Book picks similar to
Lightning by Stephen P. Kramer


nonfiction
science
weather
info-texts

My Leaf Book


Monica Wellington - 2015
    Brilliant illustrations show each variety of tree the girl encounters, from the common oak to the lesser known gingko.  Spreads silhouetting leaves up-close help young children learn to identify them. Like the girl in the book, young readers will be eager to make their very own leaf books.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown


Charles M. Schulz - 1966
    Full-color illustrations. 50,000

The Great American Dust Bowl


Don Brown - 2013
    In fact, five of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence.On a clear, warm Sunday, April 14, 1935, a wild wind whipped up millions upon millions of these specks of dust to form a duster—a savage storm—on America's high southern plains.The sky turned black, sand-filled winds scoured the paint off houses and cars, trains derailed, and electricity coursed through the air. Sand and dirt fell like snow—people got lost in the gloom and suffocated . . . and that was just the beginning.Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl.

Life-Size Aquarium


Teruyuki Komiya - 2010
    From the clownfish to the killer whale, sea otter to walrus, young readers will see some of their favorite animals from a perspective than they've ever had before. With informative, fun facts accompanying the stellar photographs of each animal, Life-Size Aquarium brings readers eye-to-eye with 19 different animals, including a leafy sea dragon, a luna lionfish, a humphead wrasse, two different varieties of penguins, a sea turtle, a jellyfish, a spider crab, a sea otter, and more. As in previous volumes, three of the animals in this book — a walrus, a killer whale, and a dolphin — spring out of the book in oversized gatefolds.

Marie Curie


Demi - 2018
    Her family called her Manya, but the world would remember her by another name: Marie Curie, one of the greatest scientists who ever lived.In a time when few women attended college, Marie earned degrees in physics and mathematics and went on to discover two elements: radium and polonium. She also invented a new word along the way: radioactive. This book celebrates her momentous achievements while also educating its readers about her scientific accomplishments and their implications.

Through My Eyes


Ruby Bridges - 1999
    From where she sat in the office, Ruby Bridges could see parents marching through the halls and taking their children out of classrooms. The next day, Ruby walked through the angry mob once again and into a school where she saw no other students. The white children did not go to school that day, and they wouldn't go to school for many days to come. Surrounded by racial turmoil, Ruby, the only student in a classroom with one wonderful teacher, learned to read and add.This is the story of a pivotal event in history as Ruby Bridges saw it unfold around her. Ruby's poignant words, quotations from writers and from other adults who observed her, and dramatic photographs recreate an amazing story of innocence, courage, and forgiveness. Ruby Bridges' story is an inspiration to us all.

ABC ZooBorns!


Andrew Bleiman - 2012
    Featuring adorable animal photos, zippy text, and a fact-filled glossary, this just might be the cutest ABC book ever to hit the shelves!

The Bluest of Blues: Anna Atkins and the First Book of Photographs


Fiona Robinson - 2019
    He gave her a scientific education, which was highly unusual for women and girls in the early 19th century. Fascinated with the plant life around her, Anna became a botanist. She recorded all her findings in detailed illustrations and engravings, until the invention of cyanotype photography in 1842. Anna used this new technology in order to catalogue plant specimens—a true marriage of science and art. In 1843, Anna published the book Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions with handwritten text and cyanotype photographs. It is considered the first book of photographs ever published. Weaving together histories of women, science, and art, The Bluest of Blues will inspire young readers to embark on their own journeys of discovery and creativity.

Who Wants To Play With Little Mouse?: A fun counting story about friendship


Jana Buchmann - 2020
    Little Mouse travels around counting from one to ten, meeting cute little friends along the way. He encounters the world’s three most adorable spiders catching golden rays of sunshine and various other creatures like six slow slimy snails and seven busy buzzing bees. But none seem to care about him. Little Mouse heads home, dejected. The next day, however, his numbered friends arrive to recount all the good times they’ve shared with Little Mouse. So together they count down from ten to one and regain their friendship.Jana Buchmann demonstrates a musician’s timing and a poet’s skill in this perfectly penned book for aspiring little readers. The story, which centers on being disappointed when things don’t go your way, is easy to follow and is relevant for young children. The counting lesson is delivered is such a beautiful and engaging way that kids won’t even realize they are mastering their numbers. The colorful illustrations are divine, embellishing an already wonderful story. I highly recommend Who Wants To Play With Little Mouse? by Jana Buchmann to anyone with toddlers or preschoolers at home, as it is an easy-to-grasp story that teaches counting and important lessons in such a way that every child will be eager to learn.

Red-eyed Tree Frog


Joy Cowley - 1999
    Award-winning photographer Nic Bishop's larger-than-life, gorgeous images document the hunt, which ends happily with the frog settling down in the leaves to spend his daylight hours sleeping! Joy Cowley's simple, readable text makes the frog's story fun, interesting, and accessible to young readers. This is a nature tale like you've never seen before!

The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem


Colleen Paeff - 2021
    What is creating this revolting smell? The answer is gross: the river is full of poop. But the smell isn’t the worst problem. Every few years, cholera breaks out, and thousands of people die. Could there be a connection between the foul water and the deadly disease? One engineer dreams of making London a cleaner, healthier place. His name is Joseph Bazalgette. His grand plan to create a new sewer system to clean the river is an engineering marvel. And his sewers will save lives. Nothing stinky about that.

Can We Save the Tiger?


Martin Jenkins - 2011
    But these and many other animals are in danger of disappearing altogether, joining the dodo, the marsupial wolf, the great auk, and countless other animals we will never see again. Using the experiences of a few endangered species as examples, Martin Jenkins highlights the ways human behavior can either threaten or conserve the amazing animals that share our planet. Vicky White’s stunning portraits of rare creatures offer a glimpse of nature’s grace and beauty — and give us a powerful reason to preserve it.

The Honeybee


Kirsten Hall - 2018
    It’s closer, it’s coming, it’s buzzing, it’s humming… A BEE! With zooming, vibrant verse by Kirsten Hall and buzzy, beautiful illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault, this celebration of the critically important honeybee is a honey-sweet treasure of a picture book.

Saving Fiona: The Story of the World’s Most Famous Baby Hippo


Thane Maynard - 2018
    On a cold January day in 2017, nearly two months before her due date, Nile hippopotamus Bibi gave her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden a big (little) surprise - a tiny newborn hippo, no bigger than a football.  The first premature hippo born and raised in captivity, baby Fiona was an underdog from the start:  she couldn't nurse, she couldn't stay hydrated, and she wasn't thriving. But the staff at the zoo knew they could save her.  It would take creative thinking and teamwork. They would have to study the makeup of hippo milk for the first time ever and reach out to medical colleagues, including a team at the local Children's Hospital with superior vein-finding skills,  to ensure that Fiona would begin to gain weight and become healthy. When Fiona began to thrive, her star began to rise, and soon she became an internet sensation, her picture and videos garnering thousands and thousands of likes and fans on Instagram and Facebook.  Now a Fiona appearance at the Zoo mimics a Beatles concert.  What made this little, now big, hippo such a big hit with people all over the world?  And what's in store for her and her family in the future?

All the Water in the World


George Ella Lyon - 2011
    A lively and inspiring poem weaves together facts about water and the need for water conservation.