Counting Birds: The Idea That Helped Save Our Feathered Friends


Heidi E.Y. Stemple - 2018
    What can you do to help endangered animals and make a positive change in our environment? Get counting! Counting Birds is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces kids to the idea of bird counts and bird watches. Along the way, they will learn about Frank Chapman, who used his bird knowledge and magazine Bird-Lore to found the first annual bird count.   Bird counting helps professional researchers collect data, share expertise, and spread valuable information to help all kinds of birds around the world, from condors to hawks to kestrels and more.   Counting Birds introduces kids to a whole feathered world that will fascinate and inspire them to get involved in conservation and become citizen scientists.

The Lorax


Dr. Seuss - 1971
    Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty. His classic cautionary tale is now available in an irresistible mini-edition, perfect for backpack or briefcase, for Arbor Day, Earth Day, and every day.

Feathers for Lunch


Lois Ehlert - 1990
    Includes bird guide. “Destined to become an uncontested favorite with many children and adults.”--The Horn Book

This Is the Nest That Robin Built


Denise Fleming - 2018
    The dog brings the string. The horse shares his straw. And then a surprise gatefold spread reveals how Robin knits them all together to make a safe and cozy home for her babies.

The Simple Art of Flying


Cory Leonardo - 2019
    He’d like nothing more than to fly away to a palm tree with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by twelve-year-old Fritz, and Alastair is adopted by elderly dance-enthusiast and pie-baker Albertina Plopky, the future looks ready to crash-land.In-between anxiously plucking his feathers, eating a few books, and finding his own poetic voice, Alastair plots his way to a family reunion. But soon he’s forced to choose between the life he’s always dreamed of and admitting the truth: that sometimes, the bravest adventure is in letting go.

Does It Fart?: The Definitive Field Guide to Animal Flatulence


Nick Caruso - 2017
    Millipedes do it. Dinosaurs did it. You do it: I do it. Octopuses don't (and nor do octopi). Spiders might do it: more research is needed. Birds don't do it, but they could if they wanted to. Herrings do it to communicate with each other. At the beginning of 2017, an innocent question on twitter about snakes formed the hashtag #doesitfart and spread pungently across the internet - and major newspapers - as dozens of experts weighed in on which animals do and don't fart, and if they do, how much, how often, what it's made of, what it smells like, and what it's for. Does it Fart? is the result: the fully authoritative, fully illustrated guide to animal flatulence, covering the habits of 80 animals in more detail than you ever knew you needed. What foods make hyena farts smell especially bad? What is a fossa, and does it fart? Why do clams vomit but not fart? What is a fart, anyway? With contributions from dozens of biologists, Does it Fart? is a book that will allow you to shift the blame onto all kinds of unlikely animals for years to come.

Quick as a Cricket


Audrey Wood - 1982
    Whether brave or shy, strong or weak, in the end the young boy celebrates all different, apparently contradictory parts of himself.

I Can Only Imagine: A Friendship with Jesus Now and Forever


Bart Millard - 2018
    Inspired by the song by MercyMe. I Can Only Imagine asks questions a child might ask and invites families to wonder together: What is heaven like? What does God do? What would it be like to spend a day with Jesus? Children will see that although experiencing the glory of heaven may be far off, we can enjoy a friendship with Jesus every day - right here on earth.

What Stars Are Made of


Sarah Allen - 2020
    She’s not great at playing piano, sitting still, or figuring out how to say the right thing at the right time in real life. Libby was born with Turner Syndrome, and that makes some things hard. But she has lots of people who love her, and that makes her pretty lucky.When her big sister Nonny tells her she’s pregnant, Libby is thrilled—but worried. Nonny and her husband are in a financial black hole, and Libby knows that babies aren’t always born healthy. So she strikes a deal with the universe: She’ll enter a contest with a project about Cecelia Payne, the first person to discover what stars are made of. If she wins the grand prize and gives all that money to Nonny’s family, then the baby will be perfect. Does she have what it takes to care for the sister that has always cared for her? And what will it take for the universe to notice?

