Book picks similar to
The Toad by Elise Gravel


non-fiction
picture-books
nonfiction
animals

Owl at Home (I Can Read, Level 2)


Arnold Lobel - 1975
    But whether he's inviting Winter in on a cold and snowy night, or welcoming a new friend he meets while on a stroll, Owl always has room for visitors!

Waiting for Wings


Lois Ehlert - 2001
    But where do butterflies come from? How are they born? What do they eat--and how? With a simple, rhyming text and glorious color-drenched collage, Lois Ehlert provides clear answers to these and other questions as she follows the life cycle of four common butterflies, from their beginnings as tiny hidden eggs and hungry caterpillars to their transformation into full-grown butterflies. Complete with butterfly and flower facts and identification tips, as well as a guide to planting a butterfly garden, this butterfly book is like no other.

The Truth about Poop


Susan E. Goodman - 2004
    Acclaimed nonfiction author Susan Goodman covers many facets of a subject children just love to read about, and Elwood Smith's humorous illustrations add a lively slant to a book that's already brimming with fun and information.

Hi! Fly Guy


Tedd Arnold - 2005
    Er, and so begins a very funny friendship. Using hyperbole, puns, slapstick, and silly drawings, bestselling author/illustrator Tedd Arnold creates an easy reader that is full of fun.This book is a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book!

Little Hoot


Amy Krouse Rosenthal - 2007
    But no . . . Mama and Papa say little owls have to stay up late and play. So Little Owl spends all night jumping on his bed, playing on the jungle gym, and doing tricks on his skateboard—but he's hooting mad about it! Children who have a hard time going to bed will love this fun twist on the universal dilemma.

Pokko and the Drum


Matthew Forsythe - 2019
    When Pokko takes the drum deep into the forest it is so quiet, so very quiet that Pokko decides to play. And before she knows it she is joined by a band of animals —first the raccoon, then the rabbit, then the wolf—and soon the entire forest is following her. Will Pokko hear her father’s voice when he calls her home? Pokko and the Drum is a story about art, persistence, and a family of frogs living in a mushroom.

So You Want to Be President?


Judith St. George - 2000
    George is updated with current facts and new illustrations to include our forty-second president, George W. Bush. There are now three Georges in the catalog of presidential names, a Bush alongside the presidential family tree, and a new face on the endpaper portraiture. Hilariously illustrated by Small, this celebration by St. George shows us the foibles, quirks and humanity of forty-two men who have risen to one of the most powerful positions in the world. Perfect for this election year--and every year!

Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems


Paul B. Janeczko - 2014
    Janeczko pairs with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet for a collection of short poems to sample and savor. It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Selected by acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems invites children to sample poems throughout the four seasons.

If: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers


David J. Smith - 2014
    But what if we took these big, hard-to-imagine objects and events and compared them to things we can see, feel and touch? Instantly, we'd see our world in a whole new way." So begins this endlessly intriguing guide to better understanding all those really big ideas and numbers children come across on a regular basis. Author David J. Smith has found clever devices to scale down everything from time lines (the history of Earth compressed into one year), to quantities (all the wealth in the world divided into one hundred coins), to size differences (the planets shown as different types of balls). Accompanying each description is a kid-friendly drawing by illustrator Steve Adams that visually reinforces the concept. By simply reducing everything to human scale, Smith has made the incomprehensible easier to grasp, and therefore more meaningful. The children who just love these kinds of fact-filled, knock-your-socks-off books will want to read this one from cover to cover. It will find the most use, however, as an excellent classroom reference that can be reached for again and again when studying scale and measurement in math, and also for any number of applications in social studies, science and language arts. For those who want to delve a little deeper, Smith has included six suggestions for classroom projects. There is also a full page of resource information at the back of the book.

10 Things I Can Do to Help My World


Melanie Walsh - 2008
    Even young children are eager to help the environment — and here is a bright, inviting novelty book that offers simple ways to make a difference.Do you remember to turn off the tap while you brush your teeth? How about using both sides of the paper when writing and drawing? Or planting seeds and nurturing the new plants as they grow? Bold, child-friendly illustrations and die-cut pages will draw even the youngest listeners to this gentle reminder of the easy, everyday ways we can be kinder to the earth.

Spork


Kyo Maclear - 2010
    His dad is a fork. And he's a bit of both. He's Spork! Spork sticks out in the regimented world of the cutlery drawer. The spoons think he's too pointy, while the forks find him too round. He never gets chosen to be at the table at mealtimes until one day a very messy ... thing arrives in the kitchen who has never heard of cutlery customs. Will Spork finally find his place at the table? This "multi-cutlery" tale is a humorous and lively commentary on individuality and tolerance. Its high-spirited illustrations capture the experience and emotions of anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.

The Crayon Man: the True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons


Natascha Biebow - 2019
    purple mountains’ majesty, mauvelous, jungle green, razzmatazz… What child doesn't love to hold a crayon in their hands?  But children didn't always have such magical boxes of crayons. Here’s the true story of an inventor who so loved nature’s vibrant colors that he found a way to bring the outside world to children – in a box for only a nickel!

If You Hopped Like a Frog


David M. Schwartz - 1999
    you could jump from home plate to first base in one mighty leap!If you lifted like an ant...you could lift a car!If you grew as much in your first nine months of life as you grew in the nine months before you were born...you would weigh more than 2 1/2 million elephants and would be taller than a mountain!Did you know that a frog can jump 20 times its body length? Or that an ant can lift 50 times its weight? Or that a baby's weight increases 3 1/2 billion times during the nine months before it is born?These are but a few of the outrageous ratios that will amaze everyone! Students and teachers alike will have hours of fun exploring these delightful comparisons -- and inventing endless others of their own!David Schwartz has written the book in simple statements. And with a stretch of his imagination, artist James Warhola takes off on these wacky "what if" situations as he literally depicts the super-humans that would exist if people had the same super qualities as animals. For more serious math buffs, the author provides pages at the back of the book with equations and scientific facts that show just how these wacky but fascinating ratios are measured. As with How Much Is a Million?, this is another math book with endless possibilities for involving and exciting math lessons. Teachers will love this as much as their students will!

Bear Snores On


Karma Wilson - 2002
    But even after the tea has been brewed and the corn has been popped, Bear just snores on! See what happens when he finally wakes up and finds his cave full of uninvited guests -- all of them having a party without him!

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein


Jennifer Berne - 2013
    But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe. Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky invite the reader to travel along with Einstein on a journey full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific discovery. Parents and children alike will appreciate this moving story of the powerful difference imagination can make in any life.