hand experience. Written for kids ages 7 to 10, this book uses age-appropriate language to explain the different phenomena that astronauts encounter during a mission. The bright, colorful pages, short blocks of text accompanied by photos and humorous illustrations make this a very attractive choice for young readers. The opening message from Dr. Dave empowers kids to follow his example by believing in themselves and following their dreams.

Little Leaders: Exceptional Men in Black History


Vashti Harrison - 2019
    Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include writer James Baldwin, artist Aaron Douglas, filmmaker Oscar Devereaux Micheaux, lawman Bass Reeves, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, and musician Prince.The legends in Little Legends: Exceptional Men in Black History span centuries and continents, but each one has blazed a trail for generations to come.

Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story


Suzanne Slade - 2017
    This picture book biography examines the life and career of naturalist and artist Anna Comstock (1854-1930), who defied social conventions and pursued the study of science. From the time she was a young girl, Anna Comstock was fascinated by the natural world. She loved exploring outdoors, examining wildlife and learning nature's secrets. From watching the teamwork of marching ants to following the constellations in the sky, Anna observed it all. And her interest only increased as she grew older and went to college at Cornell University. There she continued her studies, pushing back against those social conventions that implied science was a man's pursuit. Eventually Anna became known as a nature expert, pioneering a movement to encourage schools to conduct science and nature classes for children outdoors, thereby increasing students' interest in nature. In following her passion, this remarkable woman blazed a trail for female scientists today.

Whose Egg?


Lynette Evans - 2013
    Let Whose Egg? aid the imagination in visualizing everything from emerald green eggs to those that house “scaly claws” and “snapping jaws.” Kids will love opening up the flaps and discovering what type of animal belongs to each egg.

The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin


Julia Finley Mosca - 2017
    Temple Grandin—one of the world’s quirkiest science heroes!When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe!The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin is the first book in a brand new educational series about the inspirational lives of amazing scientists. In addition to the illustrated rhyming tale, you’ll find a complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of events, and even a note from Temple herself!

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel


Kathryn Gibbs Davis - 2014
    Capturing an engineer’s creative vision and mind for detail, this fully illustrated picture book biography sheds light on how the American inventor George Ferris defied gravity and seemingly impossible odds to invent the world’s most iconic amusement park attraction, the Ferris wheel.     A fun, fact-filled text by Gibbs Davis combines with Gilbert Ford’s dazzling full-color illustrations to transport readers to the 1893 World’s Fair, where George Ferris and his big, wonderful wheel lifted passengers to the skies for the first time.

Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types


Sharon Werner - 2009
    It's a dazzling package of language arts, design smarts, humor, and fascinating nonfiction content. It's alpha-mazing!

The Three Astronauts


Umberto Eco - 1966
    Arriving at their destination simultaneously, at first they consider each other to be foreigners and rivals; but the lonely condition on the alien world makes them realize that their differences are inconsequential when compared to what they have in common. This is reinforced when they meet a Martian, and not understanding its strange ways they discover that their enmity has shifted from each other to the real alien – but of course, they soon discover that this strange creature has emotions just as familiar as their own.The illustrations in the book are by award-winning artist Eugenio Carmi, and consist of colorful watercolors and montages. Surreal and symbolic, the artwork nicely accompanies Eco’s tale of understanding and compassion on another world. The astronauts are depicted by swatches of colored paper rather than as people; the American as a multicolored box of Chiclets, the Russian a red clipping from Pravda, and the Chinese as a yellow ideogram. Other than obviously standing in for whole nations, the overall effect is rather clever, and adds a sort of haunting quality to their lonely sojourn on the planet. The actual Martian is quite cute in a disturbingly alien kind of way, and it is remarkable how you begin to feel sympathy for it considering it is just an expressionless green head on top of a multi-armed torso.I haven’t heard the reaction of any children yet, but I kinda like it....