Pahua and the Soul Stealer


Lori M. Lee - 2021
    Lee's middle grade debut about a lonely Hmong girl who discovers she's a powerful shaman warrior in this fantasy inspired by Southeast Asian mythology."I love the adventures Pahua has in this book. I also love the sense of humor, the clever plotting, and the fantastic cast of characters. But most of all I love Pahua: her courage, her kindness, and her love for family."--NYT best-selling author Rick RiordanPahua Moua has a bit of a reputation for being a weirdo. A lonely eleven-year-old Hmong girl with the unique ability to see spirits, she spends her summer days babysitting her little brother and playing with her best friend, a cat spirit no one else can see.One day Pahua accidentally untethers an angry spirit from the haunted bridge in her neighborhood--whoops. When her brother suddenly falls sick and can't be awoken, Pahua fears that the bridge spirit has stolen his soul. She returns to the scene of the crime with her aunt's old shaman tools, hoping to confront the spirit and demand her brother's return. Instead, she summons a demon.Thankfully, a warrior shaman with a bit of an attitude problem shows up at the last minute and saves her butt. With the help of this guide, Pahua will have to find her way through the spirit worlds and rescue her brother's soul before it's too late. Little does she know she'll have her own discoveries to make along the way. . . .With its unforgettable characters, unique nature-based magic system, breathtaking twists and reveals, and climactic boss battle, this story based on Hmong oral tradition offers everything a fantasy lover could want.Complete your middle grade fantasy collection with these best-selling fan favorites:Rick Riordan Presents Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani ChokshiRick Riordan Presents Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha LeeRick Riordan Presents The Last Fallen Star by Graci KimThe Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

I'd Know You Anywhere, My Love


Nancy Tillman - 2013
    Bestselling author and artist Nancy Tillman has created another heartfelt masterpiece celebrating the joys of imagination, and the comfort of always knowing that "you are loved."

My Day with Gong Gong


Sennah Yee - 2020
    Gong Gong doesn't speak much English, and May can't understand Chinese. She's hungry, and bored with Gong Gong's errands. Plus, it seems like Gong Gong's friends are making fun of her! But just when May can’t take any more, Gong Gong surprises her with a gift that reveals he’s been paying more attention than she thought.A glossary at the end of the book features translations of the Chinese words from the story into Chinese characters and English.

I Don't Want to Eat Bugs


Rachel Branton - 2016
    When her animal friends try to help her find something tasty to eat, the real the problems begin! Join Lisbon on her funny misadventures. Each beautiful illustration is designed to inspire the imaginations of children. An activity page at the end of the book allows for more fun as they search for special items in the illustrations. This version of I Don’t Want to Eat Bugs has been designed specifically for ebook with a fixed layout and larger text for easy reading. While this is a great read-aloud book for parents, teachers, and other adults to share with children, we have chosen fonts that are similar to the way children form letters for easy recognition as they begin to read on their own. The print book is also available in 8.5” x 11” format. Author’s Note: I Don’t Want to Eat Bugs was written for my daughter, who was two when I wrote this story and didn’t like salad, but now she’s four and a half and loves it—if I give her plenty of salad dressing! (But don’t worry—this isn’t a book about eating salad.) Of course birds, cats, and dogs have a very different idea of what's good to eat, but through this fun adventure, Lisbon learns there is also food meant just for her—and it's good, especially compared with all the offerings from her animal friends. My daughter and I privately call this book the "Ice Cream Story" (she LOVES ice cream so there had to be ice cream involved), and now whenever something funny happens, she says, "We should write a new ice cream story about that." And we have! I Don’t Want to Eat Bugs is the first book in a series called Lisbon’s Misadventures. Book 2, I Don't Want to Have Hot Toes, is now available, and Tim Petersen is hard at work creating the illustrations for the next two books. Tim is obviously a fabulous artist, and I’m excited to be working with him. You can sign up on my website to learn when the next book comes out (http://teylarachelbranton.com/). Thank you and enjoy!

Boy and the Very Lonely Pony


Junia Wonders - 2014
    But when the two of them take an adventure together, their loneliness melts away! A gorgeously illustrated story that warms the heart.” -BookBubDo you want to encourage friendship, inspire imagination, and develop a sense of adventure in your little one today?Here's a sweet, dreamy, and adorable story about a boy becoming friends with a lonely pony.The boy is not feeling well, so he has to stay in bed the whole day. The pony is fenced alone in a field of pasture. Through the boy's vivid imagination, he is able to cope with his predicament by becoming friends with the pony and taking an adventure together to melt their loneliness away. This beautiful and heartwarming bedtime story is exquisitely drawn and painted in watercolor.Get your copy of this book Now and encourage friendship, inspire imagination, and develop a sense of adventure in your little one starting Today.Boy and the Very Lonely Pony is: • Recommended for children between 3 and 8 years. • A tender and heartwarming tale of friendship.  • A subtle and sweet little story perfect for winding down just before bedtime.   • Beautifully illustrated with soothing nighttime hues, which complement the gentle tone of the story. • Calming and restful: The perfect book to read at bedtime to send your little one to dreamland.

Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye


Tania del Rio - 2015
    It’s a strange, shadowy mansion full of crooked corridors and mysterious riddles—and it just might be home to a magical object known as the All-Seeing Eye. Can Warren decipher the clues and find the treasure before his sinister Aunt Annaconda (and a slew of greedy hotel guests) beats him to it?This middle-grade adventure features gorgeous two-color illustrations on every page and a lavish two-column Victorian design that will pull young readers into a spooky and delightful mystery.