Book picks similar to
The Seal Garden by Ian McAllister


non-fiction
picture-books
animals
picture-book

The Bug Girl: A True Story


Sophia Spencer - 2020
    Now Sophie tells her story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself.Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.

Cells: An Owner's Handbook


Carolyn Fisher - 2019
    Join Ellie, a skin cell who lives on the derrière of a Boston Terrier, as she tells readers all about the amazing cells that make up every living thing on Earth.Did you know that every human is the proud owner of 37 trillion cells? (Give or take a few trillion.) They’re the itty-bitty building blocks that stack together to make you, you! Join a smart and silly skin cell named Ellie as she explains what a cell looks like, what a cell does, how cells divide and multiply, and much, much more in this fascinating and funny nonfiction picture book.

Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep


April Pulley Sayre - 2016
    Squirrels wrestle.Squirrels leap.Squirrels climb.Squirrels sleep.If you followed a squirrel for a day, what would you see? Climbing branches, storing seeds, making homes in tree holes, and maybe even flying! Acclaimed nature writer April Pulley Sayre's lyrical text, paired with Steve Jenkins's stunning art, offers a glimpse into this fascinating world.Discover different kinds of squirrels as they scamper, eat, and—finally—sleep.

A Bird Is a Bird


Lizzy Rockwell - 2014
    Some birds are fantastically colorful and some are plain. But what do all birds share? Early nonfiction expert Lizzy Rockwell explains that birds have beaks, wings, and feathers, and hatch from eggs. Other animals might have some of these features in common, but only a bird has them all.Only a bird is a bird!A clear text and beautiful illustrations cover dozens of different birds and their shared characteristics, as well as the unique qualities of unusual birds, such as penguins and peacocks.

Coyote Moon


Maria Gianferrari - 2016
     A watchful eye in the darkness. A flutter of movement among the trees. Coyotes.In the dark of the night, a mother coyote stalks prey to feed her hungry pups. Her hunt takes her through a suburban town, where she encounters a mouse, a rabbit, a flock of angry geese, and finally an unsuspecting turkey on the library lawn.POUNCE!Perhaps Coyote's family won't go hungry today.This title has Common Core connections.

Inky's Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home


Sy Montgomery - 2018
    Inky had been getting used to his new environment, but the staff quickly figured out that he had to be kept amused or he would get bored. Then one night in 2016 Inky, about the size of a basketball, decided he'd had enough. He slithered eight feet across the floor and down a drainpipe more than 160 feet long to his home in the sea.

Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again


Juliana Hatkoff - 2009
    Winter survived, but eventually her tail fell off. Then Winter received a prosthetic tail. It was very challenging but now Winter is thriving and using her new tail with great command. Every year, thousands of visitors travel to visit Winter who has become an inspiration to adults and children alike, especially to children who are amputees themselves. And now Winter's story is soon to be a major motion picture starring Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, and Harry Connick Jr.!

Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree


Kate Messner - 2015
    Who makes their homes here?2 great green macaws,4 keel-billed toucans,8 howler monkeys,16 fruit bats,32 fer-de-lance vipers,64 agoutis,128 blue morpho butterflies,256 poison dart frogs,512 rusty wandering spiders,1,024 leafcutter ants.Count each and every one as life multiplies again and again in this lush and fascinating book about the rainforest.

Animals Nobody Loves


Seymour Simon - 1980
    In 26 giant photographs-of a roaring grizzly, a piranhas razor-sharp teeth, a rattlesnakes poisonous fangs- Seymour Simon reveals the truth about nature's most misunderstood animals and lets the reader decide what to really think about natures grossest, fiercest, and most fascinating survivors.

A Rock Can Be...


Laura Purdie Salas - 2015
    Laura Purdie Salas's lyrical rhyming text and Violeta Dabija's glowing illustrations show how rocks decorate and strengthen the world around them.

The Toad


Elise Gravel - 2016
    and she's disgusting!Distinctive trait: WartsFood preference: Bugs and wormsSpecial talent: Eating her own skinDisgusting? Yes, but fun, too!The Toad is the next installment of the Disgusting Critter series. Hilarious illustrated non-fiction about toads perfect for beginning readers. Humorous text and funny illustrations will leave young readers croaking for more.

Step Gently Out


Helen Frost - 2012
    In simple, evocative language, Helen Frost offers a hint at the many tiny creatures around us. And in astonishing close-up photographs, Rick Lieder captures the glint of a katydid's eye, the glow of a firefly, and many more living wonders just awaiting discovery. Fascinating facts about all the creatures pictured may be found at the end.

Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas


Molly Bang - 2012
    From tiny aquatic plants to the biggest whale or fish, Bang presents a moving, living picture of the miraculous balance sustaining each life cycle and food chain deep within our wondrous oceans.On land or in the deep blue sea, we are all connected--and we are all a part of a grand living landscape. Co-authored by award-winning M.I.T. professor Penny Chisholm, a leading expert on ocean science, OCEAN SUNLIGHT is packed with clear, simple science. This informative, joyous book will help children understand and celebrate the astonishing role our oceans play in human life.

One Tiny Turtle


Nicola Davies - 2001
    . . . A powerful nature story for a young audience." —BOOKLISTFar, far out at sea lives one of the world's most mysterious creatures, the loggerhead turtle. For thirty years she swims the oceans, wandering thousands of miles as she searches for food. Then, one summer night, she lands on a beach to lay her eggs—the very same beach where she herself was born. Nicola Davies's lyrical text offers fascinating information about the journey of the tiny, endangered loggerhead, while charming paintings by Jane Chapman vividly illustrate one turtle's odyssey.

Animals Do, Too!: How They Behave Just Like You


Etta Kaner - 2016
    “Honeybees do, too!” responds the next. Illustrating the simple text are joyful drawings that visually connect the children enjoying a dance party to the honeybees performing their own “dance” in the hive. A block of more in-depth text fleshes out what the honeybees are actually doing and why: their waggle dance tells other honeybees “where to find a tasty meal.” Using this same rhythmic question-and-answer style throughout, the book compares a series of children's favorite activities to similar things that animals do. From playing tag and leapfrog (gazelles and cattle egrets) to blowing bubbles and getting piggyback rides (gray tree frogs and marmosets), there are seven activities/animals in all. And though the behaviors might look the same, while the children are playing, the animals are performing essential tasks such as finding food or caring for their young. Award-winning author Etta Kaner has created a fun, engaging exploration of some ways animals behave just like people. By highlighting connections between human and animal behaviors, she encourages children to develop compassion for other creatures and to recognize their place within the natural world. This book would make an excellent resource for early life science lessons on the characteristics of living things, especially with the expanded information in the back matter about each of the animals found in the book. The question-and-answer pattern of the text together with Marilyn Faucher's inviting, detailed illustrations work as an entertaining, interactive read-aloud as well.