Beautiful Birds


Jean Roussen - 2015
    From Warblers to Blue-tits and Kakapos to Owls, Roussen's playful, melodic poem is complemented beautifully by Walker's delicate illustrations.Jean Roussen is a Swiss French graphic designer and writer who dabbles in publishing from time to time.Emmanuelle Walker is an animation director and illustrator from Montreal, Quebec. As well as contributing to Nobrow magazine (Nobrow 8: Hysteria), she has worked with international animation studios across the world (Walt Disney Ltd., Sherbert and Nexus). She lives and works in London, England.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets Boots: Gardening Together with Children


Sharon Lovejoy - 1999
    Each project includes a plan and the planting recipe--as well as a "Discovery Walk," activities and crafts to make with what you grow. And each is illustrated with author Sharon Lovejoy's lyrical watercolors. There's the Pizza Patch, a giant-size wheel garden planted in "slices" of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. A Flowery Maze to get lost in. A Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers, including a moonflower tent. And Mother Nature's Medicine Chest. Discovery Walks teach kids how the gardens work, and a chapter on gardening basics includes a child-friendly 10-Minute Plan for planting and maintenance, plus a list of the top 20 plants guaranteed to make gardeners out of kids.

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard


Loree Griffin Burns - 2012
    Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard. You can put your nose to a monarch pupa or listen for raucous frog calls. You can tally woodpeckers or sweep the grass for ladybugs. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how.

Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate


Sara Levine - 2019
    A fun nonfiction presentation of science info that may be new to many kids--and adults!

National Parks of the U.S.A.


Kate Siber - 2018
    Explore Florida's river-laced Everglades, travel down the white water rapids of the Grand Canyon, trek across the deserts of Death Valley and scale the soaring summits of the Rocky Mountains with this book that brings you up close to nature's greatest adventures. Packed with maps and fascinating facts about the flora and fauna unique to each park, this fully-illustrated coast-to-coast journey documents the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places—and shows why they should be preserved for future generations to enjoy. With maps and information about flora and fauna found in each of the 21 icon parks portrayed, this is a fantastic celebration of the great outdoors. Parks include: Acadia, Badlands, Big Bend, Biscayne, Bryce Canyon, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Denali, Everglades, Glacier, Glacier Bay, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky, Mountains, Hawaii volcanoes, Isle Royal, Mesa Verde, Olympic, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Virgin Islands, Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages


Thomas R. Holtz Jr. - 2007
    With sidebars by 33 world-famous paleontologists and museum-quality illustrations, this is a must-have compendium of fact and fandom that dino enthusiasts of all ages will devour with glee!

Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures


Kwame Alexander - 2017
    Three picture-packed gatefolds inside showcase even more familiar and exotic species. These images are part of Sartore's lifelong project to photograph every animal in the world, with special attention given to disappearing and endangered species.

Polar Bears: Survival on the Ice


Jason Viola - 2018
    With each season, they learn polar bear biology and behavior, as well as strategies and skills that will help them thrive in a landscape that is rapidly changing beyond their control. Living with super insulated bodies in a world that's melting? For polar bears, keeping cool is the name of the game!Get ready to explore the depths of the ocean, the farthest reaches of space, and everything in between! These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, Science Comics is for you!

Where in the Wild?: Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed


David M. Schwartz - 2007
    Think you've spotted one? Lift one of ten gatefolds to find out. A full page of fascinating information accompanies each animal so readers can learn how nature's camouflage serves hunter and hunted alike. Why do fawns have spots during their first year of life? How did killdeer birds get their name? What makes a crab spider so good at ambushing its prey? Recipient of the 2008 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Book and Films Prize for Excellence in Science Books.Named a 2008 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children's Book Council (CBC)Editor's Choice, 2007— Booklist magazineListed in "Lasting Connections of 2007," an annual roundup of the year's best books to tie into curriculum.-Book Links magazine

Homes in the Wild: Where Baby Animals and Their Parents Live


Lita Judge - 2019
    Some live in complex burrows deep underground, others in simple nests high in the treetops. But all homes, regardless of where they are or how they're built, serve the same purpose: providing shelter where a baby can eat, sleep, learn, and stay safe while growing up.Animal lovers will delight in this gorgeously illustrated peek inside the homes—from burrows deep underground to nests high in the trees—where baby animals live and grow.A 2020 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12

What If There Were No Bees?: A Book about the Grassland Ecosystem


Suzanne Slade - 2010
    Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover how important honey bees are.

Plant a Pocket of Prairie


Phyllis Root - 2014
    Now, in Plant a Pocket of Prairie, Root and Bowen take young readers on a trip to another of Minnesota’s important ecosystems: the prairie.Once covering almost 40 percent of the United States, native prairie is today one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Plant a Pocket of Prairie teaches children how changes in one part of the system affect every other part: when prairie plants are destroyed, the animals who eat those plants and live on or around them are harmed as well. Root shows what happens when we work to restore the prairies, encouraging readers to “plant a pocket of prairie” in their own backyards.By growing native prairie plants, children can help re-create food and habitat for the many birds, butterflies, and other animals that depend on them. “Plant cup plants,” Root suggests. “A thirsty chickadee might come to drink from a tiny leaf pool. Plant goldenrod. A Great Plains toad might flick its tongue at goldenrod soldier beetles.” An easy explanation of the history of the prairie, its endangered status, and how to go about growing prairie plants follows, as well as brief descriptions of all the plants and animals mentioned in the story.With Betsy Bowen’s beautiful, airy illustrations capturing the feel of an open prairie and all its inhabitants, readers of all ages will be inspired to start planting seeds and watching for the many fascinating animals their plants attract. What a marvelous transformation could take place if we all planted a pocket of prairie!

Before We Stood Tall: From Small Seed to Mighty Tree


Jessica Kulekjian - 2021
    The steps are described in simple but evocative text, each starting with “Before . . .” for a rhythmic telling. For example, “Before we stood tall, we clothed ourselves in bark and crowned ourselves in leaves, waving eagerly at the sun.” Particular attention is paid throughout to what's happening underground and how that links all life in the forest. Beginning with mature giants, “mighty in the kingdom of trees,” and ending with the promise of new life on the branches that are “hoping to be mighty in the kingdom of trees,” it's a beautiful and loving celebration of the circle of life.Jessica Kulekjian's skill at seamlessly blending nonfiction information with a poetic narrative sets this informational picture book apart. She also uniquely incorporates intriguing new research on how trees communicate with each other using an underground network of roots and fungus that connects the forest and helps the trees to thrive. Madeline Kloepper's rich artwork with its deep earth tone palette brings the forest and all its inhabitants alive on the page. The material has been vetted by several scientists, including experts on trees, insects and mushrooms. Supported by well-researched backmatter, the book has strong curriculum links to early elementary earth and life science topics, including plants, ecosystems and soil.

The Princess Saves Herself in This One


Amanda Lovelace - 2016
    the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.

Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story


Sean Taylor - 2019
    Spot the sleeping animals as the tale unfolds, then learn about their hibernation habits from the information pages at the end. Co-authors Sean Taylor (picture book author) and Alex Morss (ecologist, journalist, and educator) offer a gentle introduction to the concept of hibernation. In the frosty, quiet forest, the snow blankets the ground and the trees have shed their leaves. Where have all the animals gone? Are they asleep too? In each cutaway scene, see what the child cannot—that underground below his feet are dens with sleeping creatures, and within the hollow trunks of trees, animals are nesting. After the story, annotated illustrations explain the hibernation facts for each animal and what they will do when they wake up for spring. Cozy up as you expand you and your child's knowledge of the natural world.