Book picks similar to
Marshes & Swamps by Gail Gibbons


science
picture-books
gail-gibbons
animals

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature


Nicola Davies - 2012
    The tracks of a bird in the winter snow. This beautiful book captures all the sights and sounds of a child’s interactions with nature, from planting acorns or biting into crisp apples to studying tide pools or lying back and watching the birds overhead. No matter what’s outside their windows — city streets or country meadows — kids will be inspired to explore the world around them. Written by award-winning author Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Hearld, a breathtaking new talent in children’s books, Outside Your Window is a stunning reminder that the natural world is on our doorstep waiting to be discovered.

Weird Sea Creatures


Laura Marsh - 2012
    This level two reader uses easy-to-grasp language that will keep children intrigued and learning on every page.This high-interest, educationally vetted series of beginning readers features the magnificent images of National Geographic, accompanied by texts written by experienced, skilled children's book authors. The inside back cover of the paperback edition is an interactive feature based upon the book. Level 1 books reinforce the content of the book with a kinesthetic learning activity. In Level 2 books readers complete a Cloze letter, or fun fill-in, with vocabulary words.Releases simultaneously in Reinforced Library Binding: 978-1-4263-1048-5 , $13.90/$15.95 Can

The Lost Words


Robert Macfarlane - 2017
    Words like Dandelion, Otter, Bramble, Acorn and Lark represent the natural world of childhood, a rich landscape of discovery and imagination that is fading from children's minds.The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration of the poetry of nature words and the living glory of our distinctive, British countryside. With acrostic spell-poems by peerless wordsmith Robert Macfarlane and hand-painted illustrations by Jackie Morris, this enchanting book captures the irreplaceable magic of language and nature for all ages.

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!

Mushroom in the Rain


Mirra Ginsburg - 1974
    Soon, a wet butterfly, then a drenched mouse, a dripping sparrow, and even a rain-soaked rabbit each beg to join him under his miniature umbrella. How can the ant let the others in when there is barely room enough for one? But as the rain comes down and down, they all somehow manage to squeeze together and share the tiny shelter. And when the sun finally comes out, the ant discovers a magical secret of just what happens to mushrooms in the rain!

Over and Under the Canyon


Kate Messner - 2021
    Over the canyon, the sun scalds the air, baking desert mud to stone. But under the shade of the cliffs hides another world, where bighorn sheep bound from rock to rock on the hillside, roadrunners make their nests in sturdy cacti, and banded geckos tuck themselves into the shelter of the sand. Discover the wonders concealed in the curves of the canyon, the magic of a desert wildflower bloom, and all the unexpected creatures that bring the desert to life.DISCOVER AMAZING ANIMALS: Kids are endlessly curious about the natural world and the wildly varied animals living in it—and the desert is FULL of amazing and surprising animals!CAPTIVATING NONFICTION: Like its predecessors, this latest offering in the Over and Under picture book series illuminates the magic of the natural world and its amazing inhabitants by telling the story of one family's hike through a real-world desert ecosystem in lyrical prose and color-drenched illustrations. Even the most reluctant readers will be drawn into a fact-filled story this compelling!GREAT FOR TEACHING: The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize learning about animal habitats/biomes in K–2 curriculums, while later grades address topics like food chains, conservation, and endangered species. With a depth of research and an engaging, highly visual narrative, this book is an excellent resource for librarians and primary school educators.ENCOURAGES ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS: Concern for and preservation of the wilderness is an increasingly talked-about topic. This book provides a great, upbeat jumping-off point for discussions of the importance and wonder of our world's natural habitats and ecosystems.

Robins!: How They Grow Up


Eileen Christelow - 2017
    But there's a lot about them that most people don’t know! In this visually stunning picture book that features comic-book panels combined with painterly illustrations, Eileen Christelow tells the story of two young robins’ first year, and reveals plenty of little-known facts that are sure to captivate young naturalists. Narrated with humor and filled with kid-pleasing details, this fascinating account of how robins grow up includes an Author’s Note, Glossary, More About Robins, and Sources.

The Quicksand Book


Tomie dePaola - 1977
    An ALA Notable Book.

I'm Trying to Love Spiders


Bethany Barton - 2015
    Lay on a BIG spidey smoocheroo.b. Smile, but back away slowly.c. Grab the closest object, wind up, and let it fly.d. Run away screaming.If you chose b, c, or d, then this book is for you! (If you chose a, you might be crazy.)I'm Trying to Love Spiders will help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes, to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year! And you're sure to feel better knowing you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being fatally bit by a spider. Comforting, right? No? Either way, there's heaps more information in here to help you forget your fears . . . or at least laugh a lot!

How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World


Faith McNulty - 1979
    Facts about the composition of the earth are conveyed painlessly and memorably.’ —SLJ. ‘An exciting adventure. . . . Illustrations [by Caldecott Medal winner Marc Simont] explode with color and action.’ —CS. Best Books of 1979 (SLJ)Children's Choices for 1980 (IRA/CBC)A Reading Rainbow Selection

Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing


April Jones Prince - 2005
    But some wondered just how much weight the new bridge could hold. Was it truly safe?One man seized the opportunity to show people in Brooklyn, New York and the world that the Brooklyn Bridge was in fact strong enough to hold even the heaviest of passengers. P. T. Barnum, creator of “The Greatest Show on Earth,” would present a show too big for the Big Top and too wondrous to forget.

Cactus Hotel


Brenda Z. Guiberson - 1991
    Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired, they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!

Secrets of the Garden: Food Chains and the Food Web in Our Backyard


Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - 2012
    And illustrator Priscilla Lamont's funny, friendly paintings make this a garden everyone will want to explore.Kids will eat up this wonderful book of backyard science—and perhaps they'll even be inspired to eat their vegetables!"A wonderfully informative and enjoyable journey through one family’s backyard garden, from spring planting to fall harvest. . . . this is bound to spark some backyard explorations." —Kirkus, Starred ReviewFrom the Hardcover edition.

The Mess That We Made


Michelle Lord - 2020
    Simple, rhythmic wording builds to a crescendo ("This is the mess that we made. These are the fish that swim in the mess that we made.") and the vibrant digital artwork captures the disaster that is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Children can imagine themselves as one of the four multi-ethnic occupants of the little boat surrounded by swirling plastic in the middle of the ocean, witnessing the cycle of destruction and the harm it causes to plants, animals, and humans. The first half of the book portrays the growing magnitude of the issue, and the second half rallies children and adults to make the necessary changes to save our oceans. Facts about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, ocean pollution, and how kids can help are included in the back matter.

Clara and Davie


Patricia Polacco - 2014
    She had a special way with critters and found joy in the beauty that sprang from the soil. But whenever Clara talked, her words didn't come out right. As hard as she tried, she could not get over her lisp. Clara's older brother Davie understood that his sister was gifted. When folks made fun of Clara's stilted words, Davie was always at her side reminding her that she had a talent for healing creatures. Davie told his sister, "Some day you are going to be a very great lady." And that's exactly what happened. Clara Barton became one of the most famous medical practitioners of all time, and founded the American Red Cross.