The selections are arranged by the seasons, and Sorensen's handsome watercolor illustrations capture the feel of the New England landscape without in any way trying to provide literal images for the poetry. There's an excellent biographical essay, and at the bottom of each page, Schmidt provides a brief note on some of the possible ways to read the lines....These nature poems show that poetry holds feelings and ideas that everyone can understand."--Booklist. "...superb; the poems introduced in a tone that is informative but not pedantic."--PW. "...satisfies in every way."--SLJ. "Include[s] both well-known favorites and those less often read or quoted. 'Mending Wall,' 'Birches,' 'The Road Not Taken' are essential Frost and all are here."--Quill & Quire. ". . . thoughtfully compiled and brilliantly illustrated."--Buzz Weekly. 48 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10.

    Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression. Some startling facts: By the 1990s the radius around the home where children were allowed to roam on their own had shrunk to a ninth of what it had been in 1970. Today, average eight-year-olds are better able to identify cartoon characters than native species, such as beetles and oak trees, in their own community. The rate at which doctors prescribe antidepressants to children has doubled in the last five years, and recent studies show that too much computer use spells trouble for the developing mind. Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. Last child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual. What's more, nature is a potent therapy for depression, obesity, and ADD. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Even creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in nature. Yet sending kids outside to play is increasingly difficult. Computers, television, and video games compete for their time, of course, but it's also our fears of traffic, strangers, even virus-carrying mosquitoes—fears the media exploit—that keep children indoors. Meanwhile, schools assign more and more homework, and there is less and less access to natural areas. Parents have the power to ensure that their daughter or son will not be the "last child in the woods," and this book is the first step toward that nature-child reunion.

    I Dreamed You gives a voice to the feelings so difficult to express and so important to share.Award-winning and beloved children's author Justine Avery thoughtfully, reverently expresses the sentiments behind welcoming a child into our lives, whether we're a grandparent, adopting parent, step-parent, sibling, or anyone else blessed with a cherished young one.

    And listening. And staying quiet, so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat. Soon you’ll see that there are birds everywhere—up in the sky, down on the ground, sometimes even right in front of you just waiting to be discovered! Young bird lovers will adore this lushly illustrated introduction to how to spot and observe our feathered friends. It features more than fifty different species, from the giant whooping crane to the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, and so many in between, and a detailed author’s note provides even more information about birding for curious readers. This celebration of the wondrous variety, colors, and sounds of the avian world is sure to have children grabbing their binoculars and heading outside to explore.

    Animals fly south or get ready to hibernate. People harvest crops and dress up as scary creatures for Halloween. And then there are pickup football games to play, Thanksgiving foods to eat, leaf piles to jump in—all the amazing things that happen as the air turns crisp and cool.  With colorful photographs, lively explanations, and classic craft ideas, Bruce Goldstone has created a festive and fascinating exploration of autumn’s awesomeness.

    He loves Mexico but wants to explore the world. Amazing things happen to Pedro and his friend Enrico when they decide to leave their home in search of adventure. The Little Cockroach is a delightful bedtime story about determination, travel and adventure.

    Designed to resemble popular networking Web sites, the pages of this book feature "homepages" for each of the chemical elements -- complete with witty and informative profiles written by the elements themselves, plus a personally chosen picture.

    Patient and observant, she takes in all of the wonders that make up her landscape from ferns and feathers, to bugs and butterflies. Readers will linger over the luscious and intricate illustrations soaking up all of the delicate details created by author and illustrator Isabelle Simler.

    . . um . . . fluffy-looking backside, and why predators would be in for an unsavory surprise if they ever got ahold of it. Young readers will float away with loads of new knowledge about this fascinating sea slug species, and they'll be reminded to never judge a book by its cover--or a sea slug by its slime.

    Now Sophie tells her story in this picture book that celebrates women in science, bugs of all kinds, and the importance of staying true to yourself.Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.

    But unexpectedly they find a lot more. Clue after clue tells them what kind of animal has been there before and left its trace behind. Share their adventure in this handsome and informative companion toIn the Woods: Who's Been Here?andIn the Snow: Who's Been Here?

    They can be fully appreciated by an individual reader, but they're particularly striking when read aloud by two voices, making this an ideal pick for classroom use. Eric Beddows′s vibrant drawings send each insect soaring, spinning, or creeping off the page in its own unique way.With Joyful Noise, Paul Fleischman created not only a fascinating guide to the insect world but an exultant celebration of life.

    Kids will sing, clap, and count their way among pufferfish that puff, gruntfish that grunt and seahorses that flutter, and begin to appreciate the animals in the ocean. And the clay art will inspire many a project.Parents, teachers, giftgivers, and many others will find: captivating illustrations of sculptures fashioned from polymer clay.backmatter that includes further information about the coral reef and the animals of the ocean.music and song lyrics to Over in the Ocean sung to the tune Over in the Meadow!a book for young readers learning to count!

    Pam Ayres’ spiky and wonderful creation reminds us that unless we take steps to prevent it, they will soon be far from ‘common’ indeed: beautifully illustrated by Alice Tait, the poem sees our hero tell of all the terrible ends his family come to at our own hands - and exactly what we can still do to keep them alive, and see them thrive once more.

    Did you know that dolphins find their dinners by using sound to track down the location of their prey?Did you know that baby dolphins are born tail-first?Did you know that each dolphin has a unique whistle (like human fingerprints) that makes them recognizable to other dolphins?Discover these facts and more in The Truth About Dolphins, a new addition to the popular series that combines raucous amounts of humor with a surprising amount of information on beloved animal friends.