Book Finder

Not everyone aspires to be a champion rock climber like Ashima. Her skill and passion grow with practice and study. The athlete’s story is likely to provide inspiration for all those who aim for greatness in any field. Color illustrations capture the climber’s determination.

Though her family didn’t have much when she was a child in Chicago (growing up during the Great Depression), Gwendolyn Brooks was surrounded by poetry and a loving family. This beautifully illustrated book is an affectionate look at the life of a girl who grew up to be the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize. Additional resources for further reading are included.

The life of Aesop, a Greek enslaved person who wove memorable stories, begins this handsome volume followed by well-known and lesser-known fables. Mixed media illustrations are expressive, creating a sense of time and place while retaining universality. An afterword by the author expands on what is known (and not known) about Aesop.

Philip Freelon’s dream became reality when his team was commissioned to design the National Museum of African American History and Culture which opened in the nation’s capital in 2016. Beginning with his childhood, this realistically illustrated biography provides an afterword by the architect and additional resources.

Apis Mellifera, the worker honeybee, does a lot during its short life. Poetic language and highly detailed illustrations provide an up-close look at the bee, its hive, and expansive travels, cleverly seen in a double gatefold. Backmatter and further reading conclude this stunning book.

Travel the world through the lens of a photographer while exploring basic concepts. Interesting enhancements to some images create an unusual, sophisticated way of seeing opposites.

With a spin of a sturdy wheel, familiar words in different languages appear in a die-cut window atop each photograph. Babies and older people say “hello” and “goodbye” with 18 other commonplace words in-between.

Animals can be found in forests, under the sea, and even on a safari. But in this sturdy book, one has to lift a flap — maybe two — to find them.

How do you feel when you see red? Does pink make you feel differently? Explore feelings with colorful animals in rhyming text and simple illustrations, easy to find with color-coded felt tabs.

Lush, textured illustrations introduce animals on tall, sturdy pages. When flaps are opened, the illustrations expand and a bit of factual information is presented for a unique way to present fascinating creatures. Also by Jenkins: Sea Creatures Swim(opens in a new window).

This picture book explains the concept of choosing, individually, and as a group, from making a simple choice: “Which do you like better, apples or oranges?”, to selecting a class pet, to even more complicated decisions, like electing community representatives. “If you don’t vote, you don’t get to choose.” Backmatter includes information about the United States electoral process.

Former children’s poet laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, allows the polar bear tell us what he’s called in different cultures — White Bear, Ice Bear, Sea Bear, Sailor of the Icebergs, the Ever-wandering One. The Inuit’s say “I am Nanuk”). The devastating ending shows the polar bear adrift on a shrinking bit of ice, “losing hold” — a reference to how this Arctic animal is threatened by extinction and in need of human protection.

Look! A line of paw prints in the snow. Follow the tracks to see the rare and majestic snow leopard and visit her secret world. Join a zoologist in the Himalayan mountains as he searches for the elusive creature. With her pale gold and silver-gray coat painted with black rosettes, she blends so well into the boulders, it’s no wonder she’s thought of as a ghost of the mountains. Written by a zoologist and interwoven with fascinating facts, this look at a fascinating animal includes an end note suggesting resources to explore.

Louisa May Alcott is best known for penning Little Women, but few are aware of the experience that influenced her writing most — her time as a nurse during the Civil War. Caring for soldiers’ wounds and writing letters home for them inspired a new realism in her work, including Little Women, which was one of the first novels to be set during the Civil War.

The life of Marguerite Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, vividly comes to life in free verse and swirling images. Young Maya found solace in language, the rhythm of words during her difficult childhood in “the seesaw of the South,” and fast-paced St. Louis. She became a performer, a poet, and a highly respected novelist. A forward by her grandson encourages discussion as the book is shared. Photographs accompany a timeline of Maya’s life which concludes this sophisticated book.

Matter can be liquid, sold, or gas that can have a role in its [light’s] creation. In large, luminous, light-filled photographs and understandable text, explore various aspects of light from incandescence to the color spectrum, iridescence, and more. Additional information about topics concludes this inspiring and informative overview to light.

He was born in the jazz age so it’s not surprising that Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins loved jazz. He loved the saxophone and was a talented musician who became widely recognized. Free verse effectively explores Sonny’s life — including the hiatus he took from public performances, instead playing for himself on the Williamsburg Bridge. Jazzy illustrations enliven the handsome presentation.

A meteorologist tries to enlighten the handsome but clueless anchorman about weather, weather forecasting, and climate. The comic book format presents complex information about climate change, balancing it with just the right amount of humor. Advice to prepare for emergency preparedness and a glossary are included. Transportation and car enthusiasts will enjoy Science Comics: Cars Engines that Move You(opens in a new window) by Dan Zettwoch.

Luminous illustrations and free verse combine to tell the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. When King arrived for the March on Washington in 1963, his speech was not yet completed. Nonetheless, he found a “place to land” to complete his historical speech then give it on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Focusing on this singular moment in history is powerful and stunningly presented in word and image.

How do we know something that is invisible is really all around? With our noses! Human “noses can detect more than 400,000 different smells.” Animals use their noses for different reasons; dogs smell marked territory, great white sharks detect prey. Sometimes humorous illustrations and flaps that lift reveal a bundle of information sure to inspire further inquiry.

There is great drama to be found on the Serengeti witnessed by scientists. Meet some of those who study the migration of wildebeest in Tanzania. Observe the animals that share the land with the wildebeest. The author’s insightful, illuminating, and highly readable narration in a handsome format with stunning photographs is also a plea for humankind to respect other mammals.

Tailors, scientists, toy makers, miniaturists, doctors, and more have collections that relate to their interests. Twelve collections are presented on double-page spreads illustrated by different artists. Lift the flaps to discover what is contained therein. The Musician’s Cabinet contains Edison’s phonograph and a sea dragon wind instrument, for example. On the final spread, the museums in which these wonders are housed is provided.

From farming to feelings, from teamwork to community, “…it turns out that the respect for animals that is so important in indigenous traditions makes very good sense.” In other words, humans and animals share a great deal, making all creatures “humanimals” — a case presented in clear illustration and straightforward text. The scientists who study animals and their behavior are included, as are additional resources.

Never heard of the black and rufous sengi? How about Brainville’s beaked whale? Lions, and tigers and giraffes are all familiar, but in this humorously illustrated and informative volume you’ll find out about even more less-well-known animals. As in the first book in the series, Lesser Spotted Animals(opens in a new window), readers meet unfamiliar animals, where they are found, what they eat, and if they are thriving. After all, “how can we help something survive if we don’t even know it exists?”