A Stone Sat Still


Brendan Wenzel - 2019
    The follow-up to They All Saw a CatA Stone Sat Still tells the story of a seemingly ordinary rock—but to the animals that use it, it is a resting place, a kitchen, a safe haven...even an entire world.

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird?


Rita Gray - 2014
    Fun and informative back matter takes the shape of an interview so that readers learn more right from the bird's bill. Ken Pak's lively illustrations, paired with Rita Gray's words, render a visual and sonorous picture book to be enjoyed by young naturalists.

Being a Pig Is Nice: A Child's-Eye View of Manners


Sally Lloyd-Jones - 2009
    In her refreshingly subversive world, monkeys must always use their fingers when they eat or get in trouble, elephants are encouraged to squirt and splatter everywhere, and pig parents ask their children to get muddy before they go to bed. Of course, if you're a pig, you smell, and that’s not nice. Still, the girl can see that behaving like an animal could be fun. . . .

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist


Linda Skeers - 2020
    This is the story of Dinosaur Lady.Mary Anning loved scouring the beach near her home in England for shells and fossils. She fearlessly climbed over crumbling cliffs and rocky peaks, searching for new specimens. One day, something caught Mary's eye.Bones. Dinosaur Bones.Mary's discoveries rocked the world of science and helped create a brand-new field of study: paleontology. But many people believed women couldn't be scientists, so Mary wasn't given the credit she deserved. Nevertheless, Mary kept looking and learning more, making discoveries that reshaped scientific beliefs about the natural world.Dinosaur Lady is a beautiful and brilliant picture book that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists. It also includes a timeline of Mary Anning's life and lots of fantastic fossil facts!

Whose Moon Is That?


Kim Krans - 2017
    The wolf, the owl, and the starry sky all have their reasons, but the moon ultimately answers for herself -- her light is meant to be shared by everyone. Kim Krans's stunning ink-and-watercolor illustrations beautifully illuminate this simple exploration of our relationship to the world around us and our place in it."

Sleepyheads


Sandra J. Howatt - 2014
    The sun has set, and sleepyheads all across the land are tucked into their cozy beds.Rabbit is snoozing in the weeds, and Duck is snuggled in the reeds.Bear is nestled in his cave, and Otter is rocking on a wave.But there's one little sleepyhead who's not in his bed.Where, oh where, could he be?This sweet, snuggly, and silly bedtime book with irresistible illustrations is sure to prepare little ones for a cozy night's sleep.

Finding Wild


Megan Wagner Lloyd - 2016
    From the bark on the trees to the sudden storm that moves across the sky to fire and flowers, and snowflakes and fresh fruit. As the children make their way through the woods and back to the paved and noisy streets, they discover that wild exists not just off in some distant place, but right in their own backyard.

Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam


Fawzia Gilani-Williams - 2017
    When they both fall on hard times, can they find a way to help each other? In Fawzia Gilani's retelling of this folktale, which has both Jewish and Arab origins, differences are not always causes for conflict and friendship can overcome any obstacle.

Ten Magic Butterflies


Danica McKellar - 2018
    As each flower turns into a butterfly, children will discover different ways to group numbers to create ten, an essential building block of math, all while watching each flower's dream come true. (And keep an eye out for the caterpillar who wishes he could fly, too!)

Water Is Water: A Book About the Water Cycle


Miranda Paul - 2015
    Sip. Pour me a cup. Water is water unless...it heats up.Whirl. Swirl. Watch it curl by. Steam is steam unless...it cools high.This spare, poetic picture book follows a group of kids as they move through all the different phases of the water cycle. From rain to fog to snow to mist, talented author Miranda Paul and the always remarkable Jason Chin (Redwoods, Coral Reefs, Island, Gravity) combine to create a beautiful and informative journey in this innovative nonfiction picture book that will leave you thirsty for more.

Miriam at the River


Jane Yolen - 2020
     Giving her baby brother a kiss, brave little Miriam places Moses's basket into the river. With one quick push, she sends him into the water, hoping her wish will come true and her brother will be saved from Pharaoh's orders. But will Pharaoh's daughter arrive in time to rescue him?

Spring After Spring: How Rachel Carson Inspired the Environmental Movement


Stephanie Roth Sisson - 2018
    Spring after spring, year after year, she observed how all living things are connected. And as an adult, Rachel watched and listened as the natural world she loved so much began to fall silent. Spring After Spring traces Rachel’s journey as scientist and writer, speaking truth to an often hostile world through her book, and ultimately paving the way for the modern environmental movement.

Hit the Road, Jack


Robert Burleigh - 2012
    Written in the rhythm and spirit of Beat poetry, Hit the Road, Jack is an exuberant story of experiencing all the country has to offer with wide-eyed awe. Praise for Hit the Road, Jack STARRED REVIEW"It’s not a biography or an introduction to Kerouac’s work; instead, it’s a tribute to his spirit and his era."—Publishers Weekly, starred review"MacDonald’s golden-hued watercolors and pencil crayons present 1940s America as something of a paradise, with the neon diner signs and jazz clubs just as beautiful as the rolling hills and majestic mountains..."—Booklist"Joining the ranks of such age- and genre-defying picture books.. is this homage to Jack Kerouac."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"The book pays homage to Kerouac while encouraging a love of the country, writing and wanderlust through Jack."—Reading Today"The illustrations look like something out of a 1950s picture book, and everything — the poetry and the drawings — convey a sense of exuberance and excitement.” —Wired's Geek Dad“Burleigh’s writing has a wonderful rhythm and the book reads aloud beautifully.” —Library Media Connection

The Way Home in the Night


Akiko Miyakoshi - 2015
    "My mother carries me through the quiet streets," the bunny explains. "Most of our neighbors are already home." The bunny can see their lights in the windows, and hear and smell what they might be doing: talking on the phone, pulling a pie out of the oven, having a party, saying goodbye. When they reach home, the father rabbit tucks the bunny into bed. But the bunny continues to wonder about the neighbors' activities. "Are the party guests saying goodnight? Is the person on the phone getting ready for bed?" And what of the footsteps that can be heard in the street as the bunny falls asleep? "Will she take the last train home?"This beautiful picture book captures the magical wonder a child feels at being outside in the night. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi's softly focused black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of neutral color have a dreamlike quality, just right for nodding off to sleep with. The book is intriguing in that it contains twice-told stories, once as they are observed and second as the bunny imagines them. This offers a perfect prompt for young children to create extensions of other stories they have read or heard. A deeper reading could encourage critical thinking by comparing the different pastimes of the neighbors or, ultimately, what it means to be home.

M is for Mitten: The Michigan Alphabet


Annie Appleford - 1999
    "Author Annie Appleford has written "M is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet" to acquaint children with the most important people, places and items that have helped mold Michigan into the tremendous state it is. Rich with gorgeous paintings by Michigan artist Michael Monroe, "M is for Mitten" is both educational for older children and entertaining for youngsters who will surely be dazzled by the diverse and colorful illustrations from cover to cover.Kids can climb an Evergreen tree, hop on the back of a Robin, fly with him of the Mackinac Bridge through the Upper Peninsula for a visit to Isle Royale, before going to Detroit to drink Vernor's and then to Battle Creek to eat Kellogg's cereal. They can paddle in a birch bark canoe with Native Americans in and out of our many Harbors and then head to Lansing for a visit to the Capital. "M is for Mitten: A Michigan Alphabet" is an all expense paid trip from shore to shore through the Great Lakes State, and you won't need a map -- just look at your hand!