If We Were Gone: Imagining the World Without People


John Coy - 2020
    . . we need these elements to live in this world. But does the world need us? And what would happen to the world if humans were gone? This is the premise of a thought-provoking picture book from John Coy. His insightful text explores how nature would reclaim the planet, accompanied by Natalie Capannelli's gorgeous watercolor illustrations. Back matter gives further context and discusses what kids (and all of us) can do to truly help our planet.

Gentle Giant Octopus


Karen Wallace - 1998
    Finally she finds a well-hidden den in which to lay her eggs, which will dangle from the roof like grapes on a string. In silky verse, Karen Wallace explores the mysterious world of the octopus, while Mike Bostock’s flowing illustrations bring that world vividly to life.

The Old Man and the Penguin: A True Story of True Friendship


Julie Abery - 2020
    It's from a penguin, whose feathers are soaked in oil. Too tired to swim, too weak to stand, he's barely moving on the sand. João must save this little guy. Without his help, he'll surely die. João takes the penguin home. He cleans him, feeds him and nurses him slowly back to health --- and the pair develop a special bond. When the penguin is fully recovered, João knows it's time to return him to the wild where he belongs. But the penguin has other ideas ...Told in rhyming verse, this is the true story of João Pereira de Souza of Brazil, who cared for a Magellanic penguin that had been caught in an oil spill.

Jane Goodall


Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara - 2016
    When Jane was little, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee called "Jubilee" which sparked her early love of animals. As an adult, Jane traveled to Tanzania to study chimpanzees in a new way – by living with them in their habitat. This is how Jane made many discoveries that people had missed. With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!

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.

If You Were the Moon


Laura Purdie Salas - 2017
    If you were the moon, what would you do? You'd spin like a twilight ballerina and play dodgeball with space rocks! And more.

The Sad, Sad Monster (Xist Children's Books)


Dolores Costello - 2017
    So Sad. A sad monster is sad at school. He is sad because he doesn’t have any friends. Is there someone who can make him happy? The Sad, Sad Monster is a cute book for monster-loving toddlers through beginning readers. Simple sentences make this a perfect first reader. The Sad, Sad Monster is a charming book for kids dealing with bullying, friendships, playground drama and other social situations. If your child loves monsters or just wants to make a new friend, this is a cute book for kids.

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.

Quinn Says Goodbye: Friends May Go Away, but God Is Here to Stay


Christie Thomas - 2019
    When Quinn the Owl makes a new friend, a firefly named Blink, she is filled with joy. But one night, Quinn wakes up to find her friend has disappeared in a flash. “Momma, why didn’t God make Blink stay with me? Didn’t he know how much I loved him?”“God doesn’t always stop bad things from happening, Quinn. But He does promise that He will always be with you, and He will never stop being your friend.” Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written, Quinn Says Goodbye is designed for children dealing with different kinds of loss, whether it be death of a pet or a family member, or simply the loss of a favorite toy. Remind little ones that although people and things might not be in their life forever, God will never leave them.

Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin


Michelle Cusolito - 2018
    Along the way, discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour trip in a underwater craft and find out more about the animals that live deep in our oceans. Extensive back matter explains how Alvin works, describes the author's research, and includes a glossary and further reading."An appealing, exhilarating, and informative vicarious journey of discovery" --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW"Wong's detailed illustrations add an exciting immediacy to the descent and to the glowing wonders of the deep"--Washington Post

Ocean Animals from Head to Tail


Stacey Roderick - 2016
    First, readers are shown a close-up illustration of an unusual part of an animal's body and asked to guess its owner: “What ocean animal has a head like this?” Then the following spread reveals the animal's name (e.g., “A hammerhead shark!”), along with an illustration of the whole animal in its habitat. There's also a brief description of the animal's traits with a special emphasis on the featured body part. For example, readers learn that a blue whale's mouth contains baleen, which help it capture krill to eat, and that the tail of a seahorse curls so it can hold on to sea plants for stability. Young children will recognize that every animal has its own distinctive features and body parts that help it survive. Author Stacey Roderick has created a perfect beginning exploration of the physical traits of ocean animals that's both engaging and informative. Paper collage illustrations by Kwanchai Moriya in bright, eye-catching colors bring the animals to vivid and appealing life. The fun, interactive nature of the guessing game makes this book ideal for a read-aloud. It would be a terrific addition to an early life-science class on the characteristics of living things or on types of ocean animals. A bonus spread includes information on eight more ocean animals.

A Nest Is Noisy


Dianna Hutts Aston - 2015
    From tiny bee hummingbird nests to orangutan nests high in the rainforest canopy, an incredible variety of nests are showcased here in all their splendor. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this carefully researched book introduces children to a captivating array of nest facts and will spark the imaginations of children whether in a classroom reading circle or on a parent's lap.

A Little Book of Sloth


Lucy Cooke - 2013
    You’ll fall in love with bad-boy Mateo, ooh and ahh over baby Biscuit, and want to wrap your arms around champion cuddle buddy Ubu!From British filmmaker and sloth expert Lucy Cooke comes a hilarious, heart-melting photographic picture book starring the laziest—and one of the cutest—animals on the planet.

The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest


Heather Lang - 2020
    Meg's perseverance and creativity allowed her to achieve this goal, but when this fantastic ecosystem started to disappear, Meg needed to act quickly.Meg Lowman was always fascinated by the natural world above her head. The colors, the branches, and, most of all, the leaves and mysterious organisms living there. As a scientist, Meg set out to climb up and investigate the rain forest tree canopies-- and to be the first scientist to do so. But she encountered challenge after challenge. Male teachers would not let her into their classrooms, the high canopy was difficult to get to, and worst of all, people were logging and clearing the forests. Meg never gave up or gave in. She studied, invented, and persevered, not only creating a future for herself as a scientist, but making sure that the rainforests had a future as well. Working closely with Meg Lowman, author Heather Lang and artist Jana Christy beautifully capture Meg's world in the treetops.

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!