Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree


Mary Murphy - 2020
    Amazing! Birds build nests, sing songs, hatch eggs, and fly. Dogs are our friends and can move their ears to tell us how they feel, while fish live in water, flashing like jewels. As for people, every person on Earth is different, each with their own thoughts and feelings. With a simple narrative and joyful, welcoming illustrations celebrating a world full of remarkable creatures, Mary Murphy reminds little ones that we are all unique, and that we are the only ones who know how to be us.

Flash and Gleam: Light in Our World


Sue Fliess - 2020
    The soft glow of a candle, the blink of a firefly, a burst of fireworks--light is everywhere in our world! Rhyming text and illustrations follow four children as they experience many different forms of light.

Fatima's Great Outdoors


Ambreen Tariq - 2021
    Her family is headed to a local state park for their first camping trip! The school week might not have gone as planned, but outdoors, Fatima can achieve anything. She sets up a tent with her father, builds a fire with her mother, and survives an eight-legged mutant spider (a daddy longlegs with an impressive shadow) with her sister. At the end of an adventurous day, the family snuggles inside one big tent, serenaded by the sounds of the forest. The thought of leaving the magic of the outdoors tugs at Fatima’s heart, but her sister reminds her that they can keep the memory alive through stories—and they can always daydream about what their next camping trip will look like.

Plume


Isabelle Simler - 2017
    But lurking in the background of every page is a cat, who also seems very interested in the birds. With its funny illustrations and engaging concepts, this clever counting book will invite readers to linger over every page.

The Sound of Silence


Katrina Goldsaito - 2016
    The musician answers, "The most beautiful sound is the sound of ma, of silence."But Yoshio lives in Tokyo, Japan: a giant, noisy, busy city. He hears shoes squishing through puddles, trains whooshing, cars beeping, and families laughing. Tokyo is like a symphony hall!Where is silence?Join Yoshio on his journey through the hustle and bustle of the city to find the most beautiful sound of all.

Home is in Between


Mitali Perkins - 2021
    Now in America, she watches fall leaves fly past her feet. Still, her family’s apartment feels like a village: Mama cooking luchi, funny stories in Bangla, and Baba’s big laugh. But outside, everything is different – trick-or-treating, ballet class, and English books.Back and forth, Shanti trudges between her two worlds. She remembers her village and learns her new town. She watches Bollywood movies at home and Hollywood movies with her friends. She is Indian. She is also American. How should she define home?

All the Colors of the Earth


Sheila Hamanaka - 1994
    All the Colors of the Earth "would be a wonderful book to use in multicultural classrooms in schools.""How better to celebrate ethnic diversity than to look to children, the hope of the future? This glorious picture book does just that."—Booklist"A poetic picture book and an exemplary work of art. The simple text describes children's skin tones and hair in terms of natural phenomena and then describes love for these children with rich colors and flavors. A celebration of diversity." —School Library Journal

Edwina the Emu


Sheena Knowles - 1997
    This sequel to the popular Edward the Emu is an excellent choice to share in the classroom or at home—both adults and kids will laugh at and sympathize with the Emu family.

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me


Eloise Greenfield - 2019
    So is his owner, Jace. Together, they turn the world around them into verse.There's just one problem: Thinker has to keep quiet in public, and he can't go to school with Jace. That is, until Pets' Day. But when Thinker is allowed into the classroom at last, he finds it hard to keep his true identity a secret.Praise for Thinker: "Coretta Scott King Award-winner Greenfield sensitively conveys Jace's anxiety about being perceived as different, and his realization that being true to one's self is the best bet--for kids and dog poets, too."-- Publishers Weekly A Kate Greenaway Medal nominee

Isabella's Garden


Glenda Millard - 2009
    This story tells the tale of growth and change in Isabella's beautiful garden - the flourishing of plants, the coming and going of the animals, insects and seasons - beginning and ending with the seeds that 'slept in the soil all dark and deep'.

Old Rock (Is Not Boring)


Deb Pilutti - 2020
    Spotted Beetle, Tall Pine, and Hummingbird think just sitting there must be boring, but they are in for a wonderful surprise. Fabulous tales of adventurous travel, exotic scenery, entertaining neighbors, and more from Old Rock's life prove it has been anything but boring.Great storytellers come in all shapes, sizes, and ages, and Old Rock's stories are sure to inspire questions that lead to wonderful conversations about the past and the natural world.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones: A Book About Animals that Lay Eggs


Ruth Heller - 1981
    Ruth Heller's prose and pictures are the perfect means for discovering the variety of oviparous animals and their unique ways of laying eggs.

Hello Ocean


Pam Muñoz Ryan - 2001
    Glorious illustrations of water, sun, and sky accompany brief, evocative verses, making this a perfect keepsake of a seaside vacation or a striking introduction to the pleasures of a day by the ocean.Pam Muñoz Ryan drew on her children's and her own experiences of the ocean in writing the poetic text of Hello Ocean. She is the author of many books for children, including The Flag We Love, California, Here We Come!, Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (Scholastic), and Esperanza Rising (Scholastic). She lives in Leucadia, California.Mark Astrella lived by both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans while illustrating this book. He is the illustrator of The Desert Alphabet Book and The Butterfly Alphabet Book. He now lives in Hawaii.

Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko


Misuzu Kaneko - 2016
    But her life ends prematurely, and Misuzu’s work is forgotten. Decades later her poems are rediscovered—just in time to touch a new generation devastated by the tsunami of 2011. This picture book features Misuzu’s life story plus a trove of her poetry in English and the original Japanese.Big Catch: At sunrise, glorious sunriseit’s a big catch!A big catch of sardines! On the beach, it’s like a festivalbut in the sea, they will hold funeralsfor the tens of thousands dead.

Bee-bim Bop!


Linda Sue Park - 2005
    In bouncy rhyming text, a hungry child tells about helping her mother make bee-bim bop: shopping, preparing ingredients, setting the table, and finally sitting down with her family to enjoy a favorite meal. The energy and enthusiasm of the young narrator are conveyed in the whimsical illustrations, which bring details from the artist’s childhood in Korea to his depiction of a modern Korean American family. Even young readers who aren’t familiar with the dish will recognize the pride that comes from helping Mama, the fun of mixing ingredients together in a bowl, and the pleasure of sharing delicious food. Includes author’s own recipe.